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.