Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-09-25
WWR NARWo


glad of other mems good content with my harm
and the greatest of my pride is to sec my ewes Craze
and my lambs suck. -!Shakspearcs As you ike t.
COMPARATIVE VALUE OF GREEN OR
DRIED CROPS AS A MANURE.
Turning in green crops, such as clover, buck.
wheat, &C., while in full vigor, as the means of
cnriching or manuring soils, is practice which
has been extensively pursued, and by farmers in
general looked upon with great favor Some
have, however, doubted whether this was the
better way, and maintained that more benefit
was received from allowing the crop to decay,
and then plow it in, than if plowed in while in
green state. In the course of his survey Of the
| agriculture of Massachusetts, Mr.. Coman found
the opinion Of some OF the most successful far.
mcrs, to be in favor Of allowing the crop to ma
ture and perish, before it was subjected to the
pillow as manure for the soil As the opinion
OF such men was at a variance with the common
| ~ received one, Mr.. Coman addressed letter
to the well known chemist, DR.. Dana, request
ing his views on the matter, as a question for
chemical investigation. DR.. Dana's reply is
contained in the report OF the commissioner
and for the benefit of our readers, we give an
| abstract OF his argument, or the reasons for the
result at which he arrives.
The essential element of fertility in a soil. has
been called humus, GENE, vegetable extract,
mold as we'll as several other names, all mean.
ing brownish black powdcry mass, the result
OF putrefactve decay, and the remains of decom
posed organic matter. This substance combines
with the alkaline, earthly or metallic bases of the
plant or the soil, and constitutes the means of
growth or nutrition in the new vegetable
Without it, there seems to be no power in the
earth OF producing vegetation, and if in too great
excess, as it sometimes appears to be in very
pure manures, 1t is destructive or unproptious
to all growth. In the question now at issue,
the inquiry of course, was, which furnishes to
the soil the greatest quantity of GENE or humus,
the green or the dried plant. DR.. Dana decides
in favor of the latter.
Fermentation appears to be the great agent in
the decomposition of organic matter; and Dr.
| Danas survey of the several kinds, such As vim
Gus, acetous and destructive fermentation.
the elements Of fertility. The juices only that
contain sugar or starch convertible first into
gum and then into sugar, by the action of aso.ed
vegetable principles, especially gluten, are Ca
pable of the vinous fermentation. The condi.
tons necessary to this fermentation, are mois-
ture, air, and temperature not below 800, or
above $50.
"lf, says Dr. d. eve pillow in green plants,
we put them in temperature favorable to the
commencement ofvnous fermentation we bury
them iull OF sap the requisite moisture for VI
cious fermentation. The sugar and starch OF
| the plant, fermented by its gluten and albulnen,
are converted into gases and alcohol the for.
mer are lost in air, and the last washes away or
is changed to vinegar. All that remains for the
farmer, is the altered gluten End albumen which
soon putrely and from GENE. All the starch
and sugar OF the plant arethus lost"
In his remarks on destructive fermentation,
DR.. Dana has the following:
"Doubtless all green planSp lowed in under.
go to a greater or less extent, destructive fer.
mentatlon, which succeeds the vinous and &C id
lamentations, perhaps caused by the rapidly of
these processes. Hence, in addition to the sll.
gar gum, and starch of the plant, we lose large
portion OF lis other substances, by turning it in
green. The products of the rapid fermentation
have been but little studied Happy the farmer
who never witnesses the process. He should
never induce it, and may generally prevent is
extension when once begun. 1t is dead loss
to him; but in all the other cases of putreaction,
| the products are valuable"
Will not the remark made above by DR.. u.
that the alchohol formed during the vnous fer.
mentalon, washes away, or is converted into
vinegar account for the fact OF what some far.
mers complain Of, as sourng the soil in turning
IN heavy crops of green clover! We have
heard some very successful farmers and wheat
growers assert that their experience in turning
in the clover crop before it had reached matur.
ty, or while Astounding in sap, had been so unfa-
vorable that they had relinquished the practice,
and chose either to feed it off with sheep, or let
it decay on the ground.
Still, no one can doubt that excellent effects
are produced by turning in green crops, partcu-
arly such as buckwheat, of which three or four
can be turned in, in year; thus evidently CIV
ing more genie than where the ripened product
is turned under The danger of the practice
appears to arise from blowing in the green crop
in that condition, and under such circumstances,
that the vinous fermentation and acetous one are
so rapid as to convert the valuable products into
vinegar, and thus seriously nure the land or
when the destructive fermentation converts the
plant into substances unfit for the nutrition Of
OF vegetables.
The public require facts-practice as well as
theory and those who have in the course of
their farming, made such experiments as would
throw light on the value or action of green
plants as manures, would confer favor by max.
ing them public.
PRESERVING WINTER APPLES.