| Show ORGANIC MATTER 0 OF F SOILS 1 nc necessary element Is secured by crop rotation by plowing under green crops and r by D W creart colorado colo ado A adral college all cultivated soils and most virgin soils bolls contain plant and nd animals remains called organic matter when in the last stages of 0 decay organic matter Is called humus ilu humus la is dark in color and imparts that hat color to soil when present in sum clent lelent quantities organic matter la Is very light in weight when partially decayed and especially in the form of humus it has the power to absorb and hold bold larger quant quantities aties of water than even the finest clays humus la Is more plastic sticky than sand and less plastic than clay consequently it la Is very valuable in binding together sandy soils and loosening up clayey soils when organic matter decays substances called organic acids are produced which act on the soil mineral matter and help to make it soluble so that it is available to other plants the food material which the organic matter contained Is also broken down to its original form and much of it Is again built up into plant tissue organic matter Is gotten into the soil by crop rotation by plowing under green crops by arid and by raising crops with extensive root systems when added to soils in arid regions it should be well rotted it Is one of the most important soil constituents the lack of it in soil Is largely the can cause a a of the deere decreased a sed yields under the single continuous cropping system |
