Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-11

and method of AGRICULTURAL practice
!, which has been pursued since they
were brought under cultivation.
The Task Of the Future
1t is. needless 10 point out that it
would require the wisdom of Solo
mon, the patience of Job the cour-
age of Washington, the intuitive
mind of Darwin and the understands
ing of Laws and Gilbert. to unravel
and make plain to the farmer the
methods which should be employed
and followed out i'll order to in
crease and maintain the fertility of
these soil types with the highest de-
gree Of success. This task looms
large OH the horizon of our progress
The issues involved seems incom-
prcheNSible to the mind of the aver
age individual. Yet they are all ca
pable of solution. Just in proper
ton, therefore, Il we intelligently
attack, ascertain and put into every-
day pra the simple and basic
truths governing" the scientific oper
alton of our farms Will we be able 10
so direct and advance the work of
the farmer or land owner so as to
enable him TO maintain the fertility
of his land and perform the high
service to humanity in the production
of abundant food crops and raw ma
terials which his calling requires
The scientific nature Of this
problem is clearly illustrated by an
examination of any one of the soil
maps representing the physical. and
later the chemical survey of a CIV
en- county. With one of these maps
and the report or description print
ed in association Herewith it would
be comparatively Simple for the
farmer to locate the type of land he
owns and then through an eXamina-
ton of the chemical report ascertain
the composition of his soil and, the
elements in which it is most like
ly to be. deficient. The varied char
acters Of soil which may be found
in a given county are indeed sur
prising, In Polk, for instance, %
types OFF land were found The con-
tent of nitrogen in the first 81
inches of these soils varied from
1000 to $500 pounds, the phosphoric
acid from 500 to 4,50O pounds, the
potash from 1900 to H. 500 pounds,
and the lime from 1900 to 14,300
pounds. 1t is needless to point out
that these soils vary in their con-
tent of humus, in their physical
properties in their situation as to
height above the drainage beds of
the adjacent creeks and rivers, and
as to their total supply of availabl :
plant food.
Great Lottery
Years ago the Louisiana lottery
was legislated out OF business, but
the greatest lottery on earth is still
running, that Of cultivating and fer
tilizing our lands by guess work.
! Man was given his intelligence so
that he might go out and subdue
nature and make her his servant. 1t
is not surprising that in this day
and generation and in this particu-
lar period of the history of the
world we have done so little to at
quire a definite and appreciate un
Outstanding Of the Deficiencies and
needs of our agricultural lands.
Surely these figures demonstrate
that there is no problem confront
ing us at this time of more funda-
mental Importance.
Let us next consider the. amount
of plant food very moderate yields
of some of our principal crops will
remove from an acre of our land.
The table prepared and set forth
below gives this data very succinct
ly.