Value Of Sods
Categories:
GRASS SODS
The character of the sods is a faithful index of the
condition of the soil in any region adapted to grass. The value of
heavy sods to a soil cannot be overestimated. They not only give to a
farm a prosperous appearance, but our country's agriculture would be on
a much safer basis if heavy coverings of grass were more universal. We
do not hold the legumes in too high esteem, but the emphasis placed
upon their ability to
appropriate nitrogen from the air has caused some
land-owners to fail in appreciation of the aid to soil fertility that
may be rendered by the grasses. One often hears the statement that they
can add nothing to the soil, and this is serious error. They add all
that may be given in the clovers, excepting nitrogen only, and that is
only one element of plant-food, important though it be. A great part of
the value of clover lies in its ability to supply organic matter to the
soil and to improve physical condition by its net-work of roots. Heavy
grass sods furnish a vast amount of organic matter which not only
supplies available plant-food to succeeding crops, but in its decay
affects the availability of some part of the stores of potential
fertility in the land.