Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-08
CONSERVING VERMONT SOILS
valuable Article ny Joseph l.. Hills.
Dean of Agricultural College.

Valuable Article by Joseph l.. Hills.
Dean of Agricultural College.
Prepared at the request OF the Yer.
mont Commission on the Conservation
of Natural ResourcesJ
New England is n rugged and some
what barren upland area, n sixth part
of which Is improved land. vermont Is
it's most favored section, in that three
elghths of It's land area IS improved.
the remaining fve-ciehths being either
forest clad or best adapted to forestry.
Vermont farming suffers from many
Ills. Plant food depletion; the devel-
opment OF western areas and industries,
which have woocd away many or her
best and brightest;the scarcity or farm
labor. the difficulty experienced In
maintaining Il proper physical condition
of her rough, stony fields; the competi-
ton of mills and factories for labor;
the lure of the city; the cityward trend
OF the schools. the decreasing birth
rate of the New England stock these
and other causes have been at fault.
| With the causes and remedies for the
/ sociological conditions the present ar
ticle has nothing to do. but In most
condensed form seeks to point out
methods of soil conservation and res
toration.
Soils become Impoverished in many
ways--some natural, some artificial
| These conditions may or may not be
remediahle Soils become surface de-
nuded by water and By wind nitrogen
wasteage occurs, duo 70 bacterial activ-
ties: inadequate tillage and drainage
entail faulty moisture relations the
filth is inferior; the available plant food
may be relatively lacking, acidity ex-
cessive. the humus supply deficient.
Any one. two, several. or all Of these
| conditions may obtain in given case,
Erosion. or surface denudation. an ex-
tremely important factor in world agri-
culture. is so minor factor here that
no special reference Is needed. Nitro
gen Wastcage. however. IS great. Yet
hanks to clover and alfalfa gatherin Z
nitrogen from the air through bacterial
means. and to calcium cyanamid and
lime nitrate, which are artificial atmos-
pheric nitrogen containers, her soils
need never lack nitrogen. Let the indi-
vidual farmer keep his land crop-clad
! .
use land plaster and ahsorbents In the
stable. and frequently apply manure to
the fields. and he need not fear nitrogen
depletion.
Four hundred square miles Of Yer
nont's area is in dire need of under
drainage and much of it is worth re-
claiming. This is equivalent to ten
per cent. of her entire improved area.
Most of the rest Of It at times lacks
water and would me bettered by adc-
quate tillage operations. rightly en-
ployed at the right time.
The Lack OF available plant food may
be due to inherent soil poverty, to mis-
use. or to under-use. Few Vermont
soils are exhausted. though many are
tired. Their permanent producing ca
pacity IL not seriously impaired. but
their immediate producing capacity Is
lowered blu misuse. Many causes are
apt to be at fault causes remeiiable by
| tillage. drainage. rotation, green manur-
| ing, and the use Of farm manures
These constitute the best keys for un-
| locking the unavailable plant food; TIL
| lage. to promote the solubility Of the
soil particles; drainage. to augment soil
aeration ana root penetration: crop ro-
| tatior. to bring diverse roting habits
/ to bear upon different soil area :manur-
ing-green and farm--to promote solu-
ton by chemical and biological action
Vermont soils are often acid. When
| sorrel or moss abounds. when white
daisies. brakes. and blackberry bushes
flourish. when clover fails. acidity may
be suspected, Ashes. lime, mari.
sprtnlSled on the plowed burrows and
! narrowed In. or otherwise applied. may
prove happy remedy for desperate
| condition.
Tho maintenance OF soil fertility Is
largely matter Of the upkeep OF its
humus content The first aid 20 the
injured" soil. abused and worn out,
usually should be to furnish ample
quantities OF humus. It supplies plant
food. augments its water holding ca
pactty. increases it's warmth, betters It's
texture, and promotes bacterial growth
Its supply is lowered by the continuous
growth Of titled crops; by III advised
rotative cropping: by differentiation: and
by the continued and sole use OF COM
mercial fertilizers. It is augmented nv
an adequate crop rotation; by the use
Of farm manures; and by the practice
81 green manurng
Vermont farmers are increasinrlv ex
porting their real estate to Boston and
New York. An average milk train
removes approximately 500 worth ..
plant food beyond our borders This is
not conservation. IT, however, the milk
shipper grows clover and feeds cotton
seed meal or other rich concentrates:
II from the air. the sub-soil and from
Dixie land and elsewhere as much Of
plant rood Is restored as Is removed, he
may both eat his cake and have It too