The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-10-05

Departing from the ordinary course 0t
procedure the whole afternoon and even
| ing were given to Professor Whitney,
chief of the Bureau Of Soils OF the Depart
| ment of Agriculture who, by the way,
is Marylander by birth-who delivered
an address on THE fertility OF the SOIL
as commercial asset. This address was.
III way, supplemental to one Delivered
by him 4 short time since before the RIch
Neck Farmers Club of Queen Anne $
county, and received profound attention
from his listeners from start to finish.
As an object lesson to illustrate his line
of thought, Mr.. Harlan had prepared
about three dozen exhibits of growing
wheat, which had been planted in especial
" prepared pots, which completely con-
fined the roots and excluded air and
moisture; they were all filled with the
same soil, but enriched by a variety of
commercial fertilizers. In the beginning
of his address, Professor Whitney ex-
ploded the theory of Clden times that our
soil is the disintegrated particles of rock
which have been decomposed, chemically
changed and burnt out, as it were, during
the past ages, and made the bold asser-
ton that all soils are merely the disinte
grated particles of the rock in more or
less infinitely divided condition, and still
contain the same chemical ingredients as
the ordinary rock from which the soil
originated. Here half dozen test tubes
filled with soil in different degrees of COM
intuition were exhibited toillustrate and
prove this statement. Professor Whitney
states that the prevalent belief that
our soils are deteriorating is entirely
he,
when they do occur are due to a toxic
(poisonous) condition of the soil, result
ing from the excreta thrown off by the
growing crop, and not because of the
fertility drawn therefr ON. AS an easy
experimental proof, he asserts that
second crop of wheat in one of the small
flower pots before referred to would
seem to indicate that the soil had been
exhausted by the first crop, but if the
toxic waste had been properly washed
from the soil before the second planting
there would have been no. apparent diff
ference in the yield, thus showing undjmi-
nished fertility. Applying this to larger
areas, it is common to speak OF a reduc-
ton in the yield of wheat in the west
where it has been successfully grown for
many years; but statistics show that
ly due to bad tillage or lack of rotation
and that for large areas the average
yield extending through a series of years
is materially increased. AS a further
proof of this historically he refers to the
soils Of England, France and Germany
which have been cultivated for over 1000
years, yet they have steadily impr owed in
productiveness and today are enormous
t. Is -.
poisonous matter left by the last crop,
he recommends (a) the rotation of crops,
or commercial fertilizers. A crop, differ
ing in its nature from the preceding, to-
gether with thorough aeration resulting
from cultivation, remove from the soil
the poisonous matter therein and
gradually reproduce the same crop again
with renewed vigor.
Fertilizers for the Improvement of the
soil he likens to drugs for the human
body; the most natural means of restor-
ing human health is change of occupation
etc, but if these are i'm
practicable for the patient, he accom-
plishes the same result by the use of
curative drug or invigorating tonic. In
fact, Professor Whitney predicts that the
time will come when pr Professional students
of the soil will prescribe the best rene
dies for its Improvement, just as the
physician now ministers to a diseased
human being.s
The belief that many of our soils along
the Atlantic coastal plains, notably in
southern Maryland are worn out, he as
serts is absolutely erroneous, and that
many of these socalled worn out soils
of Maryland are as good as those of
Iowa, the only difference being they lack
Iowa farmers.
The club learned with interest that |
these are the most advanced views of soil |
fertility which have ever been placed be. |
fore the public and that more exhaustive |
work OF the highest order is now being
done by the department and sent out to |
the general public in the form of bulletins |
thanever before. The professor promised |
that his lecture at Mr.. Harlan's will be
available in this way in the near future.
The club adjourned to hold the October
meeting at the residence of Mr.. William
B. Hopkins.