The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-10-07

ment
In maintaining soil fertility one OF
the hardest problems to be solved is
that of keeping an adequate supply OF
organic matter and nitrogen in the
soil to meet the requirements of prof
liable crop production. The mineral
elements of plant food required in the
largest quantities, viz, phosphorus,
potassium and calcium, can be sup
piled in commercial forms at a rea-
sonable cost when deficient. Com
mercial nitrogen, however, is SO ex-
pensive that this source can not be
employed to any large extent for the
production of general farm crops. Nj
trogen in the soil is practically all de-
rived from the decay of organic mat
ter and no soil is so rich that contin-
-ual cropping without returning ma
nue. or other material will not soon ex-
haust it of this element.
Since we can not afford to use COM
mercial nitrogen the only method of
maintaining a sufficient supply of this
in the soil is by growing leguminous
crops and SO managing that there will
be returned to the soil as manure.
Legumes are the only plants that Sc
cure their nitrogen except from the
soil. Through the agency of bacteria
living and working in nodules on their
roots they are supplied with combined
nitrogen which is manufactured by
these bacteria from the free atmo-
spheric nitrogen circulating in the soil
Such plants thus draw only part of
their nitrogen supply from the soil
and when returned to the soil add that
obtained from the atmospheric sources
to the soil supply.
Nitrogen is SO soluble and SO easily
lost, from the soil that without grow
ing legumes we could not maintain the
soil supply even if everything grown
on the farm were fed to live stock and
returned in the manure, without
waste. This is, of course, not possi-
BILE, neither is it usually desirable or
practical to feed everything produced.
The most successful farmers are those
who sell the products which bring a
good price and keep sufficient stock to
consume unstable and cheap prod
ucts, catch crops, etc.
Besides furnishing nitrogen, organic
matter in the soil performs other func-
tons. 1t keeps the soil in good ply /
steal condition. A soil well supplied
with organic matter is loose and nor
GUS. permitting the roots of plants to
spread freely and so secure the maxi.
mum of plant food and moisture. Such
a soil also allows water falling on it
to pentrate instead of running off, as |
is the case in hard packed soil. The
organic matter being light and porous
acts like a sponge to hold the water
and so provides supply in periods
OF dry weather. Another important
function of organic matter in the soil
is its influence on the availability of
the mineral elements of plant food.
organic matter in soils provides suit
able conditions for the abundant
growth OF fungi, molds, bacteria, etc.
and the activity of these organisms
undoubtedly affects fayorably the solu-
olllty OF mineral plant food. AS the
matter decays, carbonic acid
gas is given off which, dissolved in
water, is powerful solvent rendering
more plant food available OrganicI
acids are formed which also dissolve
plant food. In many cases soils an
deficient in PHOSPHORUS or
potassium are only deficient in avail ]
iole forms of these substances and the
addition of organic matter produces +!
variable forms, making further addi-
ions of commercial plant food nm
;
NO matter what the system of farm. i
ng, whether it be stock farming, grain
armlng or stock and grain farming
very essential that system of ro-
atlon De planned that will allow for i
IL OF the land being occupied by a
eguminous crop at least once in fonr
ears. In addition to this, every on (,
ortunlty should be taken advantage t
to grow catch crops In the Intervals G
ee"eeh regular crops. The legumin- t
US crops should be ed in case NJ +
took farming, and the catch crons i
Ing !, pastured or harvested and fed,
II manure should be carefully saved
nd a certain part b. the farm covarsd :