Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-02-12
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!. HOW FARMS LOSE !.
= THEIR FERTILITY. j.
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l3ho JUN VI hSaily Su SollS Is rOcK
material, more or less finely ground,
tweathered, or pulverized. A few
soils consist mainly of organic mat
ter. All productive soils contain
more or less organic vegetable and
animaD matter. They also contain
water, air and bacteria The rock
particles and the organic matter con-
tain phosphorous, nitrogen, potas-
sium, calcium (hme) and other sub
stances used by plants.
The surface soil contains the Dr.
ganic matter and bacteria and is the
productive part Of the farm. Or
yganic matter decays and there Is
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
beginning to stress the most serious
form-the total removal Of the sur
face soil by erosion. While it Is
usual to refer to the effects of erosion
Ias loss Of fertility, its seriousness
warrants the use Of stronger Ian
iguage. To say that the soil Is lost
is more accurate and should be more
impressive. When the surface soil Is
removed from the sloping areas
farmer may express the result by
saying that these are worn out, but
this is not accurate and does not sug-
gest the proper preventive measures.
The land did not wear out. To say
there was loss Of fertility would be
misleading, even though the fertility
is lost when the soil is lost. The soil
rock particles, organic matter,
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 organic 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 furnishes crops with such
food as they require; but more or
ganic 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 of on the surface, 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
underneath the surface The water
that soaks into the ground dissolves
certain amount of material from
the soil, some of which is valuable
as plant food. 3 1t is quite accurate
to refer to this as loss of fertility.
Nhere crops are growing on the
land this form of loss Is not SO great
as where the soil Is bare or "clean."
This suggests the advisability of
Keeping crop on the land, but there
Is business side to farming and it
is very well to do those things that
pay.A 1T is proper to refer to the fact
that sod land does not wash away as
easily as bare land so that growing
crop lessons two sources Of soil fer
tility.
Crops use certain substances in the
soil as food and the removal of crops
from the land lessons the amount of
plant food in the soil. This removal
or SOIL fertility Is desirable and nee
esfary. Farmers doubtless make the
m1Stake Of thinking that this consti-
tutes the most serious form of loss
or FERTILITY 1t is not difficult to pro-
vide for 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 per
init this for an indefinite period of
time without ever Wearing out the
land. m.
1t should be borne in mind that
large area9,[f good farming land do
not nave much fertility to lose. A
good soil may simply be a good Mace
to put fertilizers. ..r '''OO
Land with a good sod of bermuda
does not wash readily and the ero-
sion usually Is not serious. In the
Atlantic and Gulf Coast region ber-
muda Is doubtless the best plant we
nave to prevent erosion. A weed ia
plant out Of place and bermuda in
cotton field becomes a weed, but If
there were no weeds it would be nee
essary to work crops anyway and for
crops. Bermuda makes a farmer
work his crop just about right. Ber-
muda is the best plant known for all
slopes where the soil washes away
without 1t. To let the soil wash
away--ft may be a year, it may be in
shorter time--is the poorest sort of
farm management
An ample supply of decaying Or
ganic matter in the soil is one Of the |
best guarantees one may have for
good crops. There is constant loss |
of organic matter. 1t should be re- |
Dlenished regularly; the total |
amount being ample and fairly con-
stant.