The Rural Voice, 1989-04, Page 58WE'RE AT THE SHOW
THE CHESLEY AGRI FAIR!
April 11 & 12 — noon to 9:00 p.m.
• WIC
• BOUMATIC
• BSM
• VALMETAL
• HOULE
• CHORETIME
H. NICHOLSON & SON
Tara 519-934-2343
In our 20th year of service to Grey & Bruce
GET READY FOR SPRING
amicx
TRUCK SPREADER UNIT
• Low soil compaction
• Saves time and labour
• DICKEY -john computer for accuracy
FERTILIZERS
• Straight, mixed or micro ingredients
• 120 -tonne per hour baffle blender
• Bulk delivery — anytime, anywhere
• Spreaders readily available
SEED
• Mixed Grain
• Barley
• Wheat
• Soybeans
• Oats • White Beans
• Funks Corn • Hyland Corn
Forage and pasture seeds are also available.
CHEMICALS
Sprayer Unit — 500 gal. Spray Tank
• PPI, pre or post applications
• Low soil compaction and very accurate
• Dickey john monitor with 52 ft. boom width
Large supply of chemicals on hand at the right price.
Call for all your SPRING PLANTING SUPPLIES
HOWSON & HOWSON LTD.
BLYTH
523-4241
CARGILL
366-2225
WINGHAM
357-2700
OWEN SOUND
376-5830
56 THE RURAL VOICE
ADVICE
HIDDEN LIFE IN SOIL
NEEDS TO THRIVE
That soil below your feet is teeming
with life. Some of that life, such as
earthworms, insects, and rodents, you
can see with your eyes. But you need a
microscope to see the soil micro-organ-
isms. And there are between 100 mil-
lion and 15 billion microbes per spoon-
ful of soil.
Between the micro-organisms (bac-
teria, fungi, etc.) and macro -organisms
(insects, earthworms, nematodes), you
have between 200 and 450 pounds of
living organisms in 1,000 square feet of
soil 6 inches deep.
Organic matter gives life to the soil;
it serves as food. In turn, this soil life is
responsible for improving and main-
taining good soil structure for better
aeration. Micro-organisms also make
plant nutrients more available.
The Macro -Organisms
The macro -organisms consist of
earthworms, insects, nematodes, and
protozoa.
We all know that earthworms are im-
portant in the soil. They improve aera-
tion. Their holes hasten the infiltration
of water into the soil, thus reducing run-
off. Earthworms eat undecomposed
plant and soil materials and excrete
nutrient -rich castings.
A good soil should contain 20,000
worms per 1,000 square feet. That
number of worms would generate 40
pounds of casting per year.
Worm castings are rich in nutrients.
Worm castings compared to the soil
around them contain: 40 per cent more
calcium, 204 per cent more magnesium,
366 per cent more nitrate, 644 per cent
more phosphorus, and 1019 per cent
more potassium.
In order to encourage earthworms,
give them a continuous supply of fresh
organic matter.
Many insects live in your soil. Those
include ants, grubs, mites, centipedes,
and millipedes. Most of those feed on
decaying vegetation, although a few
consume living plants. They aerate the
soil as they burrow and fertilize it when
the defecate.
Nematodes are small, eel -like
worms usually 1/25 to 1/2 inch in length.
They are barely visible with the naked
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