Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-12-19
EFFECT OF TILLAGE ON FERTlL.
ITY AND TEXTURE OF SOILS
BY J. A. Hummel. Assistant Chemist
Minnesota College of
Agriculture.


trcmely valuable asset Ry a soil of
good textUse We mean one that is
finely diviusd and at the same time
mellow and friable. 4 soil possessing
these qualities will produce better
crops than another containing the
same amount of plant food. but which
is hard and lrmpy. In :, sStl of good
texture plants find conoltions most
favorable to their growth. because
such soil retains moisture: is better
ventilated; has less variation in TEN.
perature: nitriiication is fastened be-
cause of better ventiiation: more
plant food from the minerals is rem
dered available; the plant roots pene-
trate deeper, ap;t therefore have a
better hold and there is more surface
Oh which they can feed.
In Bulletin No. 1l9 of the Cornell
experiment station We find the follow.
ing statement: Every good farmer
knows that hard and lumpy soil will
not grow good crops no matter how
much plant food it may contain. A
clay soil which has been producing
good crops for any number of years
may be so seriously injured by one
lnjudicious blowing in a wet time as
to ruin it for the growing of crops
for two or three years. The injury
lies in the modification of it's physical
texture. not in the lessening of its
plant food. A sandy soil may also be
seriously impaired for the growing
of any crop if the humus or decaying
organic matter is allowed to burn out
on it. 1t then becomes leachy, il
quickly loses its moisture and it be.
comes excessively hot IN bright. sunny
weather. Similar remarks may be ap-
piled to all soils. That is. the texture
or physical condition of the soil is
nearly always more Important than
its mere richness in plant food"
The first step in the enrichment Of
non-productive land is to improve it's
physical condition by means of careful
and thorough tillage. by the addition
of humus. and perhaps by under drain.
age. 1t must first be put in such con-
dition that plants can grow in it
After that the addition of chemical
fertilizers may pay by giving addi
tional redundant growth.
Tillage is one of the most important
agencies for producing good texture
The stirring of the soil as in cultiva.
ton destroys the forces which are at
work in the soil to draw and hold
the particles of soil together in com.
pact mass. and the soil is made fine,
thus extending the feeding area of the
roots. and enabling the air to enter
the soil and move freely about in it.
Flowing is one of the most efficient
means of pulverizing the soil. The
moldboard Of pillow is so shaped that
the furrow slice is not merely invert.
ed, but it is ground and broken and
left in a nearly perpendicular posi-
ton. Heavy clay soils should not be
plowed when they are SO wet that
they will puddle. When wet clay is
worked, as in blowing. the conditions
are such that the fine particles slide
over each other easily, and are drawn
closer together. air is forced out, and
the soil in drying forms large com.
pact masses which are broken up with
exceeding difficulty. A clay soil if
properly handled and not plowed
when too wet is usually very produc-
tive, but if plowed when too wet it
may be rendered unproductive for
several years.
The harrow and the shallow cult
vator are valuable implements for i'm.
proving the texture OF the soil. They
are especially valuable when used as
soon after rain as possible without
pudding the soil. When SO used they
prevent the soil from driving into large
hard masses, let air into the sol! and
conserve moisture.
Soil made up of very fine grainB as
clay soil not we'll under-drained
and firmly compacted is unproductive,
because plant roots penetrate it with
d1mculty and even when they do,
lack OF air in the soil prevents all
growth. Such a soil has exceedingly
small spaces between the particles and
these spaces are filled with water in
wet season, completely excluding
air
When clay soil is properly titled
the fine particles do not form com.
pact masses. but compound grains are
formed by the cementing together Of
number of the particles. The ex.
istence of the compound grains of soil
makes the soil porous, the spaces be-
tween are filled with air and the roots
can penetrate easily. The continued
stirring Or cultivation of the soil and
numerous heavy rains tend to break
up these compound soil grains and the
line particles run together, filling up
the larger spaces. In such cases rota-
lion of crops which includes frequent
seeding down to grass and allowing
The land to remain as hay or pasture
land will prove beneficial. This is
natures. method for keeping the sol:
In good texture. The grass prevents
The pudding of the soil by heavy
Gains and the roots by their growth
and decay make the soil loose and
porous. Air enters the soil and assists
IN dissolving line or other materials
which cement the fine particles to-
sether into compound grains, and thus
he open mellow texture SO much de-
sired is secured.
The application of lime on heavy
lay soil IL beneficial. because lime
serves to cement the particles together
/ nto compound grains. making the soil
more triablc and easily titled.
/ Fan blowing of clay soils is usually
beneficial because the exposure TO
] Nlnttr freezing forces tha 1.lnu nnrfi