CHAPTER XVII. 



FARM-MADE MANURES! SAVING FERTILITY FOR THE 



SOIL 



There is an old saying that runs, 



" No grass, no cattle, 

 No cattle, no manure, 

 No manure, no grass," 



which contains so much good sense in a few words 

 that it should become a memory gem in every rural 

 school in the land. And it is especially applicable 

 to cotton growing, for cotton lands need manure 

 even to a greater extent than grass does. Next to 

 tillage and good seed, farm-made manures are the 

 crying needs of the Cotton Belt. These manures 

 will do these things for the soil: 



(1) Add plant food 



(2) Unlock stored-up quantities of plant food 



(3) Increase the humus content 



(4) Improve the mechanical condition of the 

 land. 



The importance of these factors in promoting the 

 crop-producing efficiency of soils has been shown 

 in previous chapters, and will be considered here 

 only as they pertain to the production and use of 

 farm-made manures, for we are concerned now 

 with the use of additional plant food in potential 

 and active forms. 



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