Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-12-11
AGRICULTURAL.


OSC VI AoshCDs
The following is an extract OF tho ad-
dress Of William Little. embodied in the
fifth annual report Of the Ohio State Board
ofAgriculture:
"Hnbcr,o the natural fertility ofthe soil
ha, not rendered it necessary to pay that
strict attention to its Improvement which
is indicated in the future. but the timo is
coming and now is, when. If we would
! have this fertility continued may increased.
we must pay strict attention TO the laws
ofn,iure. iho wisdom Of experience. and
tho light of science Experience teaches
us that certain crops exhaust the soil; the
laws of nature require the lost principles
should he restored, while science taking
the lump of earth, which, to the mere
working man. is inert matter, analyses its
parfs, ascertains the missing clement, and
applies the remedy. The remedies most
generslly used are lime. leached ashes,
and barn-yard manure Lime of itself, is
net fertilizer; its action is altogether
chemical. warming up. viviying dormant
orexhaus,cd properties in the soil and i'm
parting TO the plant itself las wheat for in
s,ance,) that portion which its sustenance
requires. Thus it is that when mixed
with peat in proper proportions, the heat
Of the unslacked lime operating upon the
vegetable character of the peat, its vitality
is destroyed, and the whole mass becomes
a valuable manure for any kind Of crop.
~ "Leacbed ashes. the refuse Of our ash
cries, is most excellent manure. | re-
greet to notice in many entire neglect Of this
admirable fertilizer Immense heaps Of
them are now layingin different parts Of
our country. unnoticed, except as a nui-
sance. This is great mistake, as Care
full analysis shows large proportion Of
the most necessary ingredients for the pro
duciion Of wheat When came into the
ncishborhood in which live, | found a
great prejudice against the use ofleached
ashes. At an ashery on an djorning farm
large quantity had accumulated. Al
though al the time had no practical ac-
quaintanGc with farming, yet having read
somewhere that ashes were good manure,
] obtained the cheerful consent of the
owner to remove the nuisance. | took for
my experiment an exhausted field Of sew
en- acres, which had yielded, believe, at
its last ploughing. about twelve bushels of
oats Ia the acre. Onthis field hauled and
pIouehel in one hundred loads Of ashes
(About three thousand bushels) at which
all my neighbors laughed and cried the
man is fool. But soon a wonder came
to light, which showed them they were
mistaken; the field was not ruined but
instead thereof. the first crop was about
twenty five bushels Of good wheat to the
acre. The next year ashes rose to twcn-
ty-6vc cents per load. and now cannot be
had at all. the owner preferring to use them
on his own farm. | will be met here by
the objection that every body cannot af
ford to buy lime or lcached ashes. This
is all a mistake; no farm can do well with
out them. and so long as the former can be
had for ten cents per bushcl, and the lat
ter for City cents load, he had better
mortgage his farm than not have them
But every farmer, can at least save his
barn-yard manure, and how shamefully
negligent soa.c people are about this mat
ter. All through our country are to be
found farmers whose barns, opening on
the main road. givecasy access to their cat
tie to 1.-Two there and there they lie sum-
mer and winter. A bundle of straw or
morscl Of hay is thrown out TO them on the
ground. to be eaten or trodden under toot
oil the benefits Of the droppings are lost
the land is impoverished and poor strug
Cling nature calls for help in vain. This
is all wrong. Every particle Of food
ought to be given under cover; every barn.
yard lie carefully beddcd down. Leaves.
Muck. rotten wood, coal. ashes, ought to
he added whenever they can be obtained,
and in the spring the whole mass ought to
be thrown into heaps. that it may fermcnt
and destroy the seeds Of all noxous weeds,
aud then after harvest it may behauled on
your intended wheat fields, to repay YOU
amply in good clean wheat (not turned in
to chess for all your pains and labor.
This has been my practice, and the re-
suit has been that usually put upon my
wheat lands from three hundred to four
hundred two horse loads of well rotted ma
nure."