THE DIAGNOSIS AND PRESCRIPTION
WINTERBINE, ILLINOIS,
December 4, 1 903
Mr. T. O. Thornton, Blairville, VA.
MY DEAR SIR:--I beg to report that I returned home a few days ago
and found my mother well and busy as usual. We have definitely
decided that we will not accept your kind offer to sell us a part of
your farm, but we appreciate nevertheless the sacrifice, at least
from the standpoint of sentiment, which Mrs. Thornton and Miss
Russell were willing to make, in order to permit us to secure such a
farm as we might want in a splendid situation.
As a matter of fact we are thinking very seriously of purchasing a
farm in Southern Illinois. My mother much prefers to remain in
Illinois, and for some reasons I have the same preference on her
account.
While in Washington I was fortunate enough to find that a soil
survey had been completed for your county and also that a partial
ultimate analysis had been made of the common loam soil of your
farm, such as we sampled. Following are the number of pounds per
acre for the surface soil to a depth of six and two-thirds
inches,--that is, for two million pounds of soil.
610 pounds of phosphorus
13,200 pounds of potassium
1,200 pounds of magnesium
3,430 pounds of calcium
As compared with a normal fertile soil, your land is very deficient
in phosphorus and magnesium, and, as you know, the soil is acid. It
is better supplied with potassium than with any other important
element.
I would suggest that you make liberal use of magnesian
limestone,--at least two tons per acre every four or five
years,--and the initial application might better be five or even ten
tons per acre if you are ready to make such an investment.
I am sorry that the nitrogen content of the soil was not determined,
or at least not published in the bulletin. There can be no doubt,
however, that your soil is extremely deficient in organic matter and
nitrogen, and you will understand that liberal use should be made of
legume crops. The known nitrogen content of legumes and other crops
will be a help to you in planning your crop rotation and the
disposition of the crops grown.
As to phosphorus, it is safe to say that in the long run fine-ground
rock phosphate will prove the best investment; but for a few years
it might be best to make some use of acid phosphate in addition to
the raw rock, at least until you are ready to begin turning under
more organic matter with the phosphate.
There is only one other suggestion: If you wish to make a start
toward better crops as soon as possible, you may well use some
kainit,--say six hundred pounds per acre every four or five years,
preferably applied with the phosphate. In the absence of decaying
organic matter, the potassium of the soil becomes available very
slowly. The kainit furnishes both potassium and magnesium in soluble
form and it also contains sulfur and chlorin. As soon as you can
provide plenty of decaying organic matter you will probably
discontinue the use of both kainit and acid phosphate. If you sell
only grains and animal products, the amount of potassium sold from
the farm is very small compared with your supply of that element,
which would be sufficient for one hundred bushels of corn per acre
for seven hundred years.
I have some doubt if it will be worth the expense involved to have
the samples of subsurface and subsoil analyzed at this time; but you
might save them for future use if desired.
I shall always appreciate the kindness shown me by being permitted
to enjoy your hospitality and to profit from the information you
were so able to give me concerning the history and general character
of your lands.
My mother asks to have her kind regards extended to you and yours.
Very sincerely yours,
PERCY JOHNSTON.
WESTOVER, January 2, 1904. Percy Johnston, Esq., Winterbine, Ill.
MY DEAR FRIEND:--We were all pleased to receive your letter
informing us of your safe journey back to Illinois. I had hoped that
you might find a piece of land here in the East which would suit
you; but I am not surprised that you and your mother should prefer
to remain in Illinois, because of your former associations and your
better knowledge of the Western conditions. Northern men who come
South often have serious difficulty to manage our negro labor.
I am surprised, however, that you were able to purchase, even in
Southern Illinois, such prairie land as you describe for the price
of $18 per acre. I supposed $190 an acre for your corn belt farm was
a good price, although it is commonly reported to us that Illinois
land is selling for $150 to $200 an acre.
Now, in regard to correspondence with Adelaide, let me say that we
could have no objection whatever, except that it might be
misunderstood, more especially, of course, by Professor Barstow. I
do not think I mentioned it to you, but the fact is that the
Professor and Adelaide are essentially betrothed. I do not know that
the final details are perfected, but doubtless they are, for they
have been much together during the Christmas weeks. The Barstows, as
you probably know, are still among the most prominent people of
North Carolina. Adelaide is young yet and we respect her reticence,
but her mother and I have both given our consent and Professor
Barstow has every reason to be satisfied with the reception he
invariably receives from Adelaide.
I only mention this matter to you that you may understand why
misunderstanding might arise in case of such correspondence as you
suggest, even though, as Adelaide has explained, she has very
naturally become interested temporarily in some of the economic and
social questions relating to agriculture, and would unquestionably
read your letters concerning these state and national problems with
continued interest. I shall hope, however, that she may still have
that satisfaction, for I am very deeply interested in all such
questions, and I am particularly interested to know more of the
details of your southern Illinois farm, including the invoice of the
soil, which you say has been taken by your Experiment Station, and
especially your definite plans for the improvement of the land. I
hope the name you have chosen for your farm is not so appropriate as
it would be for some of our old Virginia farms.
I shall also be under renewed obligation to you if I may
occasionally submit questions concerning the best plans for the
restoration of Westover to its former productiveness. I have decided
at least to make another trial with alfalfa next summer, following
the valuable suggestions you gave me.
In closing let me renew my assurance of our deep gratitude for the
special service you so nobly rendered when fiendish danger
threatened my daughter. We shall always regard you as a gentleman of
the highest type. Very respectfully yours,
CHARLES WEST.
Percy read this letter hurriedly to the end, and then slowly reread
it. His mother noticed that he absent-mindedly replaced the letter
in the envelope instead of reading it to her as was his custom.
However, he laid the letter by her plate and talked with her about
the corn-shelling which was to begin as soon as the corn sheller
could be brought from the neighbor's where Percy had been helping to
haul the corn from the sheller to elevator at Winterbine. Dinner
finished, he hurried out to complete the preparations for the
afternoon's work. We have no right to follow him. His mother only
saw that he went to the little granary where a few loads of corn
were to be stored for future use. Yes, she saw that he closed the
door as he entered. Not even his mother could see her son again a
child. Women and children weep, not men. The heart strings draw
tight and tighter until they tear or snap. The body is racked with
the anguish of the mind. The form reels and sinks to the floor. The
head bows low. Pent up tears fall like rain.--No, that cannot be.
Men do not shed tears. If they are mental cowards and physical
brutes they pass from hence by a short and easy route and leave the
burdens of life to their wives and mothers and disgraced families.
If they are Christian men they seek the only source of help.
Mrs. Johnston watched and waited--it seemed an hour, but was only a
quarter of that time till the granary door opened and she saw Percy
pass to the barn with a step which satisfied her mother's eye.
She drew out the letter, and from a life habit of making sure,
pressed the envelope to see that it contained nothing more. She
noted a slip of crumpled paper and drew it out. Upon it was written
in a penciled scrawl:
_"Her grandma has not consented."_
She read the letter, stood for a moment as in meditation, then
replaced the slip and letter in the envelope, and laid it on Percy's
desk. The letter was plainly a man's handwriting. The envelope was
addressed in a bold hand that was clearly not Mr. West's writing.