Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-03-25
RcstorIng Fertility.

A great variety OF Soil-huildln- crops i
grow here. writes Professor A. VI. I
Souic. Chief among these are the le-
gumeS. Some OF the clOvcrS do well In |
nearly all sections OF the South. and |
the cowpca and velvet bean grow
everywhere. These wonderful plants
with their power OF aSsimilating and
building atmospheric nitrogen into the
soil and furnishing an available supply
OF vegetable matter when piOwed I'M
der. which improves the texture and
wster-hoiding capacity 81 the soil and
adds 20 its fertility. can he utilized FOR
the purpose OF soil Improvement Their
action is sure and rapid and So the
means for the reiuvenation OF the soil
and the certain Increase and mainten-
ancc Of its capacity Tor the production
OF cotton is within the reach OF the av-
eraSe farmer.
There are two other meanS-legumin
Gus crops alone will not supply all the
needed elements for cotton production
, The soils OF the South arc frequently
dC6cicnt i'm phoSphoric acid IN pSvtic-
I Ular. ard u 10y Instances 10 potash.
CcnCnC--s cultivation has frequently
made them solr. Tho liberal use OF
phosphorus acid In applications OF 20
+ 10 500 pounds OF fourteen 10 sixteen
+ pcv cent. goods per acre viii so a long
way toward increasing the production
Of cotton on the average soils now de
voted 20 it's culture In the south. From
twenty FIVE 10 nifty pounds % mur.aie
OF potash should bc added 10 this mix
ture and where the land is acid an ap-
+ plicatiou OF twenty five 10 nifty bushels
of lime per acre will help IL wonder
fully. The South is the greatest nhoS-
plate producing region Of the world;
thus nature has placed within the
reach Of the farmer and ar prices he
can anord 10 pay the needed mineral
elements which. together with the lC-
guminous crops suggested viii enable
him 70 rebuild his soils in The shortest
possible time snd bring them hack To
their virgin condition.
In this connection there is another
matter which cannot Do cmpha sized
too strongly and which has never been
fully realized 10y tho Southern farmer.
anG that is The necessity 81 feeding the
bv-producis or the cotton plant Co cat-
Tie and sheep iu particular. The cl.-
mate and soil and the crops they pro-
ducc are admirably adapted Tor the
development OF great feeding indus
tries ln tho south. Everything war
rants the pursuit az this industry on a
profitable basis Unfortunately the
Sous bern GARNER has beer unable 10 oh-
tain n cash price for the cotton seed.
and 50 has gone like the lint. thus rob
binc hlS soils OF immense stores 81 Ter
ti'ity and reducing 1heir power to yield
paying crops. Could the cotton seed
meal produced in the South be fed and
farm yard manure utilized. the farmer
would obtain two profits from ITS use.
First. feeding profit. and second. a
fcrilllzlng prohr. and with this addi
ton 20 the natural resources at his
command the soil problem would bc
solved Is there some way by which
the farmers OF the South can b'
aroused from their letharCy and made
20 appreciate and utilize the streams q
sold which now run through thel
hands through failure 70 utilize th'
hv-uroLucts OF the cotton plant ln max
lnc 81 beef and dairy products: j
there not some means 10y which the.
can be brought 10 a realization 90 th
rapid destruction and exhaustion o
Their farms through the present at
surd practice % selling both the liu
and hy-products and expecting III
land 80 maintain IFS virgin yielding C.;
pac.ty without tho return OF fertilizer
either .u tie form Of animal manure
/. O. mineral elements 20 The soil: