Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-07-02
SOIL ANALYSIS.

'NNbNAH lANAA AdAuitln MbublWt w Nll'M ]
where and how they can get their soil |
analysed, SO they can have fertilizer
made up to supply the deficient plant |
food.
Some people imagine if they had an
analysis Of their soils they could supply |
the deficiency in plant food with a spc'
cial fertilizer, and that would insure
maximum crops They would be doomed
to disappointment. II would be next to
impossible to get an average sample Of
soil, because the analysis Of two sam.
pies taken 100 feet apart would vary
greatly.
The farmer needs TO know how 10
make available the plant food he has
in his soil great deal more than he
does the exact amounts his soil contains.
His soil could be well supplied with
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash,
the principal elements needed, and they
could be locked up so as to be unayaIL
able for plant food.
Any farmer knows what happens to
his soil if he works it too wet. lie also
knows that if he takes everything off
OF his ground every year and turns no
vegetable matter under, his land is In,
clined to run together and bake, break
up cloddy, and this tendency increases
each year because it is losing its vegeta-
- matter (humus) Such a soil will
not give the plant growing on it the
plant food it contains.
If the farmer wants to make a sue.
cess in farming he must make the plant
food available in his soil. He must
study nature, as well as books, if he does
this. We know Of many fields that dur.
ing our boyhood days produced good
crops, but with constant cropping, taxi
ing everything off and putting nothing
back, they ceased to be profitable. They
were abandoned and allowed to grow
up in weeds, briars and brush. After
several years those fields were cleared
up and again would, for time, produce
profitable crops until the supply of vege.
table matter they had accumulated was
exhausted.
Nature, if left alone, and the land pre-.
vented from washing, and restore
land to fertility. What does it add ?
Vegetable matter and small amount of
nitrogen from the air. The action Of
the air, rain and frost mixes the decay.
ed vegetable matter with the soil ami
subsoi, making it loose and loamy and
the plant food in it available.
Now, if you want to build up your
soil and make the plant food in it avail,
able, just use the good, hard, common
sense God has given you and follow na,
lures plan. The first thing nature does
is to increase the vegetable matter and
mix it with the soil and subsoil so that
the water, air and frost can penetrate it.
l want to ask you farmers to tell ms
the difference between the soil on tor
and the subsoil below Except alluvia
soils)? Is there any difference except
the vegetable matter that has accumu
lated in the top soils. We know that
all our soils were fertile according u
the formation they were derived from
We know that the soil above and tn,
sUbsoil below are the same, except tn
soil has had vegetable matter added Il
make it porous so the water, air anc
frosts could penetrate it. We know
, that we have plowed shallow and allow
, ed the rains to carry away the vegetable
matter.
We &SEe no WORKOUT lands. We hav
much with the surface soil washed away
] but we can follow natures lead; we cal
. get a green crop to turn under; We ca
break up some of the virgin subsoil an
2 mix with the surface soil and vegetabl
= matter during the winter; the rain lros
+ and air will work for us in making tn
3 plant food. We can grow leguminou
crops such as peas, beans, clover an
: watches to increase our nitrogen. w
I can use, with care and intelligence, res
sonabe amounts of acid phosphates, poi
ash and crushed lime. We can, by TO
lowing natures lead, restore our land
; to their virgin fertility and get a fai
compensation for our labor.
t Brother farmer, we have been lookin
for some hard problem to solve. W
, thought there was some scientific shol
. cut to big crops. We have neglected tn
. simple things we could do. We have il
:, nored nature as our teacher and we hay
(, paid the penalty. We have tried {
Jump from the bottom to the top of I'll
ladder at single bound. We cannot d
q it. We must climb q round at tim
:, The scientists at the top reach the
position by study of nature and ma
ural conditions. Each step made Il
next one possible.
If we succeed we must do the thin!
within our reach. We can rebuild o,
) soils. We can unlock the plant foe
- and make it available, but we must fC
low natures plan. We must think abol
our work and profit by our opportw
ties. Too many of lis think more ab0
other peoples business than our ow
They are getting the profits. Let's gi
our best thoughts and energies to Il
things that we are justly entitled to
the rewards.
"The heights of great men reached al
kept
Were not attained by sudden fligh
But they, while their companions sleI
Were toiling upward in the night.
Il Mental Suggestion.
III "These opera glasses We're given