The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-01-30
MORE AND BETTER SOIL.

Mr.. j. b. %Ilunnicutt, of Georgia, who
8 known to our readers as the author
a number of very practical farming
articles, has in a recent issue of The
Southern Cultivator a strong article on
'Alore and Better Soil" 1t is n
good subject for our farmers to think
over these winter nights, and we pub
lish Mr.. Hunnicutt's letter in full be-
The foundation of all and lasting
success III farming must be laid in a
better soil. The soil is the farmers
bank. Into this bank he must make
constant deposits of active working
II he expects success. Hence
1t Is all important that every farmer
should thoroughly understand what
his soil is and how he can improve it.
For the past eighteen months we
have been discussing this question in
a more or less dcsultory name and
while This discussion has not been al
toScther vain yet we are painfully
aware mat Il great many have not vet
been July awakened to its real mean
ing. therefore at the risk of repeat
ing we will discuss the question once
more. Cline upon line, preccpt upon
precept" is still demanded. Indeed
our very effort to explain the nature
and powers of soil has laugh, us much
of real value. ebay unto day uttercth
speech, night unto night showeth
knowledge" and each setting sun has
lcft us wiser than when the day begun;
the same is true of each student OF
natures wondrous ways.
WHAT Is SOIL.
Without undertaking to give an
exact scientific answer we desire to say
as II relates to farming, it is the top of
the earth and its plant food c. ltcnts.
There Is no specific line of dcmarcation
betwecn soil and subsoil. The depth
OF the soil at any particular place is
not a fixed quantity, but may BE m
creased or decreased at the will of the
farmer by his methods of treatment.
when the top of the earth is
looscncd up the air and sunshine and
water circulate through 1t and make
soluble the mineral elements of plant
lite which everywhere abound. While
there are fourteen Of these elements
found IN all plants, there are only three
OF them n a particularly concern the
farmer. Nature will look after the
others. The three are: Potash,
phosphorlc acid, and lime, and these
are found in ample quantities i'm all
soils; indeed there is about nine thou.
sand dollars worth Of them in every
average acre of land taken to the
depth OF three feet. But in thciv
native condition they are insolublc, for
plants cannot use solids, but only
llquius, their food must be fed to them
IL solution IN water.
RICH AND POOR SOIL.
what we call rich soil does not con-
t1ln more of these essential elements
of plant food than what we c,l poor
soil. But they are in soluble condi-
llon in the poor soil. They are made
soluble by pulverization; if the soil be
made me 1T becomes rich. 1t is a
question OF mechanical condition and
not Il question Of mineral composition.
The rich loan of bottom lands is made
up from the fine particles taken from
the poor hil'sides and carried by the
water and deposited on the bottom
land. If we can make the hillsidcs as
fine as these bottom lands the soil will
DC equally as rich. We mcan to say
nat cach Tanner can make his soil
decn": and richer simply by blowing
deeper and pulverizing finer.
TIE REAL CONDITION,
me actual present condition of the
average farm is about us follows: First.
three Or four inches of more or less
badly plowcd so.callcd soil. The
blowing has been done when the
ground was too wet. The sunshine
II the winds have dried the ht,lc
Jumps OF earth into millions of what
we may properly call sun dried brick
bats.
The brick-ba,s are utterly incapa-
Die of furnishing any plant food TO the
growing crops. If you wish to know
what part of your fields are
OF TINS material take Il fine SITTER and
silt your soil. Only that part that
goes through the sitter is fit to be called
SOL or Is ready to furnish plant food.
The rest is useless until ~purvcrizcd SO
lhaI thc average crop only has about
n inch OF soil uron which to draw
its food.
BcioW this three or four inches is
found SIX or eight inches Of compacl
earth which for convenience we call
hard-pan. 1t has received this name
because IL is too hard for water TO
circulate freely through it either by
gravity or capillariiy. 1t is also too
hard for the little feeding roollcts of
growing plants to penetrate. Hence
II is worth very little il anything to
inc growing crop. But this hard-pan
Is llied with phosphoric acid, potash
n lime, the three great mineral clc-
ments of plant life. But though at
present they arc locked up so far as
Tue plant is concerned and below This
hard-pan the earth is sufficiently porous
Tor the upward and downward circul-
'iion OF water, and for the growth of
plant roots.
WHAT WE CAN AND OUGHT TO DO.
Now a little study will make it clear
that the first duty of every farmer is
to quit blowing his land when # IS
wet n quit making sun-drleI brick
bats and proceed at once to mash every
one he has made by the repeated use
OF pioWs, harrows and rollers. Next
ne VI proceed To- break up this
hard-pan and make possible the free
circulation of the water, air and sun-
SHINE n the free growth of plan;
roots. By doing this he will almost
indefinitely increase the depth of his
SOIL nIInn1t t,l-