CROPS AND SOIL IMPROVEMENT 



science within recent years, and there is no jar- 

 ring of observed facts when we get hold of the 

 simple philosophy of it all. 



Natural Strength of Land. Nearly all profit- 

 able farming in this country is based upon the 

 fundamental fact that our lands are storehouses 

 of fertility, and that this reserve of power is essen- 

 tial to a successful agriculture. Most soils, no 

 matter how unproductive their condition to-day, 

 have natural strength that we take into account, 

 either consciously or unconsciously. Some good 

 farm methods came into use thousands of years 

 ago. Experience led to their acceptance. They 

 were adequate only because there was natural 

 strength in the land. Nature stored plant-food 

 in more or less inert form and, as availability has 

 been gained, plants have grown. Our depend- 

 ence continues. 



Plant Constituents. There are a few tech- 

 nical terms whose use cannot be evaded in the 

 few chapters on the use of lime and fertilizers. A 

 plant will not come to maturity unless it can 

 obtain for its use combinations of ten chemical 

 elements. Agricultural land and the air provide 

 all these elements. If they were in abundance 

 in available forms, there would be no serious soil 



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