Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-08-05
o. II. PLATT, EDITOR.
agricultural.
Principles Of Artificial Nlanuring.


The last nDmber of that most excellent Agricultural
Journal, "The farmers Library" published in the
city Of New York contains essay on the above sub
cc, by Professor Justin Liebig, an eminent German
Chemist, which, as il shows how chemistry a SCI
ence is brought to the aid of Agriculture, will be in
teresting 10 our readers.
Starting from the admitted fact, that different soils
produce grains in unequal proportions, and are var
ously affected by the manures, he reasons that
these effects caused by chemical properties
OF the grains the soils, and the manure. He says:
Chemistry has shown that these properties are
produced by the composition OF the .helds; that
their fitness for producing wheat or any other kind
of plant bears direct proportion TO certain ele-
menls contained in the soil, which are absorbed by
the plants Il has likewise shown that two fields,
Of unequal fertility. contain unequal quantities of
these elements or that fertile soil contains them
in different form or state from another, which is
less fertile. IL the elements are contained in the
soil in sufficient quantities, it produces rich crop
il il be defective even in Of them only, this is
shown very soon, by the mpossbility of growing
on it certain kinds Of plants
Moreover, it has proved with certainty what rela-
ton these elements Of the soil bear TO the develop
ment Of the plants. Chemical analysis has demon
sraed that certain class Of these elements is con-
tanned in the seeds others, in different proportions
in the leaves, roots tubers, stalks. They are min
eral substances, and such, are ndestructible by
fire, and consequently remain as ashes after the in
cineration Of the plants or Of their parts. Many
of these elements are soluble in pure water others
only in water containing carbonic acid, as rainwa-
ter: all were absorbed from the soil by the roots
of The plants in dissolved condition. 1t has heen
shown that, in field, those elements which remain
after the incarceration OF the grain Seeds are not
present in sufficient quantity, no wheat, no bar
lev, no peas-in word none Of those plants can
Il.
count Of their seeds. The plants which grow on
such field produce stalks aud leaves; they bios
som. but do no bear fruit The same has been OBJ
served regarding the development OF leaves, roots
and tubers, and the mineral elements which they
leave behind after their incarceration. IL, in soil
in which turnips potatoes are to be cultivated
the elements of The ashes OF these roots are want
ing, the plants bring forth leaves, stalks blossoms
and seeds, bot The roots and tubercles are imper-
feet. Every one Of the elements which the sol
gives up TO the plants is in direct quantitave pro
portion to the production Of the separate element:
of the plants Two fields, which, under otherwise
equal circumstances, are unequaly rich IN minera
elements Of The grain, produce unequal crops. Ont
con aiming them in larger quantity produces more
than another containing them IN less. In the SAINT
manner, the capacity of soil 10 produce tubercu
Ious plants, or such as have many leaves, depend
upon its amount of those elements which are ioun'
in the ashes of such plants.
II results from this with certainty, that the MN
era substances which furnished by the soil, ant
which are found again in the ashes OF plants, ar
their true food that they the conditions OF veg
eiable life.
That is 10 say the nourishing properties in the 50
requisite for the production Of wheat, OF corn, an
euch of the other grains, are Different and that sue
cessiye crops of the same grain, from the same sol
will exhaust ii Of those properties until hnaly' M
kind of grain will cease 20 grow, though anoth'
wouIJ produce abundantly II would seem to follow
therefore that if the cropa were left upon the gIouH
10 decay the same grain might be raised for any nun
her Of successive wears, upon the field, and vii
equal producliveness. Upon this subject, our auIh'
says;
Il is evident, that from field in which difereI
nlan,s are cultivated, we remove with the crop
certain quantity Of these eemenis IN the see
those mineral parts which the soil had TO PROVE
for their development, and IN the roofs, tuoefcie
stalks and leaves those elements when are necess
nv for their production. However rich the he
may be in these elements, there can be no dou
that by several cultures. II becomes more ana mo
;mnoyershed that for every plant time must Z
,;ye when The soil will cease to furnish, in suficie
ounn,i,v those elements which are necessary tor
nerCec, Growth Even if such field, during ma
years, had produced twenty-five or thirty lola
amount Of the seed, for instance, oil wheat, expe
ence shows that the crop gradually decreases, IN
at last the amount will be So small as TO approa
the plant in its wild state, aud not repay the cost
cultivation.
The experience of centuries has shown IN
with the aid Of manure Of The excremenis OF a
mails and man. with which we supply those bel
which have ceased to produce crops Of grain. g.
serving as food for man and animals, in suitcl'
quantity, the original fertility can again be restore
an exhausted field which scarcely yielded back
seed, is made to produce twenty and more i
crop according 10 the proportion oil the mani
provided.
The most acurate experiments Pnd analyses HI
pointed out that the excremenIs OF man ana
mails contain those substances TO the presence
which the fertility Of the snil is due. The ler'
zinp power Of manure can be determined by weg
as is effect is ia direct ratio to lis amount In
mineral elements Of food of plants. The TT
of The result of these chemical analyses must
eyiden, to every one who inquiries into the origiT
excrements
An the excrements OF man and animals are
rived from the plants Of our fields; IN the oats
hay which serve as food for the horse, 10 the r'
which are consumed by a COW. there is cef