Show twelve elements control fertility vital soil chemicals determine growth fertility was described as the 1 fourth dimension of the soil by dr william A albrecht chairman of the soils department of the university of missouri in a recent statement the soil has taken on a new meaning in the light of present war conditions he pointed out ration points on food and the scarcity of items me like meat milk and butter are giving soil a significance beyond that of mere dirt soil has long had two dimensions length and breadth As land it has commonly been measured in terms of acres the soil conservation service first emphasized that our aur lands have a third dimension depth erosion studies as early as 1914 by dean miller and dr duley at columbia made us see the soil profile with its rich surface being scraped away and washed to the sea to these three dimensions however should be added a fourth fertility for food production essentially bial depends on this factor crops are a form of creation like the biblical story of creation itself crops must also begin with the soil about a dozen different chemical she mical elements are required of the soil by any crop these make up the ash amounting to approximately 5 per cent by weight of the iry matter yet it is this small amount contributed by the soil that determines whether the plant can gather from the air and water by means of sunshine power the other 95 35 per cent of its total content the controlling elements these 12 chemical elements making up by 5 per cent by weight are thus able to control the other elements which make up 95 per cent of the total weight of the plant consequently it becomes evident that the soil rather than the weather wields the controlling hand in crop production in discussing further this fourth dimension of the soil dr albrecht pointed out that in a series of tests for producing soybeans as a seed crop plots without fertilizer treatment on one farm yielded 20 bushels of seed whereas adjoining plots supplied with extra soil fertility plowed down as fertilizers yielded 25 bushels or an increase of 25 per cent when it is considered that both plots had the same weather he concluded there should be little doubt that the crop depends depend s on the soil fertility more than on the season we thus need to see our responsibility to the soil more and to blame the weather less |