TBE HANDLING OF THE LAND 111 



addition of this humus makes the land mellow, friable, retentive 

 of moisture, and promotes the general chemical activities of the 

 soil. It also puts the soil in the best physical condition for the 

 comfort and well-being of the plants. Very many of the lands 

 that are said to be exhausted of plant-food still contain enough 

 potash, phosphoric acid, and lime, and other fertilizing elements, 

 to produce good crops; but they have been greatly injured in 

 their physical condition by long-continued cropping, injudicious 

 tillage, and the withholding of vegetable matter. A part of the 

 marked results secured from the plowing under of clover is due 

 to the incorporation of vegetable matter, wholly aside from the 

 addition of fertilizing material ; and this is emphatically true 

 of clover because its deep-growing roots penetrate and break 

 up the subsoil. 



Muck and leafmold are often very useful in ameliorating 

 either very hard or very loose lands. Excellent humous mate- 

 rial may be constantly at hand if the leaves, garden refuse, and 

 some of the manure are piled and composted (p. 114). If the 

 pile is turned several times a year, the material becomes fine 

 and uniform in texture. 



The various questions associated with the fertilizing of the 

 land are too large to be considered in detail here. Persons who 

 desire to familiarize themselves with the subject should con- 

 sult recent books. It may be said, however, that, as a rule, 

 most lands contain all the elements of plant-food in sufficient 

 quantities except potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen. In 

 many cases, lime is very beneficial to- land, usually because it 

 corrects acidity and has a mechanical effect in pulverizing and 

 flocculating clay and in cementing sands. 



The chief sources of commercial potash are muriate of potash, 

 sulfate of potash, and wood ashes. For general purposes, the 

 muriate of potash is now recommended, because it is com- 

 paratively cheap and the composition is uniform. A normal 

 application of muriate of potash is 200 to 300 pounds to the 



