The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-11-29
SOIL CONSERVATION AND
MOISTURE.

understand his own hobby. l have
men myself, each with some
rticular subj ct uppermost in their
minds and they will not talk long
reverting to it. / have been
old that soil conservation is my
hobby, and / guess l have given my
associates grounds for their claim,
because l will admit that l have
given this quest on much thought, as
it is the foundation upon which all
agricultural activities Is founded,
and l think it is a very well founded
hobby for the farmer.
The soil is the farmers capital
and his workshop. He should know
all he can about it; how to build it
up and increase its fert lily; how to
keep it from wishing; how to retain
moisture in the soil, and how to pre-
vent its becoming water-soured; how
to diagnose it when sick and pre-
scribe the right remedy.
We should know how soils take
plant food from the air and water
and how they convey it to plants.
We should know how to tell what is
the matter with our soils by the
crops growing on them. We should
also understand how to cultivate our
soils so as to produce good crops
and at the same time increase their
fertility. When we begin to study
the question Of soils and their man
agement we find more in it than
many of us thought could possibly
he found in everything pertaining
to agriculture in all its branches.
This week l just want to offer a
few suggestion for fall blowing as
that subject is beginning to employ
the minds of up-to- date farmers. I
want to remind you that this is the
very best time to subsoil If you have
any of the hard or pillow pan left on
your ia m. You know that 1T Is i'm
perry GUS to water and, that while it
remains there you canont hope to re-
tain for your land its share of the
ff y-three inches Of annual rainfall
that is Tennesg ee's greatest blessing
and is being let go to waste. We
have talked to you in the past about
the Importance Of moisture in plant
growth. You have noticed the diff
ference between crops on the same
soil when we have sufficient mois-
ture and when there Is 6routh. Then
you hear of the wonderful things
done Que West where they irrigate
and pay high prices for water and
! have known a few foolish fellows
to sell their farms here and go west
where they could irr'gate the land.
They are not to blame. They did
not know how they could have that
advantage here at home, but I am
gong to tell you, and l want you to
tell your neighbor who fails to get
this. You know you have been try
ing to farm in not more than four
inches of soil; in most cases not
three inches, with a hard pan imper-
vious to water, and you know that
all the moisture you Gould save for
your crop was the little retained by
the few inches of soil, the rest run
off and carried a lot of plant food
with it. You could have saved that
moisture and that plant food If you
had subsoiled your land. If instead
Of plow ng three or four inches deep
you had plowed six or eight inches
you could have doubled your soils
capacity for water; then If you had
added vegetable matter to your soil
It is possible for you to have retained
just eight times the amount Of mois.
lure you have been saving. Let us
wake up and prospe Gus by this gen
erous provision of an all wise Provi-
dence. We have all the favorable
natural conditions of soil, climate
rairflll, etc. We have the natural
INTEL gence, but l am afraid some OF
us have not as much energy. It has
been too easy for us to get along,
Let us not be content TO Just drift
long. Let us remember that we
have obi cations resting upon us;
that while we might afford to drift
if we alone were concerned, that we
have wives who need comforts and
luxuries that we should provide
them; that we have children who
will have to assume life's duties and
Obligations and under different con.
ditions where competition is strong.
er; where they will only be the ser.
vents of others if they are not pre-.
pared for their life's work. For that
reason we cannot be true to ourselves
and our dependent ones and simply
q lift with the tide. Let us get in
the front ranks Of progress; let us
learn all we can that will help us in
our life work and then let us apply
1t.
Now, Brother Farmer, in conclu.
sion, I want TO say that it is not al.
together want of knowledge with us.
It is more our neglect to do the
things we know that we can prove
from our own experience. What ]
have sid above about storing up
moisture and the great value OF our
annual rainfqll, we all know and
when pinned down, we cannot offer a
good excuse for not profting by the
knowledge and experience that we
have. Let us do so in the future
it will pay.
ADMINISTRATORS NOTICE
All creditors o. Mrs. Susie H. Bos.
Low dapeaaed nf Nh hvi11e Tannaccao