The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-17
Agriculture.
SOIL AND SOIL TREATMEE =

The earth was made for pur-
pose of gro wing plants. ~ it is
we'll and wisely made. T soil is
perfectly adapted TO growir egeta,
ton. It neither grows v ry nor
worn out in the work.
Plants were created to grow in the
soil. S. perfect is their ada ptation
80 tni- business that instead of ex
hauztlng the soil they leave it better
by growing in it. The larger the
grOwbh upon any given area this
year, the larger still is the possible
growth next year upon the same
soil. Such is the mutual relation
ship between the powers of the soil
and the work of the plants in grow
ing, diving and decaying, that it is
possible TO grow crops continuously
upon the same soil, with ever-in-
oreasiug capacity for growing more
and larger crops, on the part of the
soil.
HOW THEN DO SOILS GET POOR?
1t is ebe result of bad management,
and not of the demands made upon
the sol Dy the growing crops. Vege-
tation upon an average is seventy
five per cent water, twenty-five per
cent. air, and only three per cent.
soil.
Good farming returns to the soil
so much # this organized water and
air, that it more than oompensates
for the three per cent. taken from
the soil Hence it is a mistake to
say that tae soil is exhausted or made
poorer by tue small part it furnishes
the Drop. Then you ask why do we
find fields and farms, after years OF
Guilt va6ion, become poor or non pro-
ducuve? The causes are many.
Mainly bad management in plOwing
when the soil is wet and in plOWlng
so shallow that the soluble plant
food Is washed away or leached out
by the rain water. Continuous clean
culture and burning the waste Vege
table matter helps to hasten this con-
dltlnn.
MECHANICAL CONDITION OF THE SOIL.
The power OF any soil TO produce
depends lar sely upon the mechanical
condition or the soil. Hard, com
pact soils will not turn loose their
elements of plant food in sufficient
Quanubles t. make large crops. A
good sorl must be finely pulverized
soil.
SHALLOW soils with hardpan under
them will not yield large crops.
They do not permit sufficient root
growth. The tender rootlets cannot
pierce this hardpan in search for
food. Again they do not furnish
sufficient water tor rapid and tull
growth. Plants require very large
supplies of water TO furnish their
food In solution and keep up healthy
circulation. About three hundred
pounds of water pass through most
plan5s 80 leave one pound of dry
matter. TINS would require about
two thOusand pounds to pass through
corn stalk 80 make one pound of
corn. and the same TO pass through
q cotton stalk to leave one pound of
lint.
The soil must be fine and deep and
pulverizeI, not made into mud or
mortar. 1t must also contain rOtting
vegetable matter, TO furnish the
humus, without which plants cannot
grow. Soils in this condition will be
rich. 1t will produce large crops. It
matters not if it be red or gray,
sandy or clay.
MORE ATTENTION TO SOIL MANAGEMENT,
LESS TO FERTILIZERS.
s. much of our land has been put
in bad mechanical condition that but
few farms will produce large crops. |
Hence the necessity of using COM
merciaI fertilizers. These contain
phosphorio acid and potash readily
soluble and available. They greatly |
Increase the yield because of this
faot. They feed the growing plant
The more vigorous the plant the
more they help. just as it pays TO
give axtra feed to a thriving pig or
beef. So we see that even the help |
fuluess of fertilizer is dependent
upon the mechanical texture of the
sJu.
The farmers constant study
should be How can improve the
mechanical condition of my soilP'
TDOD b;s ;,4o11iganca in sOswerinp