During the last
fifteen years it has been abundantly demonstrated that if the
correct methods of dry farming are followed, so that a fair balance
of water is always found in the soil, even in the fall, the heavy,
thick header stubble may be plowed into the soil with the certainty
that it will decay and thus enrich the soil. The header stubble
contains a very large proportion of the nitrogen that the crop has
taken from the soil and more than half of the potash and phosphoric
acid. Plowing under the header stubble returns all this material to
the soil. Moreover, the bulk of the stubble is carbon taken from the
air. This decays, forming various acid substances which act on the
soil grains to set free the fertility which they contain. At the end
of the process of decay humus is formed, which is not only a
storehouse of plant-food, but effective in maintaining a good
physical condition of the soil. The introduction of the header in
dry-farming was one of the big steps in making the practice certain
and profitable.
Finally, it must be admitted that there are a great many more or
less poorly understood or unknown forces at work in all soils which
aid in the maintenance of soil-fertility.
Pages:
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278