The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-18

During the past few years we have
heard a good deal about humus, yet so
| little is it understood that some remarks
| in reference to 1t may not be amiss says
the Farmers Review. There are a good
many farmers who can talk quite read
lily about the elements of fertility, but
their knowledge of them seems almost
useless in practice owl to their not I'M
derstanding humus They seem like peo-
pie who have learned sufficient words to
speak q language, but never having
learned the grammar of it are continu lily
| misplacing the words. Now, | don't want
to be understood as cast ng any reflection
on farmers En- g ish, but what / mean to
eXemplify is that until we ground our
selves properly in the principles ind arly
ing humus in the soil we cannot cult
vate very intelllgently. If all the count
less experiments in manur.ng carried on
by the agricultural stations had b en-
guided by first esta blishing principles
we would not to-day be foundering in
the mire of empires on the manuring
question. The decrease in the ferti ity
of our farms can invariably be traced to
destruction of humus and want of balance
in the humus restored.
1t is difficult to find a smile to illus
tTate humus, but perhaps the reader may
gather some idea of it in contemplation
of charcoal. Charcoal, like hunus, re-
suits from the partial destruction of veg
etable matter. in which the more readily
combustible gases are driven off. Char
coal will not readily decompose, yet it
can be burnt up and its constituents
largely pass off into the ar. leaving,
only the mineral soil elements in ash.
The manure heap. consisting of straw and
dung or a pile of grass, practically burns
until the more readily combustible gases
are driven off.
If it has been kept sufficiently we'll wet
ted to prevent fire fang" there remains
mass of black and brown stuff, which we
cal humus, and which decomposes only
very slowly, practically conserved by it's
own acids. This stuff, like charcoal, has
important absorptive power and like char
coal preserves for time from decompo-
sition what it absorbs. 1t has within its
own structure ali the mineral elements
and most of the carbon and nitrogen OF
the plant or manure from which it is de-
rived. 1t aosorbs from the soil the min
eral elements which are constantly being
set free by the various agents at work
there. IN this way it becomes a store
house for plant food and it is from it the
plants seek and obtain their food. AS
a matter of course this humus is not alto
gether indestructble. 1t is consequently
breaking down, or perhaps more correct
ly burning up and the carbonic acid re-
sulting from it frees more possible plant
food from the soil basis. The passing of
seasons leaves more material 10 die on and
in the soil, to form more humus to alb
sorb the newly freed ingredients Thus
in time the soil becomes what we term
rich ana this is the condition of virgin
soils. Thus the young plant at each sue
cessive season finds it's sustenance in the
food prepared and stored up for ID by its
ancestors and parents. and for which they
have left the charcoal of their bodies4a
storehouse. If we would keep up the
condition of fertility we find in a humus
virgin soil we must provide first for
keeping stationary the percentage of
humus. From time to time we must add
sufficient new earth from the subsoii to
allow of renewal of the mineral ingre-
dents for humus storage. Also we must
make provision for the storage of nitrates.
either from the atmospheric air or from
nitrate salts. We find it is necessary 10
keep up the balance of the plant food con-
tanned and stored in the humus. Just as
necessary indeed as it is to balance the
food for our animals by using as foods
the grains of ripened fruits of the plant
as well as the folders. Here is borne
in upon us the tremendous value OF the
legumes (pod plants and covers as manu-
rial agents, for they supply nitrogen as
well as humus