CHAPTER III 

 DO PLANTS HAVE QUALITY? 



Succulence vs. Woodiness. As previously stated, plants supplied 

 with adequate calcium (lime) are richer in proteins than when this 

 element is scarce. Calcium, of course, can be effective only if the other 

 nine absolutely necessary nutrient soil minerals are present. Each of 

 these is essential to life, and of course if calcium is lacking in any 

 considerable degree the plant is severely handicapped in utilizing the 

 others. Calcium is stressed because it is the mineral most commonly 

 lacking over the humid half of the country. Another critical mineral 

 is phosphorus. (Phosphorus deficiency is probably the most common 

 mineral lack in animals. ) It is essential to the production of a variety 

 of proteins. Like calcium, it is depleted in many soils of the eastern 

 and southeastern states, as well as locally in most states. With a 

 shortage of calcium and phosphorus the nitrogen fixing, protein-rich 

 legumes cannot grow successfully. Those plants which will grow, in 

 spite of such shortages, are forced to depend more on air and water. 

 The cells, heavily charged with carbon, thicken their walls with fibrous 

 cellulose and lignose (sugars) and become woody. Such woody ma- 

 terial is not only less digestible, but is relatively poor in minerals, 

 vitamins, and proteins. Thus, the nutrition of human being's, domes- 

 tic animals, and wildlife is intimately linked with soil fertility. 



These soil conditions are determined primarily by climate and the 

 mineral composition of the parent rock. Freezing and thawing, the 

 influence of warm season length on the amount and activity of soil 

 biota, winds and evaporation rates, rainfall and leaching all these in- 

 fluence soil formation, soil structure, and fertility. 



On the Great Plains the scanty rainfall has resulted in less weath- 

 ering; soluble minerals generally have not been carried by leaching 

 beyond the reach of roots. Vegetation is nourishing, able to build 

 much flesh, and so the buffalo, antelope, coyote, prairie chicken, prairie 

 dog and other animals were present in large numbers. Later the 

 steer and pheasant were introduced to replace the decimated buffalo 

 and depleted game birds. Wheat in some areas has been grown, with- 

 out fertilization, continuously for 30 or 40 years and more, with little 

 drop in yield, testimony to the mineral wealth of the plains soil. Ob- 

 viously, however, it cannot take this kind of beating indefinitely. 



This basic soil situation is reflected in the army figures on rejec- 

 tions of men for service in World War II. The plains states con- 

 tributed a far higher percentage of men called than our southeastern 

 states. In the latter region, as one factor in this situation, the doubled 

 and tripled rainfall coupled with long hot summers have put soluble 

 soil minerals into solution and leached them deep, out of reach of 

 plants. This means they are out of reach of bacteria, insects, livestock, 

 and man. The woodiness of the principal southern crops is well 

 known pines, corn, cotton, tobacco. Certainly it is reasonable to 



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