Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-01-08

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ter and root-growth, it soon allows the
top.soil to become poor and unfertile,
and if planted to orchards, the trees
cannot get a food-hold and will grow
for few years and then die. The
"going backv of orchards in many of
the irrigated districts Of Oregon, Wash
ington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Cali
fornia, are due to this condition and
will never be remedied until this sub
soil is broken up. This is sometimes
affected by dynamiting the land, or If
the layer is not too thick, subsoiling
sometimes will accomplish the same re-
suit. If the hard-pan is acid, the APP
plieation of gypsum or ground lime
stone viii be of great value
Tn this valley, especially, and in some
other humid parts Of Oregon, where the
subsoil contains little or no humus, a
great many acres have been almost
ruined because those that cleared the
land did not know how to cultivate It.
Instead of blowing only three or four
inches the first year, and little deeper
each succeeding yets until they have
attained to depth of nine or ten
inches, they plowed to that depth the
first year, throwing up subsoil. poor
in humus and available plant food, and
as result, plant growth is limited and
the land has to be worked over and
over, and humus and fertilizer mixed
with it, and even then il requires n
long exposure to atmospheric action be-
fore IT becomes properly adapted to per
form the functions Of the. surface soil. 1
There is one other condition to which
wish to call your attention before
close, because I deem it of great i'm.
portance to this valley and most Of our
coast country Tn the presence Of so
much moisture as will materially i'm
pede the access of air. and with the con
currence of reasonably low temperature,
conditions existing in the Willamette
valley, during the winter the organisms
that at first take the chief role in the
transformation Of the vegetable tissues
into humus-like substances ore bacteria.
But the antiseptic nature Of the com.
pounds thus formed, soon puts an end
to their activity, and thereafter the
process seems to be a purely chemical
one, forming solid brown product
partly soluble in water, and imparting
to it brownsh tinge and an acid re-
action. The latter is due to the forma-
tion of ulmic acid, readily soluble in
causthic or carbohated alkalies, forming
insoluble salts with the earths and met
ais
The sour soils thus produced in the
presence OF excess of water, gradually
increase in acidity and finally become
Of little or no value ugriculturally. We
have in this valley some such and
much that is slightly acid and the own
efs wonder why they cannot raise bet
ter crops. Permit me to say at this point
that and neutral or slightly basic aftel
long-continued cultivation becomes acid
as has been shown in the older part,
OF our country, notably in the New
England states. Such crops as alfalfa
clover and legumes are especially af
fected by the acid soil and nearly al
other crops will show a decrease, pro
duced by the action Of the acid on tn,
soil, il not on the crop itself. Th,
first step in the Improvement of sucl
soil is to neutralize the acid, preferably
by means Of ground limestone. 0i
course, there are various forms Of lime
as air-sacked lime, burnt lime, hy
drafted lime and ground limestone, am
also landplaster. The first action OF
the lime IA to sweeten the soil by neu
tralizing the acid, and il makes IT,
soil more flocculate and it also lber
ates and makes available more plant
food. Because Of these effects, the sol
yields a more abundant harvest ant
men are liable to overlook some yer,
important points. We must remember
thut neither lime nor land plaster ad,
any plaht.food to the soil, simply liber
ate what is present, this, as you can al
see, will soon exhaust the soil, MS ha
been done with millions of acres IN thi
country. Lime in this valley should b,
applied about every five years, at tn,
rate Of one to two tons per acre, de
pending on the acidity Of the soil. Blu
at the sbme time, we must be sure I,
apply fertilizer to keep present in thu
soil plenty Of the required plant food
There are other questions Of vital i'm
poftance that I might discuss such n
fertilization, crop rotation, irrigation
etc, but suffice II TO say that in RI
my travels throughout this state. hav
ing visited all but four counties. hav,
not found the edunl Of the Willamette
valley, and by scientific cultivation an,
the conservation Of ita soils, IL is boun,
N ho fhn M rdnn bnnt 40 tho ,,n.ti, "A. NJ,