Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-03-13
than the animal excrements, in which they

than the animal excrements, in which they
no not exist.
The alkalics (potash and sods) must be
constituents Of every nationally composed
manure, because by them the original fertile
condition of the fields is preserved. A soil
which contains the alkalies in too small a
quantity, is, perhaps, fertile for grain; but
is not necessarily so for turnips or potatoes,
which require great quantity Of alkali.-
By supplying an alkaline manure, fallows, or
the cultivation of those plants which are
grown during the time of following, becomes
less necessary.
Sulphafe Of potash is constituent Of all
plants, although in small quantity, as we'll
as common salt and chloride of potassium
which are found in milk in rather large
proportion. The salts of lime, especially
gypsum, are important nourishment for the
legumnous plants. Silica is never wanting
in all sorts OF soils-it is a constituent Of all
rocks, by the decomposition of which all
productive soils are formed, and the ceresla
find it everywhere in sufficient quantity, and
in form capable Of being taken up by the
plants if the aikalies are provided wherever
they are presen, in too small quantity.
Salts of ammonid.-lt can be regarded as
certain, that tho azote of the plants is derived,
either from the ammonia of the atmosphere,
or from the manure which is provided in the
shape of animal fluid and solid excremen,s,
and that azotic compounds exercise an effect
on the growth Of plants, only in so far as they
give up their azole in the form of ammonia
during their decomposition and decay. We
may therefore, proftaoly replace alllh azot-
ic substances with compounds Of ammonia.
Decaying vegetable matters, which con-
tain carbon, are useful to the fields in so far
as they provide source of carbonic acid; but
they are not quite indispensable in manure,
II the latter be nationally combined, as the
atmospheric air is an inexhaustible source OF
carbonic acid from which the plants draw
| their carbon, if in the manure, the mineral
substances are provided which are necessary
for the assimilation Of the carbonic acid
These are the substances which together give
fertility to tho soil but although each of then,
may, under certain circumstances, (Uiz: where
the soil is defective in it, or where it is not
Indifferent to the plant 10 take up one instead
of the other, as, for instance, may be the case
with soda instead of potash, increase the fer
tili'y, no one Of them can be regarded as ma
nure, according to the common meaning OF
the word, for the simple reason, that only all
Of them, in certain proportions, will fulfil the
purpose for which the common manure is ap.
piled. This purpose is the restoration, or an
increase of the original fertility, and by ma.
nnre We must replace all the elements of the
plants which have been taken away in harves
or which are contained in the plants which
we are DESTROYS to cultivate.
What, then, are the constituent element
of the soil which we remove by the straw
seeds, ,ubcrculous roots, stalks, &c, OF on
plants of cuIturel 1t is obvious that we mu,
know these first, in order to restore them il
sufficient quantities. To this we answer b,
giving The analysis of the ashes of plants am
their seeds. Hundred weights of the ashes o
the fullOwinu planIs Contain-