288 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



the soil of toxins. Even aside from this prop- 

 erty, which exists merely as a hypothesis at 

 present, the organic material of soils exercises 

 a tremendous part in fertility. 



A soil containing the proper mixture of de- 

 caying vegetation has superior moisture-hold- 

 ing properties, and moisture is the life-blood 

 of the plant. And we have seen that decay- 

 ing vegetation furnishes not only food for the 

 plant, but food for the microflora and micro- 

 fauna of the soil, as well. The instance cited 

 of the use of carbonaceous debris, such as 

 rotting turnips, as food for the bacteria which 

 fix nitrogen from the air in a form available 

 for the use of plants, is an illustration of this 

 part played by the organic content. 



The soil is not a dead thing, according to 

 the latest conception, but a thing teeming with 

 life, both plant and animal, and these micro- 

 scopic creatures and plants have a dual role 

 to perform. The}'- feed the growing plant with 

 palatable food, and, at the same time, act as 

 scavengers of the soil. They, in turn, depend 

 for their healthy activities, not on the mineral 

 content of the soil, but on the organic con- 

 tent. The soil must be sweet, if we would 

 "domesticate" these agencies and use them 



