The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-12

w. +. Mnssry. course, but mainly
apprehend II has lost. as sandy coil
is apt to lose. the organic decay or
hutnus that once made IL living coil,
because IL was fun OF bacterial life
and has now become n dead soil because
this bacterial life has been starved out.
and thore Is left merely tho skeleton
OF the original coil. TO restore such o
soil then we must try TO restore what
~ Formerly possessed. and TO supply
tho plant food IL has lost. But no soil
can be permanently enriched s!mply
from It's own growth. Tho cultiva-
lion OF the past has taken from IL
mineral matters in tho shape of phos-
Jhorus and potassium, which no course
pf green manuring will restore unless
shcse mineral matters are brought back
10 aid In tho restoration. The very
plants that VIC use as green manure
crops the peas and clovcrs, arc greedy
consumers Of the phosphatcs and pot
ash. and for the best results with these.
we must supply their needs.
Now II lis perfectly possible. through
the acid ana phospha,es, potash and
lime. In connection with the growing
or peas and clover 10 restore and main
tain the productivity Of the SOIL with
out keeping any stock whatever But
most profitable for tho farmer: to use
all the lcgumc crops grown as manure
erect, or to use them to feed stock and
return tho manure to the soil. have
been cultivator and q student of the
coll for nearly sixty years. and long
ago came 10 the conclusion that II pays
better to use all the forage crops grown
ior iecdinE stock than 10 use them as
green manures II we save the ma
hure carefully and apply II To the sol,
Us last rs made, we can recover over
so per cent OF the manurnl value of
the forage. ana at the present price for
beef we can certainly make profit
from the feeding moro than enough 10
account for the loss In the manure,
nnd the plan, food In the manure will
10 In moro available shape than IL
the whole crop was plowcd under In
the FIRST start on Very badly impov-
erished SOIL where an Immediate store
Of humus making material is import
mt II may pay to use the first crops
az manure direct But after several
rounds Of n short rotation. and tho soil
In better condition. il Is good farm
economy to use all the roushago grown
on the farm for feeding cattle and
making manure. The rapid improve
ment OF run down tract of laud
means getting back the humus and
plant food ms rapidly ms practicable.
that Will bring In the legumcs as often
as possible. would. therefore, suggest
the three-year rotation which / have
before given In these columns
The problem Is to restore the new
ground conditions that formerly exist
ed In the most economical manner. AS
have said, this cannot be entirely
done without restoring what has been
taken from the soil in the shape Of
plant food. DIR. DIETRICH. with q little
dairy farm on the borders of Phila-
delphia, Pa, boosted that he had made
his little farm very rich without using
mn ounce OF commercial fertilizer. But
hc did what amounted to tho same
thing He bought and fed grain that
had been grown elsewhere and few
general farmers can afford to do that.
You must understand then ut the start.
that Ii Is necessary to supply the lc
Eumes. on which we will depend for
the humus restoration. with tho forms
OF plant food they especially need,
They will get us the nitrogen, but
they cannot restore the phosphates
and potash that have been carried Oft
from the soil. Then to start the three
year rotation we begin with the corn
crop, and plant the three fields At