Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-02-23
FARMER AND PLANTER.
CLIMATE AND FERTILITY.


Soils of the South and tho
Remedies to be Applied.
Fertility, in the sense used in this
article, refers 10 available plant food
in the soil. Available plant food
means substantially the elements OF
fertility nitrogen, potash and phos-
phoric acid,) in such form that they
are dissolved by soil water under or
dinary conditions. The natural condi'
ton of soils is, of course, to exist iii
Il highly insoluble condition, else +he
continued washing and teaching of
rains would carry the soil into the sea.
While the great bulk of earthly matter
in soils remains practically unchanged
under the action of water, very
small proportion gradually becomes
soluble and is carried off by the nat
ural drainage of the land. This small
proportion is composed largely OF the
very substances which are most useful
as plant food.
The action Of soil water alone is not
responsible for all such losses. Air
and sunshine have powerful influences,
as also do temperature changes. Bac-
terial action is also an important fac
tor. The rapidity with which this sol
vent action occurs is largely dependent
on climate. In a cold climate, for ap-
proxmately half the year, the soil is
frozen, or chilled by frost, not only
does the solvent action of air, water
and sunshine pecome almost nothing
but the bacterial action is also checked.
As partial compensation, the frcez-
ing and thawing in fail and spring
have powerful action in breaking
down rocky particles. In the south
where the soil is rarely frozen, the
solvent action each year is much great
er than in the north. This is one Of
those points, more or less Withdrawn
from the filed of practical observa-
tion, which has a marked influence on
agricultural improvement.
The ultimate result of these natural
conditions is that in the south soils
hre more quickly exhausted than in the
north. This is shown by the enormous
consumption OF artificial manures in
the south. The south uses fully rs per
cent. of the total consumption of the
United States. Georgia alone Uses each
year fully onc-lifth the total output OF
manufactured fertilizers. On bottom
lands where annual flooding renews
the fertility, losses by washing and
drainage are fully made good by the
deposited sediment; but this is at the
expense of some other section which
has lost what the bottom land has
gained.
The nature of fertility losses due to
climatic condition deserves a more
full study by practical farmers than
has been given in the past. So long
as soil is frequently cultivated, there
| is little loss from drainage-eXcept on
bare hillsides subject to severe wash
ings. However, the soil can not con-
stantly be under the plow and culti-
vator. While nitrogen is the ingredi-
ent most liable to quickly take soluble
forms, curously enough the loss Of
this ingredient is less damaging than
the loss of potash and phosphates.
Through the action of legumes, fer
tilizer nitrogen is continually being re-
stored to the soil. Cow peas, for eX-
ample, store up enormous quantities
OF fertilizer nitrogen, wholly from the
air. To do this the crop also takes up
equivalent proportions of potash and
phosphoric acid, about one pound of
the former and one-half pound of the
latter, to every pound of nitrogen
thus stored up in vegetable growth.
AS the COW peas crop is harvested,
this fertilizer is removed from the soil,
and very small proportion of it finds
its way back. Even if the crop is
used as green manure the loss is
very great. 1t is estimated that one.
half the nitrogen of green manuring
is lost, and in a large measure the pot
ash and phosphates associated with
this dssipated nitrogen, is also lost,
as the vegetable matter decays in
the soil, the plant food takes soluble
forms, and is subject to loss by drain
age. This process keeps up continual
| ly. Each year considerable portion
of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
potash is lost, each year greater por-
ton of nitrogen is regained through
the action of legumes; but there are
no legumes which enrich a soil in pot
ash and phosphates. The loss of these
ingredients is absolute.
This suggests an agricultural prin-
ciple. In the south where the open
season is long, the loss of soil drain
age is greater than in the north where
the closed season is long. In the south
the supply of fertilizer nitrogen is
kept up largely by the free growth OF
legumes which have longer growing
season. On the other hand, the loss OF
potash and phosphates is greater
Theoretically, in a warm climate the
chief ingredients of fertility to be sup.
piled the soil are potash and phos.
pilates, and this is found true in gen.
eral practice. From what has been
written above, the observing farmer
will readily note the close relation be-
tween "Climate and Fertility" and
regulate his plant feeding methods ac
cordingly.-Bryan Tyson, in Farmers
Home Journal.