St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-02-21
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE SOILS OF THE SOUTH.

THE SOILS OF THE SOUTH.
Their Manurial Needs, Owing 10
Their Variety, a Subject For Spe
ciaI Study BY the Farmer
The wonderful variety OF soils tnat
ere found in the south requires tha1
special study should be given 10 ea ar
and often to limited localities. Ane
stations have done
GREAT deal towards this study, but as
their studies are generally confined
to one locality and soil the results
are seldom applicable to large areas
in the state. In North Carollna 'no
department of agriculture mas WISE
" undertaken to study by actual cur
ture the typical soils OF the various
sections of the state and has estao-
lished test farms on the SONS ano-'
tvpi.al of the various sections from
the east coast country to the upper
Piedmont section. Results aii coy
obtained seem to show that lneie
sbnn1d he s., wide difference In the
fertilization of the different chafao
tiers of soil. In one section ol 'no
eastern part of the state the FAIRNESS
had come to the conclusion that II
never paid them to apply phosphor'c
acid to their soil. But we believe 'ha
thu work of the department.
has tended to show that TINS
opinion may have grown out OF an
accumulation in the soil OF certain
farms from previous dressings, and
that really the soil around them o!o
resnond to the use OF phosphorlc
acid, On the red clay uplands OF the
south there is no doubt great de-
ticiencv in nitrogen, owing largely 10
the lack of organic matter IN the
soils. the result of a long continual
ton of cotton culture on lands orlgl-
na]ly poorly supplied with humus.
Even when newly cleared from the
forest the southern uplands have
smaller amount of humus than SIM
liar lands in the north. This is due
in great extent to the absence OF
snow in winter and the open charac-
ter of the forest on the hills. The
dead leaves are blown away to the
hollows and bottom lands, while IN
the north the snow falls and packs
them down to decay where they 1all
and thus to accumulate vegetable
matter and humus in the soil. Hence
the first need of the southern upland
is for organic matter. not only Tor
the purpose of getting whatever OF
nitrogen it may contain, but tor lhe
mor.. important purpose OF retaining
moisture in the soil and aiding in the
proper solution of whatever manurlal
matters may be applied. All the Ola
cultivated soils are deficient in phos-
phoric acid, especially for the produc-
ton of grain crops. East OF the Blue
Ridge, where the red clay upland SOIL
is the result of the decomposition OF
pranitic rocks, the soil has a great
store of potash in it in the form OF
an insoluble silicate, and the question
that comes to the cultlyator Is
whether it is more economical to get
at this potash in the soil through the
| use of lime and plaster or to apply
| potash in an already soluble form
This is a matter that each cultlvatol
of the soil must decide for himself
I have often said that really the only
| man who can find out what his sol
needs and what he need not buy Ii
the farmer himself. A chemist may
analyze your soil and tell you that II
has in the few upper inches al
abundant supply Of all the elements
needed as plant food, and yet yo'
NAV know that the soil is absolutely
unnroductive because Of the unavall
able condition in which the food eN
lists. Hence only experiments will
the different fertilizing material:
alone and in various combination:
can enable the farmer to determine
what the manurial needs Of his par
t;cular soil are. But there are ives
Of the mountains red clay upland
that look like those east OF tn
range. But these are OF dlHeren
origin. They have more humus, 1t
true, but they have not the same con
tent of phosphoric acid and potasl
that the granite soils have. Then,too
east CT the Blue Ridge there are tn
typical tobacco soils, gray in color
They are fitted for the production o
the finest tobacco, but are deflclen
in what the red clays contain largely
pe1ash. The red lands are not select
ed for tobacco, Notwithstanding thei
potash content, because experienc
has taught the growers that thel
TYNE of tobacco can not be grown O.
red CLAW soil. Hence, as it has bee
shown that the gray soils make tn
best tobacco if properly fertillze
and that tobacco uses potash proba
bly, more largely than any othe
southern crop the wise tobacco grow
er will see to it that his fertilizer ha
a large percentage of both mtroge
for strong growth and potash to
the perfection of the leaf. They hav
found that on these gray Tobacco
soils a heavy application of pho'
phoric acid tends to make what the
call honey or big veined tobacco, an
they have gradually reduced the be
centage of phosphoric acid, and
some instances have abandoned II
use entirely as tobacco fertilizer.
We doubt the wisdom CT this hov
, ever, for phosphoric acid is apt to /
the controlling factor in a fertilize
. mixture, and the potash can not hay
it's best effect if the phosphoric aci
e MT v,raSen+ in sufficient amOunt.s
there seems to be sort of interd
pendence between them. From VIII;
/ have said it will be easy to see TIL
on single farm there should be
{ difference in the fertilizers applied
crops. From this fact comes tt