The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-05-16
FEEDING THE SOIL.
The Necessity Of Putting In That
Which the Crops Take Out.

In many of the older agricultural
regions, the main question to the
farmer IL that of supplying plant food
for the soil Year after year field
has been called upon to produce the
same kind Of grain, consequently the
soil has lost its productive capacity.
This land must now have food or its
value will be naught. This food must
be stored up in the soil. The farmer
thinks he cannot spare the land for
clover, but must put it in wheat or
corn year after year in order to get a
good living from 1t. SO crop rotation
does not appeal to him. Other meas.
ures must be adopted. Fertilizer Of
some nature must be used. and he
resorts to 1t to build up his land.
A good commercial fertilizer is
beneficial to the soil, but nothing is
better than farm manure. The fer
tility Of the well-manured land does
not pass away with the first crop,
but abides for several years. The
lasting effects of farm manure on soil
was proven at an experiment station
in England. Manure was applied to a
piece Of land once each year for 20
years, then It was discontinued. Over
20 years after the last application
larger crops of barley were secured
from this land than from land that
had never been manured.
The reason many farmers do not
get the full benefit of manure Is that
they allow 1t to remain in piles about
the barn until 1t deteriorates, or they
fail to apply It evenly to the soil
Manure should always be put on the
soil before It decomposes. for as 1,
decays 1t acts upon the mineral
particles Of the soil and changes
them into valuable plant food. An
alysis Of soil by experts shows that
It often contains large quantities OF
phosphorus. potassium and other ele
ments In inactive forms. When fresh
manure is thoroughly mixed with this
soil II produces such change in the
mineral elements that they at once be
come available for plant life.
It is said that farm manure does
not contain large amount OF tota
plant food. only about 80 pounds Of nj
trogen. phosphorus and potassium tC
the ton. It's value then Is not &C
much In what II contains as In It's
power to operate on the mineral ele
ments In the soil, changing them into
available plant material. Experiment.
have proven that when manure Is ap
piled to soil 1t produces 20 or 30 pei
cent. Of available plant food. The
products thus formed are called hu
mates.
When we come to calculate tn,
actual value of manure in dollars ant
cents, says Farmers Voice, the re
suit Is surprising. Suppose an acr,
of impoverished land that could pro
duce no more than 20 bushels of corr
in a favorable season is treated to fiv,
tons Of rich manure. II the season Il
auspicious this acre will now produc,
| 40 bushels of good corn the first year
| This increase of 20 bushels, sold a
so cents, would bring ten dollars pc
ton. Besides the land has a perma
nent benefit, and will manifest 1
from year to year.
The manure should always be dis
tributed evenly. Too much In on,
spot and not enough in another re
suits disastrously. A manure spread
er is almost indispensable to the W
to-date farmer Some farmers get alonl
without them. but 1t takes a lot o
time and patience to properly sprea,
the manure.