Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-01-20
Aerilnltural.
From the Plow,
From the Pow,
Chemistry for Farmers Boys:
As taught an the Royal Agricultural COL
icge, Cirencester, EagIand.


hge, Cirencester, England.
Men, as well as boys, can study the following
instructive article with profit. 1t contains a
world of information. Ed,
l. What inorganic matters enter into
The composition Of the ashes of our cult
'ated plants?
2. Mention the general character of stiff
clay soils, and describe the means of i'm
proving them!
3. Under what circumstances is pairing
and burning likely to be attended with good
results, and in what cases will it do harm
instead of good?
A. What changes does larm-yard manure
undergo in keeping?
s. Mention some of the principles which
ought to guide the farmer in the manage
meut of home made manure
g. What are the best means of prevent
ing the loss of ammonia in dung-heapsl
7. On what constituents Of artificial ma.
nnres do their ferlilizng and commercial
value depend?
8. What are the adulterations more gen.
orally occurring in Peruvian Guano, and
how can they be detected!
ANSWERS.
l. The inorganic matters found in plants
are the following: potash, soda, SILICA
acid, lime, sulphuric acid. (manganese &C.
ours in bark Of trees,) carbonic acid. iron,
chlorine. phosphoric acid.
2. Any soil containing more than 81 per
cent. Of alumnia, is called clay. They
are tenacious, cold and wet, naturally and
usually unferlile F.: but by improvements
yield continuous return of considerable
value, and possess less tendency to ex.
haustion than any other kind of SOIL The
other general characters will be touched
upon in speaking of the improvements,
which are the folIowing-dran ng, subsoi'-
lug, burning, lining, mixing, blowing,
rough digging, following, and long dung.
Draining stands first: this arises from the
natural character of the soil : it is stiff, i'm
pelvious, and possessed of great powers of
retaining moisture. By draining. the ex-
cess of moisture which naturally accumu-
Ia,es in the subsoiI is drawn away, and the
air naturally follows the water; cracks and
6ssures are formed, the carbonic acid of the
water aud air, It's oxygen, and all climatal
influences are thus brought into play. The
soil is thus rendered friabe, its chemical
constituents become altered and broken
down, forming new compounds servlceabe
for plants; their roots strike deeper into
the soil in search of food, and fertility is
brought about aud developed Sometimes,
too, matters of deIeierious character are
removed by drains, and the clay, by having
its water removed, has tedency to absorb
gases Suboiling has generally had re-
course to where the subs i! differs in char
acter to the clay, and. even, if not, does
good by causing an extra amoun' of expo
sure of the SOIL to the atmospheric infuen-
ces Burning acts by altering the physical
character of the clay by libera,lug potash
aud causing tendency to greater absorp
ton Of ammonia. Lining alters III! soil
| physically, and assists after burning 10 lib
Grating the potash. Mixing may create
physical change. aud at the same time The
substances applied may itscif possesses sfu'
stances useful as food for plants. Flowing
acts by exposing the soil to The atmospheric
Influences, rough digging similarly; faIIow-
ing, in extended degree, by both it also
destroys weeds, insects, &c. Long dung
renders clay porous, admits air, frost, &c,
into clay soils.
3. Pairing and burning are attended with
good results when combinations of potash
exist in the soil, as with silica, erc., where
organic matters are in excess, as peaty soil
when they after its physical character; and
when the soil is especially foul and overrun
by insects If the soil be light sand in
stead of clay, if it he clean, if soil does
not require any physical change so as to
tighten II, 1t no potash combinations occur,
1t 1t be deficient in vegetable matter, then
burning and pairing are moi good
A. Farm-yard manure, by keeping, putri.
hes; sulphate of ammonia and ammonia are
driven Off; potash is carried away by the
drainage, which is generally imperfect the
organic matter is reduced; carbonic acid
and phosphure'ted hydrogen are given off,
and the mineral matter is more concenra.
ted. 1t was considered by LIEBIG that well
rot'ed manure owed its extra :erlllizing ef
lects to this excess of mineral matters.-a
matter doubted by some. The remaining
matters are more soluble.
S. The principle ought to be kept up in
all feriillzng substances, to procure the
manure IN the most concentrated form (un
less required for clay. or where mechan
action is required, and as free Of water a:
possible, and by compression to exclude thu
air. By box-feedng, compression, exclusion
Of the air, keeping ont rain, keeping ur
regular fermentation, prevention of sweep
ing winds, no less by liquid matters howin!
away ct alkalles. ETC., and more intmat,
mixture "fihe dung and urine with the straw
takes place. When the manure is produced
the heap should be made arge-wide at tn,
base and narrow at the top; it should b,
compressed, drainage furnished a, the base
the liquid collected in a tank, and enhe
used as such or again pumped up over tn
heap The preserving Of ammonia will b.
, touched upon in the mex, question
6. Common methods of REFINING ammo
MIA: LIST, Road scrapings, charcoal, ella
burnt, clay unburnt sawdust, and peat sol
These act by their powers of absorbing am
monla. by keeping out rain and air, am
keeping up regular fermentation. I'd, SUI
pha'e of iron, suphate Of magnesia, .u
phaIe of lime. cloride of sodium Suphate c
iron acts as fixer by free suIphae of am
, mona, and as dedorser by forming su
phnret of iron with the snlphureted hpdrc
gen given off. SuIpha,e of magnesia &C,
: by forming double salt of magnesia an
. ammonia, and by uniting with phosphori
acid. Snlpha,c of lime is considered I
form suIphate of ammonia and carbonate {
lime 1t only does this when soluble, I
which state it is not easily reduced. and RI