The Democratic advocate., 1915-05-14
Winter Soil Treatment.

Every season on the farm has its
duties, for in no business does work
lnterlock to the same degree. and
what is neglected today influences
prohts next year. By this time, the
mechanical outdoor work of the
fields is done and Nature il left To
her own devices. Freezing, thaWing.
leaching, action of carbonic acid gas.
Weathering, all the forces of me-
chanical and chemical action On the
soil are most active now. It is well
to stop and consider what this means
and what the frosts and SHOWS and
thaws do for the land. Understand
lng opens the door for improving.
The Tat crop and the. fall rains have
taken ~ much of tn plant foods out
OF the soil as was in condition for
solution and absorption by the root
let's This has to be restored for the
coming seasons growth.
Ihe soil contains the necessary ele-
ments In abundance, but not in solu-
Dle, or Az we may truly say, in diges-
tlDle form The cracking by frost Of
the SOIL particles letting in the water
and acid OF the air renders them 81.
Whatever work has been done on the
land in breaking it up is so much to
good In adding these natural agen-
c1es. This month, every man under
seands, that work on land, ploWing,
breaking clOds, narrowing, draining,
helps the fertility by helping Natures
mechanical forces undertook plant
food
What the farmer is seldom or never
reminded of in simple unmistakeabIe
terms, is, that he can also aid Natures
chemical forces, for without these,
plant foods are not made digestible
Or soluble ia the soil in sufficient
amount to pay To remind oneself III
what chemical forces are and how
they work, smell bottle Of ammonia.
put some lye or caustic on the skin
or take a taste of sharp vinegar.
Then, think how ammonia cleans I've
cuts grease and vinegar will dissolve
marble and other hard stones.
NOW, a. physical and chemical for
ST. act together in Nature, par-
ticularly in winter, to make available
\ a new supply of digestibIe plant
food, so must the farmer supplement
the work of tillage by the solvent or
! digestive treatment of chemical
h agency. European farmers, who we'll
understand this and average 35 bush
els to the acre AZ against 15 bushels
of wheat in America, and other crops
ln proportion. use the one chemical
agent for the purpose which can
alone be applied. This agent is lime.
Its sharp or caustic property makes
1t cut the insoluble silicates of pot
ash and phosphates of alumina and
iron making potash and phosphates
soluble Burned lime tquicklime) can
do no harm in winter to Frowina
things Where clover and legumes
nave been plowed under, it furthers
their decomposition correcting the
mrs souring stage and making good
humus by spring. Manure, which is
vegetable and animal matter which
has gone through this initial decom-
position, 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 neg
ligible factor. For these reasons, use
lime now. 1t can be put on the froz-
en- ground or on the snow. 1t will al
once begin 60 work downward ant
get In it, work. Winter and falloN
enable At To exert it, benefits bring.
IN out what IL in the soil itselt
thereby cheapening next seasons fer
tiliZer bill.