The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-10-11
HOW SHALL WE GO ABOUT IT ?

|
Prof. Andrew Ii. Wood says: "With
out controversy the saving, preparing
and application of manurcs is one OF
The most important subjects that the
farmer can consider" Again he very
truthfully says: "Thc profits of his
farming operations often turn upon this
one question. Whether he has ac-
cumnlatcd all the manure possible
preserved all the elements of fertility
and applied il when and where it would
DO the most good.'
| We fully agree with the professor in
these Ycmarks. If our fathers had
farmed upon this program and we had
followed them in the same method, we
should not now be the poor people we
are. Nor would we be farming upon
the poor and washed soils thai we now
plant. Our heritage would have been
rich and lovely home, and we would
have been making them richer and
! lOvclicr
But grieving over wasted opportu-
mites will not help, unless in our grief
we learn lessons Of wisdom and prac-
The duty is plain and the method
entirely practical. We need depth of
soil for root beds and water beds and
food beds. All these arc essential.
We must control tho rainfall and we
must increase the supply of available
plant-food. TO this latter point We
wish to call particular attention. That
| we must have the plant-food before we
can grow better crops all will admit.
But how are we to get il? This is the
important question. Some say buy it,.
Indeed, nearly everybody is already
buying 1t. We purchase guanos and
chemical preparations III enormous
quantities, because we wish to increase
The available plant-food IN our soils.
In some respects this is wise, in
others it is foolish. Our past follics
have made ii necessary. But is this
| the only or the wiscst way to correct
our follcs, past and present? We
think not.
We do not purchase wisely. We do
| not study the case 80 AZ to understand
the symptoms and the real remedies.
First, we buy much that We do not
need. Second, we buy much that is
not profitable. Rock phOsphates and
their compounds do not pay in pro-
portion to their cost. Ammonia costs
too much in these combinations. There
is too much dead wcight--too much
that is not plant-fool ut all, and
much that Is not in soluble condition.
Guanos made from bones and animal
refuse contain much more that is or
will become available in the soil.
Hence fertilizers of this class will help
to make the soil permanently better.
This point Is not sufficiently under
stood by our farmers. DO not be GOV
crned by the cost per ton of fertilizers,
but by the available plant food they
give for a certain cost.
Again, we wish to call attention to
the fact that i'll order to get the best
results from the use of any fertilizer
we must have depth Of soil and plenty
of water. Fertilizers can do no good
in dry soil and but little good in IL
shallow, clodly soll.
We should save all the manure we
possibly can of our own raising. Let
nothing be burned upon the farm.
Make the compost heap II storcho,ls,
for all refuse, both animal and vcgc
table.
Make your soil deeper by constan
deep plowing. Make it timer by har
rowing and by working into it ever,
available form of vegetable matter.
In this way we encourage acration
This will render soluble much of tn,
potash and phosphoric acid and sod
and lime already in the soil. Hence
we will need less foreign plant food
We will not need to buy so much fer
tilizcr and we will get much bette
profit for what we 90 buy. Encourag,
home factories and buy those brand
which will furnish you the hishcs
possible per cent. of soluble plant
food. Bones are more soluble than
rocks. Bone phosphates are moro
profitable than rock phosphatcs. -
Southe,u CultirutOr.
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