92 Kansas Academu of Science. 



less than fifty years of cultivation, it makes the thoughtful 

 man stop and consider. 



Organic matter is the life of the soil. Organic matter is of 

 very little value in the soil unless it is undergoing chemical 

 change. This chemical change can not take place without loss 

 in the amount of organic matter. When organic matter de- 

 caj^s it forms a number of substances, and many of these are 

 indispensable for the proper functioning of the soil. It is 

 these chemical changes which narrow the ratio between nitro- 

 gen and carbon and cause the consequent loss in the amount 

 of organic matter. The loss of organic matter is not of itself 

 an evil. Unless it does take place, the soil will not be fertile. 

 In nature the raw materials for these transformations are 

 supplied. The evil consequences follow when man upsets the 

 order of nature and fails to supply the raw materials which 

 are used up. 



There are seven of nature's essentials for profitable crop 

 production, namely : good seed, proper amount of light, suit- 

 able temperature, proper physical and biological conditions 

 of the soil, an adequate amount of moisture, and plant food. 

 The organic matter of the soil is directly connected with and 

 influences all these conditions except seed and light. 



The dark color of the soil is due to organic matter, and 

 dark-colored soils warm up faster than those of lighter color. 

 Soils well stocked with humus drain better, and well-drained 

 soils are warmer than wet soils. The organic matter increases 

 the water-holding capacity of sandy soils and prevents the 

 sand from washing and blowing. The organic matter gives 

 clay and silt soils a better structure, resulting in better tillage 

 and drainage properties. Organic matter furnishes food for 

 the countless microorganisms in the soils, and without these 

 plant food can not be prepared. The chemical reactions di- 

 rectly associated with and due to organic matter is the greatest 

 agency in the soil for making usable plant food from the ma- 

 terials stored up in the rock powder which makes up the great 

 portion of the soil. 



Farmers in many parts of the state are complaining of the 

 development of gumbo spots in their fields. The majority of 

 such spots observed by the writer are due to the loss of the 

 original surface soil, either through soil-blowing or soil-wash- 

 ing. Where listing is done up and down the slopes it does not 



