The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-12
GARDEN
AND HOUSEHOLD
FARM,
BY S. A. COOK.

Pastoral ForminE-The whole Meth
cd of Restoring Worn Sale Lands.
If a farmer understands that humus
or vegetable matter is essential to fer
tility, that just in proportion as the
soil possesses it ii is capable Of yield
ing larger crops that is about as much
as he needs to know as a practical
farmer 1t is not necessary that he
should know exactly why it is so. 1t
is well TO know, however, when any
vegetable matter, whether green or
dry, as when peas and other crops are
allowed to die on the land. is turned
under the soil and becomes decomposed
it is known as humus. Until the
vegetable matter has become decon-
posed it has no effect beyond keeping
the soil more open and absorbing and
holding some moisture that otherwise
would pass into the subsoil. This in
itself is helpful, but the real manurlal
effects are obtained after it becomes
humus Whatever nitrogen and potash
and phosphorus was contained in the
vegetable matter is then released ana
can be used by a growing crop
a
kept porous and does not run together
and bake 1t retains more moisture
and allows the carbonic-acid of the
atmosphere to enter freely the soil
and from there be absorbed by the
rootlets of plants.
No doubt there is a large proportion
of worn land in the South that has
plenty of potash and PHOSPHORUS
easily made available if only plenty
,,f h1 civ RI
When lands are first cleared they
are more or less rich in both humus
and undeComposed vegetable matter.
Hammock lands, where the original
growth was oak hickory or other
hard woods, are always richer and
have a more lasting fertility than pine
lands. The former have accumulated
much more humus than the latter ow-
ing to their position and the nature
of the foliage Of the hardwoods, These
soils are rarely worn out completely
by culture where they are protected
from washing. They are capable of
being brought back to the highest state
of fertility by a system of farming
that restores their lost vegetable mat
ter.
In earlier times it was the practice
when lands became badly worn to
turn them out to grow UP in weeds,
DFld1S. anu W IldlFNtA Csc hAlhAA
spring up on the land. New land was
opened III and in it's turn worn our
and turned out. And thus it went on.
1t is well enough TO allow a certain
part of our worn lands to go back IN
to forest from time to time, but the
part most capable of being restored
should be devoted to pastoral farm
ing, where pasture and meadows take
the place of crops requiring clean cul-
Ton fhnl
take the place of cotton and corn to
great extent. if not exclusively. I'm
der this system there is a wholesale
improvement secured in no other way,
and there is every reason to believe
that before very many years a large
part of Southern lands will be devoted
to this system of farming.
A considerable ger cent. Of the best
arabic land in Georgia-in the South
is to-day almost entirely unproductive.
1t is those lands lying along rivers
creeks and branches that have been
cleared of their forest growth and
have been cultivated; but for one rea-
son or another have been allowed to
grow up in weeds and bushes of one
kind or another. Nearly all OF TINS
land is rich, and If put in first-class
shape would produce a bale OF cotton
or fifty bushels of corn without any
manuring. Most of this land, too, is
set in Bermuda grass, and If nothing
else but il had possession there would
be a most magnificent pasture or
meadow, capable of producing $50
worth of beef, pork or mutton to ev-
cry acre of it, If used only as
meadow il would WELD from two TO
five tons of the best hay in the world.
1t is a pity these lands are not put
in condition to do their best, for they
would be the most profitable part of
the farm. 1t is true it would take
lot of hard work to get them back in
perfect shape-a lot of moving, gruo-
bling and chopping that the average
farmer is not able it seems. to bestow
upon it, II would pay we'll to clean
up all the patches even along the
branches and creeks. Such as are
not set in Bermuda could be used for
sugar-cane if desired. There is so lit
tie good land on the farm to-day the
best should certainly be reclaimed
with as little delay as possible.