Value of Organic Matteb in Soils 1689 



The breaking down of vegetable matter is also a means of un- 

 locking plant foods in the soil. Most New York soils contain 

 large 'amounts of potash, possibly enough in the first soil foot to 

 grow good crops for the next 1,000 years without buying one 

 pound, if it could only be unlocked. 



The rotting of vegetable matter always tends to start a little 

 muric acid which tends to unlock the mineral plant foods in the 

 soil and put them in such a condition that water can take them 

 into solution, when they will become plant food. 



Vegetable matter in a soil also keeps it from washing. A new 

 soil well supplied with organic matter scarcely ever washes. It 

 is only when it becomes destitute of vegetable matter that it com- 

 mences to gully and wash. It will also keep it from blowing in 

 sections where the soil tends to drift in dry times. 



In fact vegetable matter does about everything in a soil that is 

 needed to put it in the very best possible condition to grow good 

 crops. We need not worry about a soil getting " run out " so 

 long as we keep it well filled with vegetable matter. The great 

 question for ]^ew York farmers to solve is how to get this 

 in the soils. Some will say by growing cover crops — this 

 sounds well and in some instances perhaps may be made use of — 

 but the one practicable way and the one thing that will help most 

 of all is by short farm rotations with clover as the base. When a 

 clover crop has been grown there is not only added vegetable mat- 

 ter in the soil, but actual nitrogen which is the most expensive 

 element of plant food that New York farmers are buying. Many 

 of the so-called cover crops that are turned under only add organic 

 matter to the soil with very little plant food. 



Many will say, " We cannot grow clover." This is because the 

 conditions of the land are not inducive to its growth. Possibly the 

 soil may have to be drained to get rid of surplus water first. This 

 would be necessary for growing other crops. Perhaps the soil is 

 sour and will have to be limed to remove the acidity before clover 

 will grow. Both of these can be done and must be done before 

 success can be achieved in growing maximum crops of any kind. 



In my opinion at least 50 per cent, of the tillable land in New 

 York can be vastly improved by tile drainage, and it must be done 

 before one can grow the best crops of clover — or in fact anything 

 else. 



