Effects of Subsoiling With Red Cross Dynamite on 

 the Action of Commercial Fertilizers 



Commercial fertilizers are ordinarily added to the soil in a very 

 fine and readily soluble condition, and are usually incorporated with 

 the first few inches of soil at or just before the time of seeding. 

 This keeps them from being carried further into the soil mass through 

 cultivation. During heavy rains when there is a considerable amount 

 of surface run-off of the excess of water, large parts of the fertilizers 

 thus added are at once brought into solution and lost by being carried 

 away by the surface drainage. The fertilizing elements can, however, 

 be carried into the deeper soils by transfusion through the soil moisture 

 or they can be carried down with percolating water, provided the sub- 

 soil has been made sufficiently porous to permit of such percolation. 

 Where soils are at all packed both of these processes are materially 

 hindered, but can be relieved by a thorough breaking to a sufficient 

 depth. Except in very rare instances these troubles occur beyond the 

 reach of the plow and Red Cross Dynamite becomes necessary. 



Thus subsoiling with dynamite will result in an enormous decrease 

 in the loss of fertilizers by washing and also in inducing a deeper de- 

 velopment of roots in search of foods, the importance of which is 

 already so thoroughly understood by those now interested in promotion 

 of deep subsoiling. 



The use of a large amount of fertilizer is largely handicapped by 

 even a short season of drouth. During the spring, when the soils 

 contain large amounts of moisture, heavy applications of fertilizers 

 result at once in a very luxuriant growth of succulent but shallow- 

 rooted vegetation. A plant thus developed is poorly able to combat 

 dry soil conditions. Deep subsoiling done in connection with such 

 heavy applications of fertilizers naturally brings about a much better 

 soil moisture condition. This, of course, permits of very vigorous 

 and rapid growth during the spring both above and below the surface. 

 It also safeguards the plants against the dry summer. 



For the proper development of a plant certain foods and conditions 

 are necessary. If one of the foods is lacking or deficient in amount, 

 the growth of the plant will correspond with the amount of this 

 food available, and will not be influenced beyond this point by excess of 

 other foods present. Water is, of course, one of the essential foods, so 

 when additional foods are added as in chemical fertilizers it becomes 

 necessary to furnish the plant with more water. 



Farming Menaced by Loss of Water 



Has Been Lowered Almost Two Feet a Decade, Expert's Report Shows 



WASHINGTON, March 29. 



The ground water of the United States, upon which the agricultural wealth of the country 

 depends, is lowering at the rate of nearly two feet a decade, according to Prof. W. J. McGee, 

 soil and water expert of the Department of Agriculture. He arrived at this conclusion from 

 reports from 35,000 different points in the United States, covering every county. 



Unless means are taken to check the constant lowering, dire results from drought and 

 failure of crops are likely to ensue, declared Professor McGee. 



Investigation has shown that freshets and floods are allowed to carry off a large percentage 

 of the rainfall from lands where it should be retained. Intensive farmers near large cities, whose 

 land is worth $400 or $500 an acre, Professor McGee says, take pains to keep every drop 

 of water that falls on their land from leaving it. From Philadelphia North American. 



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