The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-03-01
HOW FARMS LOSE THEIR. FER
TILITY.
Clemson College Extensions Work.
south Carolina Experiment. Station
Press Bulletin No. 1O3..

organic vegetable and animaD mat
ter They also coruain water, air and
bacteria. The rock particles and the
organic matter contain PHOSPHORUS,
nitrogen. potassium. calcium Qlme)
and other substance used by plants
The surface contains the organic
matter and bacteria and is the pro-
ductive part of the farm. Organic
matter decays and there is a constant
loss Of this ingredient Of the soil.
Perhaps water is responsible for the
most serious losses of fertility from
the farm and it is we'll at the begin
ming to stress the most serious form
the total removal of the surface soil
by erosion. While it is usual to re-
fer to the effects Of erosion as a loss
of fertility, it's seriousness warrants
the use of stronger language. To say
that the soil is lost is more accurate
and should be more impressive. When
the surface is removed from the slop-
ing areas, these areas are less pro-
ductiVe. The farmer may express the
result by saying that these are worn
out, but this is not accurate and does
not suggest the proper preventive
measures. The land did not wear out.
would be misleading even though the
fertility is lost when the soil is lost
The soil-rock particles, organic mat
ter, everything-was washed away.
Next to erosion stress should be
laid on the natural, desirable and un-
avoidable decay and loss of organic
matter from the soil. The farmer
usually knows and refers to the rock
particles of soil as sand, silt and clay.
In his long years of dealing with soil
he has not been impressed with the
fact that sand and clay wear out very
fast. Now organic matter does not
wear out in the exact sense that the
farmer uses the term. AS the supply
of organiv matter in the soil gets less
the farmer says, my land is wearing
out" When the organic matter is
worn out, the land is said to be worn
out. Organic matter in the soil
should decay, as by this means it fur
nishes crops with such food as they
require; but more organic matter
should be added to the soil that the
supply may at all times be adequate
for high productive power.
When rain falls on the land a part
runs off on the surface, a part evap-
crates into the air, and a part soaks
into the ground and comes out as
springs or finds its way to the sea un-
derneath the surface. The water that
| soaks into the ground dissolves a GER
tain amounts of material from the soil
some Of which is valuable as plant
food. 1t is quite accurate to refer
to this as loss of fertility. Where
crops are growing on the land this
form of loss is not so great as where
the soil is bare or Clean" This sug-
gests the advisabllity Of keeping a
crop on the land, but there is a bust
ness side to farming and it is very well
to do those things that pay. 1t is
proper to refer to the fact that sod
land does not wash away as easily as
bare land so that a growing crop les
sens two sources Of soil fertility.
Crops use certain substance in the
soil as food and the removal of crops
from the land lessons the amount of
plant food in the soil. This removal
of soil fertility is desirable and neces-
sary. Farmers doubtless make the
mistake Of thinking that this consti-
tutes the most serious form Of loss of
SOIL fertility. 1t is not difficult to pro-
VIDE Tor returning to the soil plant
food equivalent to that removed by
crops. 1t pays to remove plant food
from the soil in good crops and a
proper system of farming will permit
this for an indefinite period of time
without ever wearing out the land.
1t should be borne in mind that
large areas of good farming land
90 not have much fertility to lose A
good soil may simply be a good place
to put fertilizers.
Land with good sod of Bermuda
does not wash readily and the cro-
sion usually is not serious. In the At
iantlc and Gulf Coast region Bcrmu-
da Is doubtless the best plant we have
to prevent erosion \ weed is a plant
out OF place and Bermuda in cotton
h"ld becomes weed, but if there
were no weeds, il would he necessary
I" work crops anyway and for crops.
f"rmuda makes farmer work his