The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-03-03

Prof Leo. NJ. Geismar, expert for the
iIoughton County Farm Bureau, re-
Gently read paper on Soil Fertility
before the Northern Forest Protective
Association AT Munising. lie said:
The importance of the subject mat
ter under consideration will be bel
ter appreciated by treating il as, first
the forest as an agricultural teacher
and. second. the value of humus in
soil fertility.
Before human life became ros 'ible
rpon earth, the principles of seen.
title agriculture were established by
Nature when it brought the forest in.
to existence and left 10 the future hu.
nan race the practical demonstration
or its teachings. When in the dim
past order was restored from chaos,
the process Of soil building became
POSSIBLE as Natures harnessed agen.
cies combined to break up. mix and
change the character of the barren
rocks. From the tiny moss to the
succulent grasses; from the meadow
to the forest, the process of evolu'
ton went on, and microbic life de
NelOped into more complex forms until
man, the king of animals, came &c
assert and maintain his supremacy
From the oldest history or the human
race we learn that man first lived up.
en- fruit which had not been raised
through his efforts, and afterwards
rastured flocks upon meadows which
he had not planted. Probably the
first attempt at securing bread, the
staif of life, came from gathering the
seeds of widely scattered wheat
plants and planting them within
more compact areas among the
grasses which already supplied him
il directly with dairy and meat prod.
ucts. with clothing and artificial
litht. The poor results from this
crude system of primitive farming
compelled the study of better methods
and from the forest man learned how
to pillow and till the soil: how to plan,
and cultivate; how to conserve suiii
Client moisture for maturing his crops
and how to maintain the fertility Of
the soil. In the primeval forest trees
60 on undisturbed and no waste oc.
ours from the food and shelter which
they furnish to its untamed inhabi.
tants. Leaves and decaying branches
go on forming the moisture retaining
mulch, and the fertility extracted
from the soil is returned to II when
the tree has ended its usefulness.
Layer upon layer of new soil is thus
formed, and the fertility thereof is
enriched by the transforming ma.
terial the remnants of insect and an.
imal life and the activities of bac.
terial life. Windstorms, the indis.
rensable purifiers of the atmosphere,
sweep down periodically portions OF
the forest and trees in the prime OF
lie are uprooted, burying the newly
formed SOIL carrying to the surface
nartly decomposed rocks and large
quantities of virgin soil which mix.
Inc with the new humus.forming ma.
terial offers a more congenial home TO
the next free generation and to a
S'''''~' 'p''N's VI pidhlSs nus the
lesson of scientific agriculture is com.
plete. and were modern man more oh.
serving there would be less need for
agricultural schools ana extension
work so-called would be unheard of.
Value Of Humus in Soil Fertility.
now remains to define the func.
tions of humus in the process of soil
building and its relation to the fer
tility OF the soil. Humus is the most
important factor in soil fertility. for
without IL plants cannot grow except
urder costly artificial conditions. Tn.
Ger ordinary field conditions, newly
formed soil in the shape of decom.
nosed rock with its rich store of min.
eral fertilizers is still an inert mass
Its activity begins only and is in.
creased as generation upon genera.
ton of plants grow upon. IL. During
the decompositions of the plants
which give rise to humus. acid sub
stances are formed which act upon