The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-07-19

warm weather, as the cneInlcal ac-
ton is liable to be too rapid, and
steady decay is what is needed.
The larger the mass of manure,
and the higher it is piled, the graetcr
will be the difference in respect to
the stages of decomposition between
the upper and lower layers: the low
er stratum will be unctions, that in
the centre merely mellow, and that
above, altogether strawy. Tuning
over the heap is designed to remedy
this inequality, and mix the manure
thoroughly together. 1t loses III weight
according to the extent OF dcconpo-
sition, and the amount of exposure to
washin rains and atmospheric infuen
ces, without fixing either the car,'onic
acid of ammonia generated in the pro
cess Of decay. In no way can the car
bunic acid in manure lie turned to
better account than by mixing leachcd
or dried ashes witt, it; for its aids pow
crtully to render the before insuluble
silicates of potash and lime which form
the main bulk of ashes, soluble, and
suitable food for cultivated plants
The principal object in rotting dung
and all other orga'iized sub stances
used rs manure, is to increase their So
luhiIity in rain water. 1t is also for
this purpose that bone dus, is treated
with sulphuric acid, 10y which The
soluble superphos;'l,a,c of lime and
gypsum are formed. Instead of com
bining with all the lime in bones, the
suIphnric acid mites with only ab"u,
halt, Of il, while T." pku,, horiy acid
eHnrllcd unite, with the .tnc viii, h AZ
ready has one atom OF rh"S' 'hn,ic acid
to one at Iinc. uiakiug i've Of The acid
t" one OF the base, or BIZ; hos Sph,lc nt
lime, which is soluble sat
The minerals i'm r,A:u,..s have much
influence III regulating thvl: value. 4
Saxon farmer has cXpcrimrntcd oi,
two marsh plants ms fertilizers for ma
ny ycnrs, and unit;rmly found one.
the "recd mace" IL valuable MANURE;
whilst the other, a 'club,ru>h." was
nearly valuciess. Th"ir analyses gave
the fnlo~ing results in one tieusaud
pounds:
or The OF the
Constituents. r ell mace. Cl.h-rust
Organic substances, 050 $50
Nitrogen l!:crc.r. 6 5l.2
Inorganic Substances, 81 %
Potash aeis S,"Ia, lUl 2-3
.uuc AND Manncsa, . l6 4l-2
phospko-rc Acid, 23.4
Silica 4 III
fesc abe." figures present an inter
estis,g S:sdy to the cr,ic;s! ob.;crv, OF
agricultural phenom na. Let the
fact he borrc in mind that the test Of
years IN practical experience, (thc
best ofail 1es,,,) proved the Reed to
he much be ter manure than he
Rush. IS f"',! tor cultivated plants.
the ut'G uaS highly n1lrii:vc, and the
Other about as n"nrsh.l:" a., >L"e.
lcgs fed il plHcr "i oats :, !.
blind h"rrr. Il. 'Jlrn,: u, III. ,:i.l"r.
cncr between i" reed .ni ia il is
next TO :."il.ii4; ~. l., tie lis;a.,t,
IN organic Substances, (rn"h n, nxv-
gen and hydro ~ sufficient /" ac-
count for The widely Uiitcrc.. frr,iliz-
ihs I"'wrr OF the Two pIauts-li' the
reader will compare the nit,cl;,I. or
inorganic substances, il, the above
table, he will find that the Reed con.
taIns sixteen times murc potash and
soda, nearly four times more lime, and
three times more phosphoric acid than
the hush. these are all valuable cl-
cments Of crops; and their compara-
tive abundance in the one liant and
absence in the other, sufficiently ac-
count for their unequal power as fer
tliizers. Facts like the above demon
stratc the practical value of chemical
analysis; for without its assistance, no
man could know that one plant l.,
far richer in phosphoric acid, lime, 20.
tash, nitrogen and soda than another.
Many plants low deemed worthless
will one day be largely grcwn for
making manure, or as food for the
agricultural staples Of the country. The
raw material for the production of
grain, cotton, sugar cane and tobac-
co, can never be accumulated as it
ought 20 be, and in such quantities
as cultivators need, until they see the
Importance of studying the natural e..
ements of fertility in the soil These
are emphatically the only manurcs in
the world. One hundred pounds of
the leaves Of pine trees are worth
twelve times the like weight of pine
wood, because in the leaves which
annually tall to the ground to enrich
it, nature wisely stores up twelve times
rs much Of the elements Of fertility as
are contained in On equal weight of
the body " the tree. The leaves of
all plants form manure, so far as
experience has iai,ly tested their
value: but the benefits that accrue from
any amendment are often greatly
diminished by the bad condition ofthe
tand to which they have been applied.
There are districts in Saxony where
bone.dust produces no observable eff
fccts whatever while guano works ex,
cellently, and where, indeed, the for.