Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-02-19
POINTERS ON ENRICHING
HENDERSON COUNTY SOILS.
when Proper Rules Are Observed
Nature VIII Cooperate With
Farmers in Fertilization.
rRv Ernest L. Perkins, Henderson Co.
Farm Demonstration

There are four methods by which.
+be farmers of North Carolina depend
unon keeping up their farms. They
are as follows: BY manure. by COM
mercial fertilizers, and by the use of
cover crops.
The history of those that try to keep
IN their farms with manure is that
thew rarely ever care for more than
their gardens.
Those that try to maintain the fer
fifty with commercial, generally make
failure.
Those that try to build their farms
with cover crops generally succeed in
measure.
Those that resort to balanced pro-
portion of all the above methods make.
grand and economical success.
We would be greatly and pleasantly
surprised if some one should tell US
how naturally rich our soils are en-
dowed by nature. Here comes the
sunrise. In the first foot of the
averages soil of North Carolina chem
ical analysis shows 1850 lbs of nitro
gen, $500 TBS of PHOSPHORUS, and
12,6OO TBS of potash, or an equal to
enough nitrogen to grow " crops of
wheat 80 bushels to the acre, enough
phos. to grow 240 and enough potash
to grow over thousand such crops.
Yet We plant our crops and get very
poor returns for our trouble. The So
luton of the matter in simple is THAI
the largest portion of these plant
foods are not available. In many
cases these plant foods are lock-
ed up on account of the land
being undrained of water soaked
until the air is excluded and the chem
ical and the physical action that is alb
solutely necessary TO unlock these
plant foods, can't do its work.
In most cases the soil is so COM
pletely robbed of the needed hulnus.
The shortest and easiest remedy in
simple in case of the wet land is to
drain it until the water level is two
feet below. the actual level of the sur
face of the soil. In some cases where
the soil is very sour coat of lime
may be necessary to sWeeten the soil
until we can open the soil up till the
ali and sunshine can do the rest.
AS 1 mentioned above we have ma
turally large amounts of plant foods.
Why should we buy these things when
We have so much already? CONNER
cial fertilizer in some cases helps to
turn loose some of our natural re-
sources but nothing in comparison
with the effects of organic matter.
Humus Should be Our Watch Word.
Commercial fertilizers have played
ard will continue to play great part
in the farm economy of the country.
Their full value, however, cannot be
obtained by their exclusive use. Much
greater value can be realized from
them when wisely. used in connection
with manure and green crops. While
the farmer may buy plant food in the
form of a commercial fertilizer, 1t Will
not have so beneficial an effect as an
equal amount contained in barnyard
Manure 1t does not add vegetable
matter, does not promote bacterial ac-
tivity, and does not correct mechanical
defects of the soil. People can dodge
certain points in a proposition, but
when it comes to building up SOIL
economically there are two points that
will have to be carried out, the first IS
deep plowing to let the air down into
the soil so chemical action can take
place, and second is; we are going
to have to resort to a systematic rota-
ton which will grow at least one crop
for the land every time it grows one |
for the owner The crop which we |
turn back to the land not only turns I
back as much plant food as there is
contained in it but the chemical ana i
tie physical action which the Org
natter sets up unlocks those rich |
treasures of plant food which we have
never realized before. I hope that !
every farmer in Henderson county will |
read this and think it over. The
cheapest and best way to fertflize is
with barn yard manure, vegetable
matter, and the growing of legune
crops. Not to NOW but to turn under,
Practically four-fifths of the plant food I
IN the pea vine is in the vine above the
ground.
If fertilizers are used, the follow
ing rule should govern : on rich lands
use mainly Fertilizers that will stimu-
late the fruit and not the stalk. On