The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-05-07

are found in an insoluble condition,
In this state they can not help the
crops grow. To make them soluble and
available for plant growth we must
fertili2e the So, The fine particles
of soil dissolve in the water and the
plant food is thus fed by the water
to the growing plants. Hence these
fine particles make the soil rich or
productive. If we take these away the
soil is left, with its plant food insolu-
BILE. Such a soil we call poor.
Washing soon makes any soil poor,
Often this washing produces gullies
and takes off the fine soil and leaves
the hard clay soil exposed. Very often
it does not do this, but only takes the
fine dust particles out and leaves the
coarser particles. This we call leach
ing. Both of these results generally
go along together.
Another source of damage to the soil
results from stirring the land when 1t
is wet. As soon as the sunshine ard
wind dry off such land, there are thou
sands. yea millions of little b%rickbats
produced. These are absolutely worth
less to the growing crop.
BY constntly blowing when the clay
or subsoil Is wet, we make a layer
of very compact earth just below where
we pillow. This We call hardpan. This
layer prevents circulation Of water,
increases the washing and interferes
with the growth of the roots Of the
crop. Shallow blowing helps the wash
ing and the formation of this hard
pan.
Another great source Of damage to
the land Is the habit or custom OF
burning off the grass, trash and other
vegetable matter. All Of these are
needed to make humus in the soil,
which they do if permitted to rot, NO
vegetable matter should ever be burned
on a farm. Without humus It is i'm
possible to make large crops. We
thus see that by a misuse Of fire ana
water we make the lands poor. These
are intended to be our greatest farm
blessings. We make them our greatest
curses.
Now, having briefly shown how these
lands were made worn-out lands, we.
are prepared to Gee how we can re-
claim them.
First of all, stop the washing and
teaching. This can be done by plow-
ing deep and on a level.
Repeated experiments have shown
that land plowed fifteen to eighteen
inches deep will hold all ordinary
rains. Below that depth the earth Is
always sufficiently porous.
First, then, break your land so as to
destroy this hardpan and hold the ain
water. Many have advised that this
be done gradually, a few inches each
year. This Is not the best. Do it at
once and do It thoroughly. 1t will
generally be found impossible to do
this with one plOw. In such cases use
a subsoil pillow to follow the first. The
first pillow should be a turn pillow, II
there is any vegetable matter to turn
under. II the land Is clean, then it
does not make any material difference
what kind Of a plow you use. 1t is not
the pillow, but the plowing that is i'm
portant.
Stirring wet land does more harm
than good. Be sure the soil Is dry.
Make dust is the meaning Of ~pulyerize.
Making mortar has been one of the
great curses of southern farming.
Make dust.
Most of us have been taught that as
this WORKOUT land is generally hard,
we must break 1t when wet. But this
is a great error. This blowing should
be done in the summer or fall.
We want a deep, fine soil, and we
need humus. So we can do all these
along together. When you have broken
this old. WORKOUT land as deep as you
can, then harrow it as fine as you can
make it, and begin at once to grow
some kind of crop on 1t. Generally a
convenient plan will be to SOW oats or
wheat in September or October. AS
soon as you cut these, for hay or
grain. then SOW in peas, with sorghum.
Cut this crop for hay, and SOW oats
again. Continue this rotation a few
wears and mix all the stubble in the
soil. and the land will become rich.
This plan does not cost anything.
The hay crops and grain crops o
than pay the expenses. This Is not
the only way. You can plant any crop
YOU please from the first. When you
get the soil deep and fine it will pro-
duce any crop. The chief feature OF
the above plan is that It helps to fur
nish humus cheaply and quickly.
Stable nj will greatly help,
They start fermentation and assist
aeration to make the plant food avail
able. Fertilizers will increase the
crops and in that way make more veg
etable matter to be mixed In.
To sum up, a. tend your land, q,
pillow By the levels, 80 break deep,
al harrow fine, 90 get all the sege-
table matter you al mixed In the soil,
(e) never work or tramp the land
when wet, ~ rotate the crops. This
programme viii soon reclaim any
wornout lands and make them rich.
Peas. clover and grasses all help to
~ LN. HA -l 80 = H--~..