Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-14
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BN DR.. ANDREW NJ SOULE

established, in which clover, grass
es and legumes may be used to adj
vantage. Wherever a rotation is
practiced or has been followed in
the past, the productivity of the
land has been maintained and fire.
quently increased over what may
be regarded as it's normal or original
condition. In those sections of the
country where rotation has been
persistentiy followed there is little
abandoned, worn out or exhausted
soil. Practical agricultural opera
tions, therefore. afford us an insight
into the essential character of an
adequate humus supply On the 9TH
er hand, wherever a one-crop sys-
tenn has been followed, the soils
have been rapidly exhausted, and
the abandonment of cultivated lands
under such conditions is simply ap-
paIling. The truth OF this state
ment is demonstrated by what has
happened in the South where cotton
has been the predominating crop.
The same results have followed the
exclusive cultivation of wheat on
the soils of the Northwest and to-
bacco on the lands in the western
states. Only "a few years ago forty
bushels of wheat was grown per
acre in the Red river valley of the
North. This soon fell to the small
yield of twelve to fifteen bushels
per acre, due primarily to the de-
struction Of the humus in the soil,
fastened and aggravated by the con-
tinual burning of the straw which
produced the grain. Those who have
inspected the tobacco growing re-
gions of the East know full well
the poverty of the land and the de-
cadence of the agriculture which
typifies that section.
Restoration Slow
Up to this time we have made
little progress in restoring the ade-
quate supply of humus to our Gull
tivated lands. We have been busy
with so many problems that ques-
tions of this character have not re-
ceived much attention or considera-
ton. It has always seemed that
here were new areas of land to bring
under the plow, but we have about
come to the end of the row, and
now we face reconstruction period
in our agriculture which will neces-
state the expenditure of vast sums
of money for the sGle purpose of in
creasing and maintaining the humus
supply of the land.
In this connection it is proper to
point out that nitrogen is an i'm
portant constituent of humus and
that as the humus supply of the
soil decreases, the nitrogen content
becomes less. There are soils which
contain as high as IS per cent of
nitrogen. These are extremely fer
tile lands at the present time be-
cause they are superabundantly sup
piled with both nitrogen and humus.
Lands of this character have been
building up and increasing in fertility
under the hands OF a wise providence
for 10000 or 10000, 900 years. We
can destroy all this accumulation of
plant food in a comparatively short
time, as we have demonstrated in
many sections of this country. If as
much gold were wasted as is actual
ly lost through the reduction of the
nitrogen content of a soil from .
per cent down to / per cent, we
would regard the situation as con-
shutting national calamity. Yet
this tragedy for that matter is what
has taken place on millions of acres
of our richest land, and now many
landowners find themselves strus-
Cling to make a profit from the rich
acres inherited by their fathers or
grandfathers.
Soil robbery is self-enslavement.
In full view of the frightful waste
which we have permitted it is not
surprising that We now face an era
of high cost of living, which is caus-
ing the greatest social unrest the
United States has ever experienced.
The average humus content of many
Of our southern soils indicates the
presence of from 1000 to $500 pounds
of nitrogen in an acre of land. Three
thousand five hundred pounds must
be regarded as the minimum on which
we can base strictly profitable ag-
riculture. It is not surprising there
fore that we hear complaint about
the high cost of producing farm
crops because we are depending too
much on commercial fertilizers to
supply the deficiency in the soil,
which can only be corrected by a
change in our present farming prac-
tice.
That humus is needed in our soils
is shown by the fact that we are
now raising about $50 pounds of lint
cotton per acre, yet an average crop
Of cotton only removes in the lint
and seed about eleven pounds of nitro
gen from each acre of land. If we
would make these lands profitable
and produce ESQ pounds of lint cot
tHY7 11-+I
the nitrogen and humus supply OF
these soils, and this can only be &C.
complished through the institution
of a system of rotation of crops, the
maintenance and feeding of larger
numbers of animals, the return to
the soil of ever-increasing amounts
of manure and the occasional en-
richment of the land by turning I'M
der green leguminous crop. Bare