OCR Text |
Show INCREASING HUMUS IN SOIL It Can Be Seen by Figures Given Herewith Tnat Task Is Not an Easy One to Do. Much soil Is lacking In humus and of this condition a great deal Is being written. The reader Is likely to conclude con-clude that he can, within a very few years, build up a large humus content con-tent in his soil. It can be seen by the following figures that this Is not an easy thing to do. It has been found that not over ten per cent, of the organic matter plowed under can be figured on as being converted into bumus. The surface eight-' inches of the average clay loam weighs approximately approx-imately about 2.000,000 pounds. Taking Tak-ing the humus content as five per cent you would have 100,000 pounds to the acre. If the farmer should ever turn under four tons of organic matter per acre annually, It would take a very long time to build up a large humus content Fifty years would be a short time In which to accumulate humus to any extent, and even a longer time would be required if one removes a crop from time to time. From these figures one should not conclude that the addition ad-dition of humus to the soil is Dot highly desirable, for It Is. It can be seen, however, that at the most we can do but little more within our short lives than to maintain the humus hu-mus at a certain percentage by frequent fre-quent green manuring, and by plowing under everything we can get onto the land. |