The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-09-09
THOROUGH CULTIVATION
MUST PRECEDE FERTILIZATION
The Cause of a Majority of the Failures to Obtain
Profitable Return From the Use of Fertilizers.

Editor Of The Dawson News: The
soil is made up of thousands of little
grains, and the finer these grains
are the greater the power of the soil
to hold moisture, since it forms
film around each little individual
soil grain. Moreover, the finer the
soil particles the smaller the open
ing between them, and hence the
greater the power of the soil to draw
moisture from one section of the land
to another and lift it close to the sur
face Of the soil where it may be
utilized by the growing crop or per-
mitted to escape into the air, accord
ing to the skill and ingenuity exer-
cised by the farmer in the cultiva-
tion of his land. Since plants can
only take their food up when dis
solved in water the Importance of the
soil being in a good physical condi-
ton becomes instantly apparent. 1t
is easy to see that a SOIL which is in
a lumpy, rough condition cannot alb
sorb and hold the proportion OF water
necessary to tide over drought peri
DDS, and to convey the plant food
which may be added to the soil in a
soluble form to the roots Of growing
plants. Hence, it frequently occurs
that a large amount OF fertilizer
added to a soil in bad physical con-
dition is never brought in contact
with the growing roots and fails to
benefit the crop. Moreover, it was
never anticipated nor even advocated
by the strongest believer in CONNER
cial fertilizers that they should sup
ply the entire needs of the growing
crop. 1t was expected that portion
of the plant food placed in the soil
by nature would be rendered avail
able from year to year through the
cOrrodng action Of plant roots,
through fermentation resulting from
the free movement of air through
the soil, and by the dissolving action
Of the water surrounding the soil
particles.
Land that is only cultivated three
inches deep cannot absorb and hold
moisture; neither can the air readily
penetrate it to do its work in setting
free plant food. 1t is needless to
point out that the roots of plants can
not forage through it in every direc-
ton to drink up the mineral-laden
moisture of the soil and so build up
their tissues with rapidity. For
these reasons the mere application of
commercial fertilizers without proper
soil cultivation will never prove a
profitable practice, and accounts for
a majority OF the failures to obtain
q profitable return from the use of
fertilizers so frequently mentioned by
farmers.
This picture OF the situation is not
overdrawn, yet it emphasizes very
clearly how great has been the neg
lect of putting the soil in a proper
physical condition by deep, thorough
and persistent cultivation, and yet
with a determining influence this
matter of cultivation has on crop
production and on the proper utiliza-
ton of the larger or smaller stores
of commercial plant food which may
be added to the soil from time to
time. 1t is necessary that we add
nitrogen, phosphateS and potash to
the great majority of our soils in
liberal amounts in order to gather
profitable crops therefrom. but 1t is
folly to depend on fertilizers to do
work which they simply have no
ability to perform. The farmer must
understand that the direction of his