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Show SOIL SERVES AS A STOMACH Expression "Available Plant Food" Is Explained by Expert of Missouri Mis-souri College. Every reader of a farm paper must have encountered frequently the expression ex-pression "available plant food." As defined by K. It. ITudelson of the University Uni-versity of Missouri College of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, it means the plant food which will readily dissolve In the soil water so that the plant can take it up. In the animal stomach there are certain digestive fluids that dissolve the food so that it can be absorbed into the blood stream. The soil must serve as a stomach for plants and as the plant food dissolves in the soil water it is absorbed into the plant juices and moves up through the plant, where it can be used. The extra water evaporates evapo-rates from the leaves and moves up, giving a constant circulation. From this it can be seen that only dissolved plant food can be used. Almost all soil materials can be dissolved to a slight extent, but often the rate of dissolving is too slow. |