The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-12-15
SOIL TREATMENT
FOR TRUCK GROWING
VERY IMPORT ANT
APPLICATION OF FRUIT COLOR
AND RlPENiNG FERTIL-
lZERS.
MUST PREPARE and CULTIVATE
Unceasing Care Necessary for the
Plants in the Beds-Determine
What Crop Best Suits Your Local.
ity and Stick to 1t.
By r. T. DeBerry, Assistant Com
missioner of Agriculture.)

missioner Of Agricultural
AS practically all lands are def.
cient in some of the necessary ele
ments to grow vegetables, no man
who grows early vegetables can at.
ford to stint the application of fertil.
izers of either barnyard or CONNER.
cial, as these usually give greater
return upon their cost than any other
one thing that we do in connection
with the crop.
In this connection l want to say, that
while lime is not strictly speaking,
a fertilizer in the sense Of containing
plant food, yet most truck craps re.
spond very readily to it's application.
This is brought about in two ways;
one by the beneficial effect which 1t
has upon the mechanical condition of
the soil, making heavy clay lands
lighter and more easily cultivated,
and the light or sandy soils more COM
pact and retentive of moisture, ana
at the same time by some peculiar
chemical action 1t sets free plant
food in the soil that would otherwise
remain so locked up that the plants
could not avail themselves of it in
sufficient amounts to be of much val
ue. One of the ways in which lime
does this is by correcting whtever
acidity may exist in the soil, and as
not many of tho valuable plants grow
freely in an acid soil it pays to use
the lime, if it had no other effect, than
that of sweetening the soil.
Now few words as to the effect
of the differen. elements and 7 will
proceed to the cultivation in the field
Nitrogen, the most costly and usu-
ally the most important element in
plant foods, produces the leaf growth
and gives to the plants that dark
SloCH, NlSolOuo ColOi WHICH VIC oo
much like to see in any crop. Pot
ash produces the woody and starchy
fibre and gives color to the fruit;
while phosphoric acid hastens the de-
velopment and maturity of the fruit
and seeds. Where plants are small
and yellowish in color, it indicates a
lack of nitrogen, but on the other
hand where plants have an alum
dance of leaf growth, and the plants,
as in the case of wheat, are inclined
to fall over, it indicates an excess of
nitrogen or lack of potash and pot
ash should be supplied to remedy this
deficiency. Where plants have 4 suf-
ficient stalk and leaf growth but do
not fruit, it indicates the need OF
phosphoric acid; but the main thing
is to keep these three elements we'll
balanced in your soil, that is, in the
proportion in which plants demand
them. Plants as we'll as animals re-
quire what we call balanced ration,
to do their best, and when one ele-
ment is lacking or in excess OF the
other two, we either get vine and
leaf at the expense of fruit or we get
so much fruit that the plant IS not
able to bring it to proper maturity.
The general principles which
mentioned in the beginning as being
applicable to all growers and all soils
alike, are thorough preparation and
of the crop, the selection
for planting of such varieties as do
best in your section and that your
market demands; unceasing care CIV
en- the plants both in the bed and in
the field, and the utmost pains taken
to see that only sound, ripe, we'll
packed stuff is put on the market
All these are essential to the sue
cess of any grower, and the neglect
Of any one of them may lead to disas-
ter.
Do not go into the business on too
arge a scale to begin with, but rath-
er start a small way until you acquire
4 working knowledge of the growth
and disposal of these crops. Better
lot engage in the business at all I'M
ess you have a natural inclination
Tor gardening. 1t is not an easy job,
Tor a get-rich-quick scheme, but one !