The Bulletin. 81 



together with the vesetatioii. This done, you are ready to get on it witli a 

 plow. Hut in plowing you must not turn tlie land completely over, hut edge 

 it ui). This maj' be a little didicult at first, hut with a short mold hoard or 

 by narrowing the width of the furrows it can be done. The object of this 

 edging is to keep the surface soil, which is the richest and the b<'st adapted to 

 plant growth, on top. and also to keep the vegetation which is mixed with the 

 surface soil up where it will do the most good. As soon as you have plowed 

 the land you should get on it with the disk harrow again ; because if you do 

 not you are leaving this soil in a rough, luieven condition, with a largo amount 

 of surface exposed to the sun and wind, and a great deal of water is going to 

 be lost by evaporation and the uneven ends of the soil are going to dry out 

 and harden, forming clods which might later bo almost impossible to pulver- 

 ize. Therefore, it is essential that you level down the surface of the land 

 and in this way prevent a large amount of water from escaping; also that 

 .vou pulverize the surface and in this way prevent the formation of clods, 

 "which, being interpreted," means a large amount of unavailable plant food. 

 Then if you do not plant at once it is best to run over the ground again in a 

 few days with a harrow to prevent the formation of a crust and to keep the 

 seedbed in good condition for the future planting. 



If you have done this thoroughly your soil will be in a much better condi- 

 tion to withstand droughts and to furnish the plant food for the crop, and 

 will make future cultivation of the crop easier, because you have Increased 

 the moisture-holding capacity of the soil ; you have added direct plant food ; 

 you have added indirect plant food ; and you have greatly improved the me- 

 chanical condition of the soil. 



It may be well to add from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of lime to the land per 

 acre, if you have it, at the first harrowing after plowing. This may not be 

 essential in limestone soils, but is advisable wherever acid soils occur, and 

 most of our North Carolina soils are more or less acid. 



IMPROVING THE TEXTURE OF SOILS. 



By E. S. Mills.\ps. 



All soils are formed from the disintegration of the original rocks, and are 

 classified according to the composition of the mother rock and the amount of 

 organic matter they contain. The composition of our uplands is practically 

 the same as the underlying rocks, while that of our valleys or plains may be 

 entirely different, according to the amount of matter washed down from the 

 hills. 



Soil is valuable according to the amount of plant food it contains, and this 

 quality is determined largely .by the fineness of the soil particles and the 

 amount of organic decay contained in it. How fine these particles may be 

 depends upon the character of the original rock and how well the natural 

 agents have done their work. These agents are air, sunshine, rain, and frost, 

 and the work of the nitrifying bacteria in the soil. When all these agents 

 have performed their work well, we have a soil that is open, porous, and 

 spongy. It absorbs moisture like a sponge. The capacity of an absorbent is 

 measured by the fineness and character of its constituent elements. Thus a 

 soil composed of very fine particles of original matter and well filled with 

 decaying vegetable matter is a good absorbent. It is a living soil. Every 

 condition exists for the liberation of plant food. It permits the free circula'- 

 tion of air containing the life-giving oxygen and carbon dioxide. Its mechan- 

 ical or textural condition is ideal. Such a soil is the home of the low forms 

 of plant life upon which the bacterial life of a good soil depends. 



December — G 



