OUR WORN SOILS 69 



curse of worn-out soils, and bring the soil back to 

 where it will cheerfully take up again its burden 

 of bearing crops that pay the profit, for when this 

 is done possibilities of better farm living are made 

 possible in every part and portion of our land, 

 and the advantage of farm living will more than 

 equal those of city living or elsewhere. 



But the worn soil problem confronts us and we 

 can not get away from it. Can these soils be re- 

 stored! If so, how! The plan adopted for their 

 restoration must be one of quick action, for we 

 can not wait fifty years as England did to restore 

 our worn-out soils. . 



A fertile soil, or one that will produce paying 

 crops, is composed of certain minerals, plenty of 

 organic matter, humus, soil bacteria, and is well 

 ventilated. 



As a general rule the soil stratum of most all 

 our soils has in it the necessary minerals, like 

 potash, etc., to supply the needs of plant growth 

 for centuries. All virgin soils abound in all 

 the other elements that make up a fertile soil, 

 but when virgin soils are brought under cultiva- 

 tion and are subjected to years of tillage that has 

 no thought of soil conservation, the elements of 

 organic matter, humus, and nitrogen, become ex- 

 hausted, these soils are no longer a favorable home 

 for soil bacteria, they become cold and compact, 

 ventilation is shut off, and they pass into the class 

 of worn-out soils. 



The element soonest farmed out of fertile soils 

 is nitrogen. This element is considered the ' 'most 

 precious, the most important and the most costly " 

 of all the soil elements. Virgin soil procured its 



