OCR Text |
Show Two Kinds of Humus. Professor E. F. Lndd, of tho North Dakota Agricultural College, says: Of lato wo havo heard a great deal about tho necosslty of humus In tho Boll. We havo come to understand thnt humus is as essential In tho North Dakota soils as In all other soils If wo would malntnln tholr fertility. Wo hnvo como to understnnd thnt humus Is ono of tho great water holding constituents of tho soil, that It Is to tho humus wo owo many of tho better physical qualities qual-ities of tho soil, and thnt It is from tho humus tho nitrogenous matter of tho plants Is derived to he converted into nltrntes to Bcrvo ns plant food. Thero Is ono point, however, that has not been Bufflclently emphasized. Thero aro different kinds of hiimuB, tho snmo as thero aro different kinds of animal foods. Somo forms of humus aro worth n great deal moro in tho soil than others. Wo nil recog-nlzo recog-nlzo tho fact that clover hay is vastly vast-ly superior as an animal food to wheat straw. Wo say that clover hay, wheat bran, linseed nnd cotton seed meal are nitrogenous foods, and thnt straw, timothy, cornmcnl, stover, etc., aro carbonaceous foods. So wo havo types of humus that are highly nitrogenous and other types that aro highly carbonaceous. car-bonaceous. A humus derived from wheat straw or wheat Btubblo or grains of any kind Is very Inferior. It furnishes no nitrogenous matter, It does not havo tho water holding and absorbing constituents ns docs the humus derived from clover, votches. bromo grnBs, etc. Wo thus sea that ono of tho advantages of growing clover in our crop rotation la that it givos us a better typo of humus In the soil. One thnt will put tho soil in better physical condition will hold a lnrgor amount of molsturo, will furnish fur-nish nitrogenous plant food, nnd will bettor unlock tho avallablo plant food in tho soil than tho humus that is do-rlvod do-rlvod from carbonaceous plants llko tho straw. |