Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-02
ARMY Of Workers
that NEV R TIRE
More About Certain Natural
Agents That Produce
Soil.
WITHOUT HASTE OR REST.
Is the Action OF Silent Forces That
Change Rock, Into Food Tor
Plants.

To most readers, anything that sa-
vors Of geology OF soils Of rocks. Is lu-
tolcrably dull and embarrassing and
second paper ON tho subject OF soil-
making has not been undertaken ,n the
hope that some new or lcACituus Meth-
cd Of expression might he worked out
THAI should serve 10 hold the attention
VI the casual reader But II Is be-
lieNed that q bare indication o. what
the state normal school is now seeking
to Introduce on this subject into tne
public schools may reveal such mae
tiers as to enlist the intcre I and possi-
Ny the cooperation OF many people
besides teachers.
WHY STUDY SOlLss
Not many of us are accustomed TO
regard the soil beneath olr feet as
anything else than mere dirt, So much
inert. litelcss clay and sand, "a rather
disagree able form OF matter with
which we prefer to have as little TO d.
AS possible. and Will nos think az all
about unless necessity should con-
strain US in that direction Not so
however. thought washington Jertef-
son, Emerson. and most other great
Americans. They We're fond Of field
and garden studies, and found inspira-
ton in the garden spade. And even
today, as in the times of our great an
ccstOr, God walks among the trees
of the garden" But why should any
one study soil? Because IL Is an in
terestiug scene of life and action. 1t
is also literally plantiO0d, as well as
storehouse for retaining the food of
plants No vegetation lives merely on
air and water. not even the soaW eeds,
the fungi, the bacteria. or the lichens
and mqsses Plants that seem to do
so secure mineral matter from the wa
ter and the air.
ROCKS FURNISH PLANT FOOD.
Burn any plant. and an ash Will re-
mama mineral substance composed
chiefly Of the solid minerals, silica,
potash soda, sulphur, phosphorus, lime
iron, wagnesla manganese. and inln~
eral compounds OF the gases chlorine
and huorine. These substances, then,
must he included In the food of plants.
They are contained In the rocks But
plants cannot use them IN this form,
the rock substance must be changed
into soil before IL is ava liza BILE to plants,
Plant food Is abundant in almost all
rocks and soils but as Ions as 1t il
stored in the rocks. or In soil form
not available to plants 1t Is really
locked up, and must be freed before the
plants can get al 1t.
NATURES SILENT WORKERS.
III the previous article, some of ma
lures rougheT and larger instruments
for soil-making Were considered name
ly the means by which nature skaters,
blasts and then shifts the materials
of the rock, during the process Of break
it up and grinding It into soil, These
results are impressive. often spectac-
ular; but they do not compare In i'm
poriance with the work accomplished
by other noiseless and invisible armies
OF workers that act necessarily, day
and night, throughout the whole year.
New facts are continually emphasizing
the amount and significance of results
achieved by natures silent laborers, the
foremost among which are certain
gases in air and water.
ACTION OF OXYGEN.
The gases most active IN consuming
rock are oxygen and carbon dioNide
The former attacks iron and other
metaliferous ores In rock We may
observe this process in the rapid rust
llg OF bright, metallic tools that have
been exposed to the rain. 1t is not
usually the rain that corTodes the met
ais, but the oxygen, which acts more
freely I'm the presence of water The
oxygen eats INTO the metal, combining
with II 10 form a compound called an
uNtd, and leaving the metal rough. cor
roded and more readily open TO the
destructive action Of coarser mechan-
ical agencies Many rocks contain lime.
potash and soda, and these materials
are quickly seized by the carbon d.
oxide of the air, to form carbonates.
The rocks that contain iron are chiefly
the states sandstones, GRANTEES. and
basalts. In perfectly dry air, neither
class Is attacked, but air is never per
fectly dry, and water in its natural
state always contains oxygen. The
joints of basaltc rock absorb the
moisture. The free oxygen lays hold
OF any mon 1t meets, causing reddish
brown patches TO appear In the very
center OF what seem to be hard and i'm
perVious stones. This rust Is soon
washed out and the freezing water
then gets an opportunity 70 begin its
operation OF rending the rock apart.
ACTION OF CARBON DfOXIDE.
Carbon dioxide is a gas composed OF
carbon ana oxygen. il works IN q diff
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