The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-11-29
SOIL IMPROVEMENT
BY Prof. H. G. pheIps.

Whatever the crop In whose cult
walton the farmer is engaged, the care
and preparation of the soil is the first
and most important matter that COM
mands his attention. Having for some
years past annually mixed and pre-
pared for use some Is or 20 tons of
chemical fertilizers for the improve
ment of the soil of whose cultivation
have had charge, and noting the
marked increase in the cost of the
same, or of some portions thereof, I
have come to be more and more thor
oughly convinced of the necessity Of
resorting to some other means to ef-
feet the needed results. With nitrate
of soda up to $50 per ton, an advance
of ten or twelve dollars within the
past few years, 1t is manifest that the
ordinary sources of nitrogen supply
are becoming exhausted. Muriate Of
potash, however, has only slightly in
creased and phosphate is actually low
er, showing that the mineral manures
still hold out. It has been estimated
by scientific investigators that the
natural supply OF phosphofic acid and
potash now remaining In the soil IL
equal to the production of 500 annual
crops, while the nitrogen sGpply Is
sufficient for only about 100.
In years past the farmers of the
west got rid of their manure by draw
Ing the same out onto the ice OF the
rivers in the winter, that 1t might be
carried away down the stream In the
spring. never thinking 1t desirable to
apply 1t to the land. Now after many
years of continual cropping with
wheat or corn, they find 1t necessary
not only to save and apply their
manure, but also to buy some COM
mercial fertilizer. Prof. Snyder, Of
the Minnesota experiment station, has
shown by experiments that In eight
years of successive cropping with
wheat there was q loss to the soil of
1,400 pounds of nitrogen, though the
wheat itself took but 900 pounds.
When he raised wheat but five years
out of the eight, with one year In
clover and two in oats, there was q
nitrogen loss OF only $50 pounds. BY
growing corn, oats, and clover for
three years of the eight, and making
two applications Of stable manure--a
light coat each time-the loss of nj
trogen from the soil was reduced to
100 pounds. Thus 1t Is demonstrated
that the continual growing OF the
same crop tends to rapid depletion of
the soil, while rotation In which
some leguminous crop Is introduced
operates to check the same. The cot
ton fields of the south are a forcible
illustration Of the deteriorating effect
of the continual production OF one
crop, as we'll as the wheat fields of
the west.
What we need to understand Is, that
the stored-up elements Of fertility In
the soil are to be regarded as so much
potential energy, portion OF which,
by our cultivation processes, Is con.
verted into active energy, and that
we have 80 managed the SOIL In fact,
that a large portion OF this active en-
ergy has been wasted. We must,
therefore, seek to adopt such proc
esses as will conserve and preserve
this stored.up energy, except such as
is necessarily used In crop production
We know now that there are other
than mere chemical processes going
on In the soil. There are bacterial
processes that play an important part
in this branch of natural economy,
and we must so shape our methods of
cultivation as to get the best advan-
tage of these latter processes, and this
we can do by growing to a greater ex-
tent what are known as the legumin-
GUS crops, such as clover, cowpeas,
soy beans, winter vetch, ETC.
There Is class of bacteria known
as nitrogen fixers," rather than gath
erers, which take the free nitrogen
from the air and store 1t up. It liz
through the operation Of bacteria that
the potential energy in the soil is con-
verted into plant food for the use Of
the growing crop. The conditions are
most favorable for their work In warm
weather and 1t Is In such weather that
he loosening of the soil by cultivation
should be carried on. in order to best
facilitate their operation. 1t should
oe remembered that humus is the
basis Of all the valuable nitrogen in
he soil, and that the more humus we
ret into the soil the more potential nj
rogen there will be therein. The best
armer, on the whole, Is he
Who most effectnally provides the
that convert inert into
.ctive nitrogen. These conditions
re furnished most completely by the
pplication most completely by the
pplication Of stable manure, in prop
r quantity and in the prop
r manner. AS 1t cannot generally be
a sufficient quantity other agencies
,ust be resorted to-; but, owing to the
lcreased expense Of commercial fer
lizer rich in the heterogeneous ele-
rents, 1t is necessary to secure the nj
'ogen In some other way, purchasing
My the needed amount of mineral
To this end the growing of
nvar and rthar nuou.