The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-02

''worn OUT on our red-clay hills, and
the soil scientists tell us that it shows
lust as much soluble plant food in 1t as
land right alongside that has been well
worked, and we'll treated and is pro-
duetive, while no treatment at present
seems to avail to make 1t produce good
crops, we want to find the reason
You will see on a very casual examlna-
ton that the productive land OF the
same natural character is darker IN
color, is more mellow and less inclin ed
to bake and dry out. go
In a dry time you can stir up
moisture in 1t with the toe. OF
your shoe, while on your worn-out
land you can hardly stir 1t at all when
dry. What makes the difference in
these two fields? Simply the differ.
ence in humus or vegetable decay.
This has all been burnt out OF the
worn out land, and while laboratory
solution of the soils will show the same
average amount of soluble plant food,
the worn-out land has not enough
to make the solution naturally, and
hence cannot deliver food to the plant
roots. The very first thing then to be
done in its Improvement Is to get this
misunderstanding humus back Into
the soil. It will be unproductive even
Of the crops that will do this. = =
You may SOW peas on 1t and the
drought will make them q very poor
crop: for YOU will find that, while the
burning out of humus, the microbes In
the soil that breathe the nitrogen from
the air have been starved out and no
nodules form on the pea roots: Men
say that such soil is too poor'to grow
clover, and it is true that clover WILL
not thrive there for the same reason
that the peas do 30 poorly. On such
soil the thoughtless cotton-farmer, or,
rather, cotton-planter, will dri6ble, q
little complete fertilizer in the furroW,
and, if the weather is favorable; may
get some increase in the CROP, but Tar
from what even the same little appli-
cation would give on the better field,
It has been shown that If the peas
can get plenty of the mineral elements
of plant food they will get the nitrogen
for YOU if the soil is inoculated with
the microbes that live on their roots
and enable them to do this. Scatter
little soil from field where peas do
we'll on the old field. Then give the
land dressing all over in liberia! way
of mixture of acid phosphate and pot
ash, say 1000 pounds of acid phosphate
and 400 pounds of muriate Of potash.
Put this on at rate of 400 pounds per
acre a week or more before sowing the
peas and harrow it in repeatedly Win
the cutaway, chopping the soil as nne
as possible, for next to humus the nm
ing of the soil is the important point In
retaining moisture. Once get gooo
growth of the peas and you have that
land where you want it, and it's after
Improvement is easy. It will pay for
a while to use the whole growth to turn
under after all the growth Is completed
and the peas are dead, and then to SOW
a winter cover of rye or crimson clover
on the land. 80,
The very first crop thereafter will
show the effects not only OF the nitro
gen the peas have gotten into the soil,
but the mechanical texture OF the SOIL
will be improved and its moisture-re-
tanning capacity at once improved.
Then If you return the peas there every
third wear you will soon find that there
Is no longer the difference between
the worn-out land and the improved,
and, being good clay loam, it will
deliver it to the plants. In short, use
the cheaper forms of commercial fer
tilizers to enable the plants to get the
most costly nitrogen, and then, when
its capacity is improved, use the legume
crops forage and get more humus-
making material in the manure from
feeding them to cattle.
Stop dribbling little complete fer
tilizer in the hill or furrow, and give
the same value in a larger amount OF
the cheaper plant foods in phosphorie
acid and potash to the crops that 1eeo
the land and feed the stock at the sane
time, and let them do the rest:
w. F. MASSEY.