Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-10-27


rye. But the analysis of our soils made
by our State Agricultural College tells
us they lack lime, phosphates and pot
ash; and ground limestone, ground
phosphate rock. and ground basic Stag
supply these. Right on the K. c. S.
railroad in Arkansas, on two farms.
they have uncovered over 40 acres of
brown phosphate rock and lot of the
Vicksburg lime rock formation; so a
supply is close at hand. Don't pay
the extra cost of treating the phosphate
rock with sulphuric acid. The acid
phosphate, it is true, has the tri-cal-
cite of phosphorus made in great part
soluble and carries some sui hite of
lime, but in our soils the most of this
the extra expense is a profit to the
acid-phosphate manufacturers and a
loss to us. The raw rock is cheaper
and lasts longer in its effect; and when
the phosphate is as scarce in the soil
as it is with us, just let the plants at
tend to their business and us attend
to ours. The same with ground lime
stone; let the acidity of our soils at
tend to rendering the ground rock
available and they are fully able to do
that and add no more acid to the soil.
Of course. the sulphur is needed in our
soils. The experiments made by the
Oregon State Agricultural College
proved unquestionably that sulphur
raw sulphur, was of the greatest use
in the soils. but very little is needed,
and Sulphur, La, the greatest sulphur
producing region in the world, is
close at hand. And as little
is needed, it's the cheapest way to sup
ply it, either by direct application, or
mixing it with manure before spread
ing; 100 pounds to the acre is nearly
five times as much as is needed in any
soil. The same with common salt, a
very little goes long way. But let
us return to the rye. A ton Of green
rye has | pounds of nitrogen, Az
pounde of phosphoric acid, and l2L2
pounds of potash, but, of course, it
has to take it out of the soil; and, if
it's not there, - well, the rye can't
feed on snowballs. In this climate,
rye sowed in the fall, by the latter part
of March, should produce from 5 to
5 tons to the acre to pillow under.
Compared with stable manure, it re-
presents from $40 to $40 per acre at
an expense of from 81 to $3.50 per
acre. Moreover, the rye can be pas
tured at time when pasture and green
food is scarce. Rye roots are more
extensive than is generally supposed,
and if well and plentifully seeded pro-
duce sod that, for white and sweet
potatoes is excellent, or for any root
crops. 1T sours the soil, say many
American hayseeds. Now, about this
boogie-man, sour soil, | want to say
that you should plant no land you
have not examined with blue Iitmus
paper to know where you are at. I"
The hydrochloric acid tect for lime is
time wasted with our soils; analysis
has shown that all these soils are star
wing for lime. The litmus paper test
for acidity is cheap and effective and
there's no mystery about it, and it re-
quires little or no labor.
Don't use quick lime; it costs more
than it is worth. Any form of lime
will do = oyster shells, limestone,
land-plaster, phosphate of lime, but
common carbonate of lime is best.
With enough lime to cure the acidity
and turn litmus paper made red by
vinegar. back to blue, you can pillow
all the rye or any kind of growth UNI
der and fear no acidity. Also please
remember that soil well ventilated OF
drained and properly plowed, when
not water-logged, you can't make sour
by blowing under any crop you can
raise. Winter vetch or hairy vetch will
stay green and grow under snow in
the North, but here where there is no
snow it should make a rapid and lux
urious growth all the winter season.
Also. vetch has nitrogen nodules on its
roots, and only the entire absence of
these bacteria should produce poor
growth. Hungarian grass, in this cli-
mate, could be sown after oats or bar
ley, if raised for feed, and when in
blossom it could be plowed under and
then disced and sowed in rye; and in
March or April LIST. the rye could be
plowed under and made ready for corn
or potatoes or other crops, and the ex-
pense would be returned ten times ov-
er in the Improvement of the soil. As
to expense. rye is cheap seed and