The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-12-29
SOIL. NITROGEN
How 1t IL Conserved and Rcplenished
by Nature

How 1t IL Conserved and Rcplenished
by Nature
Clemson College, Dec.-When we
consider how very easy it is for nitro
gen to escape from the soil it is not
surprising that it is the highest priced
lof all fertilizing materials. Even at
THAT, however, the price is higher than
it need be, for nature manages to
maintain the supply in every tract of
wild land without importing fertiliz-
ers from abroad, and we would profit
by adopting more Of Natures meth
lods.
Nature uses two methods for main
tanning the supply. First, she con-
serves. Whenever a leaf becomes of
no use to tree it is shed and falls to
the ground. Similarly, other waste ma
terials fall to the ground and become
part of the soil. Stated briefly, Ma
ture's method Of conserving nitrogen
, is to return all waste materials to the
\ soil very soon after they become
\ wastes. This feature has great deal
to do with her ability to increase the
fertility of the soil which runs wild.
But even nature is unable to r.
turn all of the nit: ogen to the soil
in Shape 70 be Of use to i. ants. There
is inevitably some loss even here.
Consequently she must have some
means of replenishing the soil supply
or eventually the soil would be com
pletely exhausted. This replenish-
ing is accomplished chiefly by GER
tain lowly plants, which have the
unusual ability Of taking nitrogen
from the inexhaustible supply in the
air and using it in the same way
that other plants use the soluble
supply in the soil. When they die
most of the nitrogen thus secured
from the air is added to the soil.
These are said to be "nitrogen-fix-
ing" plants; and the most important
ones from this standpoint are certain
bacteria.
There are two general types of
bacteria which "fix" nitrogen. The
bacteria Of one type lie in ordinary
soils. The other type comprises the
"legume" bacteria, or "nodule," bac-
terra, so-called because they grow in
the roots of legumes (clovers, beans,
peas, etc. and cause round gals or
nodules to develop. This method of
growth is mutually favorable, for
the lsguma furnishes q good place to
grow and food of one kind to the
bacteria and the bacteria furnishes
nitrogen to the legume. The amount
OF nitrogen sc furnished is often very
great, as may be observed by noting
the difference in size of lepumes
with and without nodules on a soil
poor in nitrogen. And the amount
OF nitrogen available for succeeding
plants where legumes are returned to
the soil is also very great. as NAV be
observed by planting crops after le-
gumes have been plowed under. This
is the most important source of nitro.
gen for the soil, either In nature or
under cultivation.
A small amount of combined or
fixed" nitrogen is added to the soil
in rain water and snow, but the
amount is comparatively unimportant
Farmers have still another method,
not used by nature, by which they
can increase the nitrogen supply.
They can apply commercial nitrogen
This is expensive but has special
value under some circumstances, and
should be used in most cases to sup
plement and not to take the place of
the other sources mentioned.
The most effective measures for
maintaining soil nitrogen on the
farm as we'll as in nature, are careful
conservation, utilization of the work
of soil bacteria, and utilization of
the work of legume bacteria. And
the legume bacteria are the most i'm
portant of all.