Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1914-01-08
Winter Soil Treatment.
BY Karl Langenbeck.
THnNKINa n oYER.

| Every season on the farm has it
duties. for in no business does work in
terlock to the same degree, and whai
is neglected to day, Influences profits
next year. BY this time. The mechani,
cal out door work of the fields is done
and Nature is left to her own devices.
Freezing, thawing, teaching. action OF
carbonic acid gas, weather,Hg. All the
forces of mechanical and chemical act
j ions on the soil, are most active now.
1t Is well 10 stop and consider what this
means and what the Jrosts and SHOWS
and thaws do for the land. Understand
ing opens the door for improving The
last crop and the fall rains have taken
so much of the plant foods out of the
soil as was in condition for solution and
absorption by the rootlets. This has to
lsbe restored for The coming season s
growth. !.
| USE OF THE WORK DONE.
The soil contains the necessary ele.
ments in abundance, but not in soluble,
or as we may truly say, in digestible
form. The cracking by frost of the
soil particles letting in the water and
acid of the airrenders them So What
ever work has been done on the land in
breaking it up is SO much to good IN
aiding these natural agencies. This
rnucn, every man understands, that
work on land. blowing, breaking clods,
narrowing, draining, helps fertility by
helping Natures mechanical forces ua-
lock plant food.
BETTERING THE WORK DONE
What the farmer is seldom or never
reminded of in simple unmistakeable
terms, is, that he can also aid Natures
chemical forces, for without these,
plant foods are not made digestible or
soluble in the soil in sufficient amount
to pay. To remind oneself of what
chemical forces are and how they work
smell a bottle If ammonia put some
lye OF caustic on the skin or take
taste Of sharp vinegar. Then, think
how ammonia Cleans. lye cuts grease
ard vinegar will dissolve marble aid
other hard stones.
MAKING TILLAGE EFFECTIVE.
Now, as ply steal and chei.iicaI forces
..ct together in Nature, particularly in
winter, to make available new suppl,
of digeslible plant food, so must The
farmer supplement the work of tlIlage
by The the solvent or digestive treat
ment of chemical agency. Eurt pean
farmers. who well unders: and this and
average 35 bushels of wheat 10 thu
acre as against Is bushels in America.
and other crops in p opoi tion use hv
one chemical agent for the purpose,
which can alone be applied. This agent
IS lime. It's sharp or causlic property
makes it cut the insoluble silieases OF
potash and phosphatcs of a1u;nina and
iron, making potash ard phosphates
soluble. ~Burned lime can do nj harm
in winter to growing things. Where
clover and leGumes have been p!owed
under. its fu,thers their decor posi- ion
correcting the first souring stage and
making good humus by Spring. Man
ure. which is vegetable and animal
matter which has gone through this mi
tiai decomposition, should be applied
some weeks after the lime. In this
way. and at any rate at this season,
humus destruction by quick lime is a
negligible factor. For these reasons.
use lime now. 1t can be put on the
frozen ground or on the snow. 1t will
at once begin to work downward and
get in its work Winter and fa,low en-.
able it to exert its benefits bringing out
what is in the soilitself. thereby cheap.
ening next seasons fertilizer bill.