Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-01-12

PIG. Wow FERTILITY Il wAsrrB
IL given time Crops 81 weeds will
spring up. make considerable growth
and die down and rot. In the course
OF few years the humus supply will
be renewed. locked up elements OF fer
tility will become available. aud the
field Will again produce profitable
crops.
II rotation il practicca ~ rs tn even
Up the demands ON the soil. with
clover or some other legumc To gather
nitrogen from the air. the soil will
continue productive for a much longer
time. Even then IL will not keep on
yielding profitable crops always. Com
mercial fertilizers may help to stave
OF the day OF reckoning. bur after the
farmer has contributed hundreds OF
dollars TO the pockets Of the fertilizer
l.Auufacturer he will find thar even
this method OF maintaining fertility
cannot be depended upon.
Keeping the Soil Productive.
There are three factors on which
the productivity of the soil primarily
depends-tde amount Of available min
eral plant food elements which il con-
iainS. it, physical condition and the
amount OF moisture il will hold. Nj
trosen. one OF the three most important
chemical elements i'm the soil. can be
obtained from the air in unlimited
quantities by The use OF legumes. such
as clover aud alfalfa. The other two.
phosphorus ANA potassium. are present
Ia most soils ia fairly large quantities.
althc@si. s:uch OF the supply is in
unavailable form. Good tilla-e and
well planned rotations do much TO
make these clements available. When
the total supply becomes low il can
be renewed 10y The application OF ferti-
iizers. This Is all. however. that FER
tilizerS Will do They will not i'm
prove the physical condition OF the
soil nor increase its moisture holding
capacity.
The use 81 liberal amounts OF clover
In the rotation will add 10 the humus
supply oi the soil and 80 increas, IFS
moisture ln.diug capacity. Humus
acts like >.ougc. forming store
house FOR w-'ier that would otherwise
be wasted. iamus also improves the
physical coalition OF the soil, making
II lighter aud mellowcr. Take a pan
ful OF clay and painful OF rich black
surface soil. wet them thoroughly and
place them in the sun. When the CLAW
Is dry il will b. baked almost as hard
as a brick, while n little stirring will
make the black dirt as mellow rs ever.
This difference in the two soils is due
solely 10 humus.
The humus supply cannot be main
tained by the use of clover unless a
crop is plOwed under at frequent in
tervals. 1t takes considerable time
for this clover TO rot enough TO form
humus. and the turning under of so
large an amount of green matter at
once is liable 10 make the land sour. =
This condition can be corrected by the
use Of lime. but this means trouble
and expense.
The Value of Manure.
The only way 10 keep the soil in the
highest possible state Of productivity
is TO keep live stock and apply the
manure 20 The land. Barnyard manure
adds large amounts Of the elements OF
fertility TO the soil. An average OF
80 per cent Of the nitrogen phosphorus
and potassium in rho food eaten is
passed ont in the manure. This ner-
centage * highest IN fatteuiuc animals
and lowest Ia young STOCK che ele-
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