The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1912-02-03
~ PROF. JOHN r. THOMPSON.

Soil IL one Of the most commonplace
things In the world. believe we have
inherited a sort of dislike for 1t. When
1t is wet. We call it mud, and will 60
a block out Of our way to avoid step
ping In 1t. When the wind blows on a
dry day in summer, the dust gets into
our eyes and into the house and we
call it dirt and sweep 1t out. But IL we
would only remember the composition
of our bodies. We might have q greater
respect for this humble but very nee
essary natural resource. There isn't
thing found in the human body that
may not be found in the soil, and who
knows but that the soil which we avoid
because it is wet. may not some day
be the dwelling place of a human life
or some other form of life; or who
knows but that, once upon a time.
some one may have gone a block out
Of his way to avoid stepping upon us.
To be sure we do not feed upon the
do, and We feed upon the plants, or
we feed upon the animals that feed up
on the plants that feed upon the soil.
We commonly think that one of the
great differences between plants and
animals is that animals have the pow
er Of moving about and that plants are
fixed in the soil; but think, when we
consider how absolutely both plants
and animals are dependent on the soil,
that We will agree that this difference
Is merely incidental; and then not all
plants are fixed to one spot and some
animals are.
Soil Is SO important in this world
that where there Is no soil there is no
life. or it is very simple. Given two
regions. with all of the life factors
equal and the life forms will be simi-
lar: but let the soil factor be changed
in one, and remain the same in the
other and the forms of life will be diff
ferent. 1t Is very common to hear peo-
pie who own land, speak of its fertility
in terms of the trees growing upon It,,
as Sugar tree land, Beech, or Pine tree
land.
In the practice of forestry, as we'll as
that OF agriculture, it is necessary to
know the nature of the soils. Much
poor farming is the result Of the far
mer not knowing his soils. Much time
and money and labor might be saved
by the study of the soil. Soil that pro-
duces twelve bushels of wheat per
acre here would be made to produce
forty in Germany. Much of the land in
this country that is now regarded as
worthless could be made productive If
people would study the conditions and
needs of the soil There isn't much un-
land in Germany or France.
There are too many people there per
acre. They must make every foot of
soil produce, and it does because the
people over there know howl
Before plants can have the peren-
NAL habit or assume the tree form, the
soil must be of considerable depth SO
that the roots may make a good foun-
dation, and that there may be a steady
supply of material for plant food.
The soil must also be Of such ma
ture, that it will furnish steady sup
ply of water. There are some small
plants that live near the ground that
get their supply Of water from the at
mosphere, when it is moist. but trees
do not; they get all their water from
the soil not any from the rain that
may wet their leaves. The bark and
foliage may absorb a very small
amount but compared to what they ac-
tually need and use, this amount Is
quite insignificant.
Now, a tree cannot take food from
the outside world as animals do, in the
form of a solid. 1t makes it's food 'out
of the gases 1t gets from the atmos-