CHAPTER I 



SOIL MANAGEMENT 

 P.T A. G. JMCCALL, Ph.D.^ 



Good and poor soils. — A good soil is one tliat is capable of 

 producing a satisfactory crop under favorable climatic condi- 

 tions. Most of our soils are quite fertile and produce profitable 

 crops when tliey are first brought under cultivation, but it is a 

 matter of common experience that continued cropping results in 

 a loss of fertility as indicated by a steady decline in yields. This 

 decline in yield continues very slowly and gradually until the 

 crop finally becomes so small that it no longer pays for the labor 

 and cost of production and at this point the soil has become 

 exhausted for all practical purposes. Under proper systems 

 of management, however, virgin soils may be made to retain 

 their productive capacity indefinitely and old worn lands may 

 be restored to permanent fertility. 



The intelligent use and the proper management of the soil is 

 based on an understanding of its composition and its structure. 

 A good soil is composed largely of two parts: (1) The organic 

 matter derived mainly from the plants that have previously 

 grown upon the land and that have become more or less decom- 

 posed; (2) inorganic matter derived originally from the rocks 

 that have broken down to form the soil. Both the organic matter 

 and the inorganic material play an important part in determin- 

 ing the fertility of the soil. Dark-colored rich loam soils are 

 usually well supplied with organic matter while the poor light 

 colored soils are deficient in organic material, and the restora- 

 tion of organic content constitutes one of the first steps in the 

 restoration of fertility. The inorganic part is made up of fme 

 rock particles of all sizes from coarse sand or gravel to those 

 so fine that they can not be seen with the naked eye. 



A good soil may be distinguished from a poor soil by the 

 general appearance and by the character of the plant growth 

 which it supports. From the oldest time down to the present, 

 black soil has commanded the attention and the approval of 

 practical farmers for the reason that the black color is usually 

 the result of the presence of an abundant supply of organic 



* Maryland Experiment Station. 



