The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-10
s0jL DEPLETION PROBLEM
Rotation of Crops One of the
Best Ways to Keep Soil
From Going StaIe-AlI Fine
Crop Yields Are Based on
Excellent System of Soil and
Crop Management.

D u Lake, instructor in agricul-
+-.s. talked to the students of farm
.~- at Columbia University yesterday,
~ f,ftiIizers and the Importance of
,l.pine the soil from go~ing/stale, says
Ibs New York Evening Post. He said
tbat The annual waste in this country,
dr. TO the farmers neglect of this
cart Of his business, amounted to
$>oo 1000. This is seven times
vhat is paid for commercial fertili-
g.r~. ne declared.
There probably is no other asset
sr Frcie SANS domain that is so val
e,Gie. so potential for the welfare of
all his people with respect to the COM
mon necessities OF life and general
naupiuess, as the farm stuff we call
.he soil" said MI. Lake. Few of
ftt PEOPLE Who anticipate ~cultivating
H. r,aliZc the care they should give it
t0 keen up its producing pOWer
J4G-inc from their regular farm
practice. few farmers realize that the
growing of crops depletes the soil of
,s iaost essential plant-food clements
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and pOtas-
.,ua3. When these plant-foeds of the
soil nave reached the pTofitless crop
nofrt. how many farmers and would
hc farmers can go to work Intelligent
FIST 10 reconstruct normal, fertile, pro-
Gaytirc soil?
"GvcryWhcre in agricultural prac-
iice there is waste. This is particu-
Early 80 with respect to soil and crop
management. For example. it has
been estimated that the annual waste
Of farm manure. which is closely con-
uettyd with soil fertility. IS about
$500. 000. 900.
This is about seven times the
amount Of money spent annually III
this country for commercial fertiliz-
efS. Such waste must stop or be OF
>et. Fortunately, at the present day
ar abundance OF principal agrlcul-
tural scientific knowledge is lying
about almost everywhere ready fOl
amy man who possesses the skill t(
put il into practice. For the city
man OF today who is 'farIn-minded
rho time was never better than now t.
get acquainted with general aGricul
tUrai principles.
The Lure OF the Ad-
Generally, the first thought Of an.
man who wishes to build I'D a depict
ed soil is hat he should nave re
course to commercial fertilizers. II
readS in finely pictured advertise
ncntS, Sot out by ambitious fertillze
manufacturers. glowing accounts O
what mineral plant food will do t
make a soil rich land productive. Ru
stop a IN n think. Does tn
man who has q depleted soil on hi
hands realize hat back of those fin
pictures showing C excellent cor
yields there has been practiCed, or
ietuS praCticed, an excellent system
soil and Crop management? In ninety
ntne cases out of u hundred such
not the case.
IA is rully realized hat the exec
ient tiilage of the soil is a very in
portant factor in aiding these fe1
~tlIzers to produce Tie fine crol
shown i'll the Illustration? In SO
management it should never be TO
Gotten that the Did operation Of til
age, whereby the soil is made me
tow, open. and porous, made mo-
cara6'c Of absorbing and holdi1
water. made to yield up its plan
rood elements lnoreIrcadily TO I'll
ottnt, can never lie dispensed with.
"'loScIy connected with tillaGe
the presence of organic matter IN Il
"o4l. The majority OF our soils la'
uI-anic matter. Commercial pla
GOD may for d season or Two Pr
utcC fairly good results on soils som
what depleted in organic matter. =
tAi< cannot so on indefinitely. 1t n
been said that organic matter OF 4 s.
more than any other soil constitueI
AFFECTS crop growth; that where
per cent 10 20 per ccnt organic matt
IS present in sois the distinction
'"ecn sands. loan, aud clay dlsa
.sctt*.
Prevents DrOughts.
what are the effects of organ
matter on th@ soil? Organic mat
IS u resuit Of its p~orosity enables
t"t {" hoid large nou OF wat
merely increasing the drought
Instance of a soil. Organic matter
result OF its chemical nature II
zee certain organic acids which.
I'm, act On the insoluDle mine
S"ltipoulds found in the soil, thus I
licking hitherto unavailable nitroa
ioT me majority OF plants; and, fin