SOIL EXHAUSTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2203, 19 May 1891, Page 4

SOIL EXHAUSTION.

Very often we are told that certain soils are exhausted when the actual f nctß are the soil itself is not exhausted but;its pdVerjj»o£ absorption, become impotenjt ?rqai, long use, or rather misuse. It m.stated recently that the;air was, of ! thahthesoil as a crop put the: soil-a mere of 'pl,anti,foQ<j, must be susceptible , of not only> these elements ofjplant foqdt from the air,' but <of < retaining acjd; yielding up on demand of the plant. ! > It is to be admitted, however, thait no matter by what means brought* about, there are no words in thV English language that express soaptjy the condition of an? abandoned farm' as " Bbil ,h ekhaußti^.' ,ii! ' When sop ; becotne, pf ithpae, substancbi Wbich form the mineral' pt'plants the growthf of; vegetation cesses; jit"'dies through inanitrori 1 > This is never absoute, but consists m a great reduction of that material which is iu condition to be'■ appropriated by the 1 growing plant. Such soils are gradually restored by rest, giving them an opportunity to, recuperate bj absorbing what : they lack '■ from the'' never ending supply of the fttoDQa-, phere. ■•■.■■■! ■>. Again, a gradual decomposition of those matters now insoluble occurs by, means of the agencies which often have been referred to in these columns, aba the soil is thus restored to its 1 condition of virginity. Thus the. abandoned farms ,of the,. East are improving all the while their pauper owners are getting rich in the , West, and future generations- will face the': East in the migrations, the same as tbo, hardy yeomanry of Ne ; w England now travel toward:: the Pacific slope to better their condition. An abandoned field left to itself will soon giraw up with weeds, these will increase in rank every year by the weeds becoming, greater absorbents, and returning >to i rot on the soil, soon restore the pria-j tine fertility by hastening the decom-, position of the soil itself. ' Furthermore the deficiency of oqe ■ or more of the eonstitutents of plant., food is of much more frequent occur-, rence than total exhaustion. This; isf commonly the inevitable result of the,, same crop or family of plants living, on the same food, duting many sue-: ceasive seasons, often as long as it will, barely sprout the seed, and the coij-, aequent reduction of those * hich the particular plant, or family of plants, requires in the largest., proportions. Deterioration of soils from this cause is repaired by an.;: artificial supply of the failing ingredients, but it is much more wisely. and effectually guarded against jby; such a rotation of crops as shall make different demands upon the soil' in successive years. - - As-stated at another time. the. effect of fertilisers on the,,soil assists! it materially in retaining lata fertility while, being successively cropped* but this method of farming should not bo countenanced' r 2 { 'and is annually adding to the cost of production and rendering farming a non-paying profession,, covering finest farms with blanket mortgages.. Of course they return the very material which was. abstracted fro/a the soil, with the addition of nitrogen-j ous matter originally derived from ,tha air by the growing plant, but worked up to, its utmost capacity, the soil will eventually refuse to absorb these gases when of course it must be abandoned, and allowed to recuperate through the process of nature-—Professor Elseri in Prairie Farmer. -