The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-15
Avid Soils.

| Mr.. Agee, in the National Stockn1an
| and Farmer, says that we did not
quote him right in saying that Prof
t<edzie found a sample of ac4d ptas-
phate that had Is per cent. OF free
/ sulphuric acid. but that he did say that
IDr. I<edzie had found one that lad .
pounds OF free sulphuric avid in 100
rounds. If that is not IS yer cent. in
| Ohio it certainly is in Pennsylvania,
/ so we cannot see any misstatemellt
| Mr.. Agee suggests that we study the
clover plats at the Ohio Station and
not the differences and study the h s
! tory of those DlatS. Now, it is certain
that there have been thousa nds OF tons
! Oc d SsolVed phosphate rock used in
the South for every tom in Ohio. and
no one has found that the acidity OF
! the soil has been due to the effect Of
| the free sulphurlc acd in acid phos-
phate. The Ohio plats may show
acidity, but is it sulphuric acid?
| Acidity in soils is organic aCidty and
not sulphruc. Il was found, many
years ago, by the late Edmund Ttuf-
fin, that sold growth OF pines was
| ALWAYS an idlcaIion of an acid soil, ard
there are an abundance Of acid soils
in the South. Some years ago, III ex>
periments in the pine belt of North
Carolina, soil newly cleared from pines
was found to be .ery acid, but acid
phosphate, instead OF increasing the
lacdity. really remedied ii through the
| large percentage of calcium sulphate
| in Il. Prof. Eiigore showed very
plainly that it is to the interest OF
| the manufacturer 10 have no free acid
as it tends t., make tire goods 'lriil less
| freely. Even if there was some free
acid, how long would 1t TAX to change
it to neutral salt of some base in
the soil? In many sections North the
| failure Of clover has beer Que to acid
conditions in the soil, caused Dy the
blowing under OF green clover and
other green growth, and this condi-
| ton will be helped by lime, as we well
know from eXpe rience of years ago
| with such conditions. Sc uthcrn sandy
soils are generally acid from def
cheney of lime carbonate, and the
methods OF cultivation have used up
| the humus and rendered the Sails clos
| er and less aerated, a condition tend
| ing to acidity. But shat acidity in the
soil is the direct result of acid Thos~
plate rs q fertilizer lacks a great Gea
Of being proved. That the injudicious
use of fertilizers in the South has
| tended to increase the acidity Of the
soils by changing their mechanical
condition is probably true. but the
| phosohoric acid is no more responsible
| for this than the ether ingredients
| used. Soils deficient N humIs and
deficient in lime are just as apt to be
acid as soils Astounding in humus that
have good percentage of lirne. In
fact, soils Astounding in humus and
well drained are not necessarily sour
at all. but an excess of green VegCta-
| hle decay will certainly result in some
acidity until cured by fresh applica-
tons Of lime. We must supply the
deficiency of phosphorus in SOME way.
and there is no better way, or at least,
no reader way. than through the use
of acid phosphate, though for the best
results in the long run, we well admit
that the use Of the undis5olTc1 roct
/ will give good results.