Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-04-14
ouRlBEsT SOIL RENOVATORs.

OURJBEST SOIL REN0VAI0RS.
The quickest. su.sst and most ecOnOmt-
cal plan 20 build u. land 70 a high state OF
fertility. and keep It 50, is 20 utilize those
natural resources within our reach which
nature intended 10 be so utilized. This
great and growing desire for artificial Ter
Utilization through the expensive use OF
chemical manures IS not only a constant
drain upon the farmers pocket. but Il Is
likewise a drain upon the fertility OF the
soil the man who depends entirely upon
commercial fertilizers 10 supply the plant
food needed by his growing crops each
year. II he does not die poor. he viii leave
TO HIS children an exhausted and impOver-
ished soil, which must have its annual
dose OF chemicals 70 produce crop, there
being but little OF nothing left in the shape
OF natural plant food upon which a crop
could subsist.
Southern farmers are simply going to ex-
tremes on the question OF buying. They
buy more than they sen, hence the bal
ance of trade each year Is against them
and they are forced TO start the next year
in debt The men who utilize their re-
sources and succeed in the business are in
the minority when they should be largely
in the majority, because OF our magnif-
cent opportunities along the lines OF ag-
rfcultural development. But for the ex-
could within a few years build his lands
up TO high state Of cultivation and keep
IL so. without the use>Of a single pound Of
high priced. complete commercial fertiliZ-
ers- The secret lies in the introduction OF
a more general system OF diversified farm
ing. rotation Of crops. utilizing our barn
yard manures and planting extensively
each year that greatest OF all renOvating
soil crops. the cow pea
n l. more particularly OF the COW pea
that propose to write at this time, be-
lieving ehat Il is the best friend the farm
CT has and that through its constant use
his lands can be permanently enriched and
made highly productive. The cow pea is
valuable for many purposes. more so than
the use TO which any other plant grown on
the farm can be placed Aside from its
high value as a forage for feeding stock
" all kinds. its superior value as a soil
renovator places Il at the head OF legum-
inous plants and thereby gives the south
ern farmer the opportunity which he
should be quick 10 take advantage OF, that
Of retaining the worn lands OF the south
and rendering them as productive as I'm the
days Of their virgin fertility.
Gathering Free Nitrogen.
The value OF the COW pea as soil reno
vator IS due TO It's power Of taking up
the nitrogen from the air during its differ
ent stages Of growth, and so depOsiting Il
sequent crops OF other kinds which require
that element to be already in the soil to
support their growth and fruiting. Nitro
gen Is the most expensive element OF
plant food with which the farmer has to
contend. Its value in dollars and cents is
about four times that OF either phosphoric
acid or potash. pound for pound. Four
fifths Of the air we breathe Is pure nitro
gen. and any plant which draws upon
the great blanket OF air overhanging an
acre OF land. and SO utilities Il as TO leave
a considerable portion OF Il in the soil in
an available condition for other crops. is
doing big amount Of missionary work
for the owner OF that land. which should
not be lightly appreciated
Nearly every farmer knows that COW
peas tend 20 improve land upon which
they are growing. but many OF them do
not understand the exact scientific prin-
cipie upon which It Is done. The method
cannot Be better explained here than by
quoting the language employed in a re-
cent bulletin on the subject issued from
the North Carolina Experiment station,
as follows:
An examination OF the roots OF a
healthy COW pea or other legume. dis
closes many little punches. engagements.
'nodules or tubercles,' varying I'm size
from that OF a small pinhead to a pea.
These have about the consistency and
much the appearance OF very small pota-
toes. but an examination with the micro
scope shows that they contain vast num-
bers OF living things. actually myriads OF
minute living organisms. scientifically
named bacteria These bacteria draw the
small mineral part OF their nourishment
from the roots on which they grow. but
the greater nitrogen supply essential 70
their life they gather from the air which
circulates through the soil. Each individ-
ual OF these low forms OF. animal life ex-
fists only for a few hours. and at death
mingles with the soil and goes through a
process OF decomposition similar 10 that
which takes place in other organic matter.
The only difference is that when vegetable
matter decays IL leaves In the soil only
what IL has taken from Il. but these bac-
terra add the nitrogen they have absorbed
from the air and changed Into a form
available for succeeding crops"
This Is plain. simple explanation OF
the whole process in a few words fully
defining the method by which the nitro
gen tn the air Is gathered and deposited in
the soil Other crops. not OF the legume
family. such as wheat, oats, corn cotton
etc. take from the soil. and cannot, there
fore. return TO Il any more than they have
taken from Il IN their growth, even IL
such crops should be plOwed under al
maturity and no part OF them removed
from the field On the other hand. the sur
plus nitrogen gathered on pea roots and
deposited I'm soil is there to stay, no mat
ter II the pea vines are moved and fed
green or converted into hay. There is no
way BY which the farmer can prevent this
renovation OF his poor soils when he
plants on them the COW pea For the
free and easy circulation OF the air
through the soil. however. the land upon
which peas are planted should be thor
ouEhly and deeply pl0wed. else the best
results cannot be secured. However. good
viii be accomplished even though the peas
are merely scratched in on a piece Of worn
land.
Phosphorle Acid and Potash.
cowpeas. Ike all other crops. require