The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-11
Our Old Soils; What TO Do with
Them.

Them.
In the older sections of the South
much the larger portion of the lands
adapted to tillage have been opened
up and cultivated until they have
ceased to produce profitable crops, even
with the aid of fertilizers.
OF course, there is still a goodly
area of forest land in every county IL
the state, as there is in every other
state.
Much of this forest land is as good
as any that has been brought into cul-
tiYation, but this land will probably
be the very last to be put into Guilt
waited crops as it lays along the river
and other water courses, and it will
be useless to attempt it's cultivation
until considerable work has been done
in the way of constructing levees, and
in many cases digging elaborate
bitches, that is, considerable money
will have to be expended on this land
before 1t can be put in shape to pro-
duce a money crop.
Farmers owning this land have as d
rule been too poor for the past fifteen
years to spend the necessary money
on these lands to fit them for cultiva-
ton and for the splendid meadows
and pastures that they will be so well
fitted to make when they are once
cleared and protected from over
flows.
The remaining forest land away
from the water course is as a rule
poor, and the only inducement that 1t
can offer for clearing is for the sake
of pastures and for the timber, either
as fuel or TO be manufactured.
The land that has already been
cleared and cultivated for many years
must continue to be the main depend
ence for all future farming Much of
IL ceased years ago to yield profitable
crops. very small proportion only
will do that now without the aid OF
commercial fertilizers. Artificial en-
riChment of soil must ever be regarded
as precarious. Unless the rains come
al short intervals more or less damage
results to the crops.
Land that has been cultured until
it's humus has been almost exhausted
can retain but little moisture and only
for a little while, compared to what
was the case when 1t was well sup
piled with humus. Rolling lands that
are destitute of this essential matter,
decayed and decaying vegetable sub
stance. cannot possibly be profitable
for cultivation.
And yet sad to relate, here in Mid
die Georgia, as elsewhere, of course,
are lands still devoted to hoed crops
that We're absolutely worn out fifteen
years ago. One tenant takes charge
of such land, farms it a year and
fails. and another steps in and tries
his hand and fails, and so ii goes on
from year to year. Sometimes the
landlord gets his rent and sometimes
he does not but he is willing to rent
TO any one who applies In doing this
he may be regarded as doing both
himself and his tenant a wrong-an
injustice. He should do it no longer.
This land deserves a rest. Even if
the owner does not farm it himself
or does not have immediate control
of it himself, he should see that it
gets it. He should rent 1t only upon
conditions that it be allowed some
chance to recuperate. This can be
effected to some extent by requiring
a rotation to be observed that will
give a part of this land each year to
fall grain allowing the land to grow
crop of weeds following the grain,
or he can stipulate for a crop of peas
to follow the grain, the total growth
of vine to be reserved entirely to the
land Something has got to be done
towards restoring the humus that has
been exhausted from the land. If the
owner is farming the land himself he
must realize that it is a waste of time
and involves a clear loss every year
to go on cultivating such hand In its
present condition. Now and then. as
the seasons may prove supremely fav-
CRADLE this land gives a squirt" so
to speak, and yields very profitable
crop and this encourages the farmer
to cultivate it another year and an
| other, only to get poor and unprofit-
| able crop--a fair crop one year in
| three, perhaps, being about the way
of it.
We repeat land of this character car
| be brought back into a condition OF
| fertility, justifying It's cultivation
only by restoring the essential humus
to it. 1t must be planted to crops thai
! afford the largest quantity of vegeta-
| BILE matter possible, to be given to the
land
OF course the best plan, by far, t
observe with this land is to devote il
to permanent grass and clover anc
raise pork or beef or both. A farmer
may not choose to act upon this ad.
can be given. Land that is much rur
down, as is the case with at leas
20 per cent. of that, that has beer
continually cultivated since the war
can be restored to its original condi.
ton of fertility only through the mean:
of grass and clover persstently grown
| upon the land for number of years
| the decaying roots of the plants an.
rually increasing the humus i'm the
soil, and while doing this Yields 3
good profit on the investment in the
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