The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-01-21


All titled soils are subject to con-
stant waste of the plant food element
that is, nitrogen, potash and phos-
phoric acid. Soils contain as a natural
condition all three of these necessary
substances. the potash and phosphoric
acid as a constituent of the rocks which
by disintegration from the great bulk
of our soils, and the nitrogen in the
form of vegetable matter. the residue
of plant growth. A pure soil of course
contains no vegetable matter, but fur
nishes a medium for the growth of
plants of the clover family, which have
the power, when supplied with potash
and phosphoric acid, of assimilatng
the inert nitrogen of the atmosphere
The decay of the roots. etc, of this
class of plants supplies nitrogen for the
growth of plants which cannot make
their own nitrogen, so to speak, and
thus, step by step, we have the agri-
cultural soil of today.
Plant food must be soluble in soil
waters before plants can make use of
1t TO accelerate growth, and it is in this
point the greatest losses occur. For
example, If more plant food is made
soluble than the plants in that imme-
diate spot can assimilate, the quantity
not taken up passes on with the drain
age water, to be taken up more or less
by the feeding roots of plants it meets
in passing on to the streams and water
courses. More or less fails to be utilized
in this process, and ultimately finds it's
way to the ocean where 1t serves to
grow marine plants. Nitrogen is sub
ject to losses in addition to this. BY
the action of certain bacteria, the nit
rogen in decaying vegetable matter is
converted into ammonia, which may
escape in the air as gas. or this
ammonia by the action of other micro
organisms may be changed back into
the inert form of nitrogen as found in
atmosphere, and which is useless as
plant food.
A great deal may be done to lessen
these losses, though they can never
he wholly prevented. The heaviest
losses occur in the fall, winter and ear
ly spring, when the surface evaporation
of water it light, and the drainage into
water courses consequently heavy. Un-
der these conditions, the soluble plant
food made so by the seasons tillage, is
freely washed into the drainage chan
nels. BY keeping the soil covered with
catch crops much of this loss may be
prevented, but 1t is not always possible
to use a cover crop. For this purpose.
rye, scarlet clover. cow peas and field
| peas are used, and should be used
wherever possible. Fall plownig is ex-
cellent in improving the physical con-
dition of a soil. but the plant food
thus liberated is woefully wasted by
| the spring rains.
This wastage is a condition which
we have to consider as practical fact.
| One OF the important matters in con-
nection with same to take into con-
sideration is the probable disturbance
of the plant food balance by such
losses. Nitrogen we may disregard. as
we can win that back by the growth of
legumes-clover, COW peas, etc. Potash
and phosphoric acid present different
problem. Potash is subject to severe
losses, as when il Is soluble in water
! there are few combinations which rem
der 1t again insoluble. Phosphoffc acid
on the other hand. is very apt to take
insoluble forms. and the loss of this
plant food element is rather slight
Every particle of lime encountered by
the solution Of phosphoric acid at
once fixes it against loss. All these
points must be considered in figuring
on any scheme to maintain the fertil-
ity of the soil by applying manures OF
fertilizers.-V. j. Lance, in American
| Cultivator.