Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-04-18
From the New England Farmer
SUPPLYING DEFICIENCIES IN SOILS.

SUPPLYING DEFICIENCIES IN SOILS
Mn. BREcK:-It is truly desirable, as your cor
respondent "Peleg Ploughshore" says, that farmers
should be able to learn in what important qualities
their soils are deficient and to adapt their manures
to the requirements of the crop designed to be
grown. e..
Though, as DIR. Dana says in his Prize Essay, it
ais settled fact in agriculture that barn-yard ma
nure never fails" it is equally as indisputoble fact
that as dmsnder Of Soils it is far less cfcacious
than many less valued substances, ashes or sii-
cious sand, and the surface soil of old wood-ots
Considering The worth of this latter substance, IT
is not little strange to me that its has not Deen
more generally avaed of. While much attention
has been excited and devoted, Of late years 10 tne
peat and muck deposits, as means OF lelthlHng
Soils but little attention has been given 10 tne val
ue of mould in woodlots-which, combining all the
good properties of peat and muck is Tree from her
bad ones and requires none of the preparation ne
cossnrv with those substances before being fitted
for application to land. Vegetable mould on the
surface of woodlands, unlike peat and muck, is
sweet instead of sour, and hence the process of fer
mentation is rendered unnecessary: it has nothing
harmful to vegetation that needs to be neuraized.
1t is in itself wholesome manure, of natures own
manufacture.
One of the most intelligent and observing Of
New England farmers, Rev. Morrill, Allen. of Penn
broke, has repeatedly, through your columns, urged
the use, and illustrated the worth, of woodland
mould, as an improver Of soils.
In what consisted the secret of the fertility of
our New England Soils when first cultivated by
civilized hands? Evidently it was neXhausted
vegetable mould. When the virtue of this decreas-
ed by incessant cropping, it the dictate of wis
dom to supply more Of it to the soil from deposit
which had not as yet been drawn upon. Such a
deposit is the surface of old wood-lands-a treas
which even at this late day is but little upprec
ated. AS supporting these views, | append the FOL
lowing extract from essay by f. Mortimer But
Ter, in the New York Farmer, on "T'he Law OF Ma
ture in the Production of Manures"
In regard to the primitive uplands, experience
has shown that upon the vegetable mould being
plowed up and mixed NTH the earth below it, a
rich mellow soil was Produced and that without
respect to the earthly materials. These uplands,
with their heavy burden of vegetable mould, were
highly productive, and have stood the trial of Sc
we're cropping for many years. But finally the far
mer has discovered failure in the productiveness
OF his fields. Is this to be wondered at lie found
nature clothed in a rich mantle of fine vegetable
mould he has stripped off this mantle and land her
bosom bare the rich mellow soil he found in the
beginning, became changed into poor stern earth,
before he realized a consciousness of his error, or
directed his attention to the replenishing part of
wise command. The materials accommodating in
the barnyard and pens, the first to claim at
tention: these being found to undergo spontaneous
decomposition, the farmer soon learnt TO call this
decomposition by name fermentation the product
thereof short muck. Then, with rich pabuum
of short muck, he sought to restore his land to its
former state of fertility. Was he following the
course that nature pursued? or has he succeeded
in the undertaking? The answer comes back in
the short monosyllable, no. He tries long manure
and with no better success
although much research has already been made
to ascertain the correct method of reganng that
power which the soil had when yielding ample re-
turns for the labor bestowed upon it, yet none seem
to have regarded sufficiently the manner in which
lands were brought to fertility The voice of ma
ture seems to say-gve back the mantle, restore my
garment Of vegetable mould, and then my bosom,
protected against the chilling blasts of winter, and
the scorching sun of summer, will yield its former
increase"