Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-09-01
Agricultural.
Food for Crops.

THIS is the "grand QUESTION" among
farmers at the present day In new conn
tries. where the land has not been cdllva-
ed much, lutte is thought about giving the
crop any food. in order to make 1t into hood
for ourselves, bat after the sull has become
exhausted by Constant cropplng-ster the
"ntW' is of, or rather cut, the farmer knds
that to make food for himself. he mus, give
fo'd to the plants he wishes tn ruIsc.
Well, what mus, bel TO answer i,
with perfect accuracy, you should first know
VIVA, the soil is made of, and then what the
plant Is made uf-or, IN other words, Both
should he analyzed aud the ingredients as.
ceriamed, both as their quality and quln
tity Blu, this requires "A greater kn"Wed 4e
of practical chemistry than the ainrty If
the people as yet possess, and also more ex
pense than N 81 farmers are able tn meet.
What Is the next best thug To De done (
Fortunately the remains ul organic bodies
(hy winch we mean those bndres bosh Of
aiitnaI and vegetable origin, that have had
IIe aud set If organs forming their bod
les } possess mos, Of the ingredients req IT.
ed Ior Tins purpose. Although some of
these ingredients wh,ch make I'D the mass
of organic maunres may not tie needed 10
tins crop, they will not be lost, and viii!
come IN play for some future one.
We are aware that there IS much said
abnu, specific manure, and this article and
that article is loudly recommended as the
very thing aud The only thing needed We
do no, undervaIue them, and at The same
time we would caution oar readers no, to
overvaIue the H. Watch all experiments
Use everything of the specific kind, such as
plaster, super-phosphate o! lime, suIphale Of
ammonia, guano. &c, as you know will be
beneficial but at The same time don't give
up your manure heap
As a general rule, the remains Of manure
made from the reIna!ns of organic bodies
the nearest related, that is the nearest il
kind and qnauy To those you Wish to raise
will make The best Maaure for them. Re
'urn To the SOL again, as much OF the SAINT
crop as you can, ia order to nake ano,he,
one.
Nature gives you this advice. How is i
that yonder forest has kept up Cor so man,
years snch heavy crop OF woodt How il
1t, that Tor as long as you can remember
there has not anv been heavy burden OF
wood On that SOIL but it has beeu constant
ly Increasing IN growth? IL is .nanuret
every fall, as sure ao The tall comes, by
thick deposit of leaves, twigs and slnal
branches, which the trosls, aud the wind
and snow break IF and spread around Their
roots. These leaves and twigs are mad,
up of a material, in par! drawn from tn,
soil, aud in part drawn from the air, and {,
the same kind as the rest of the wood anc
so they decay and supply food for the stand
ing, growing wood
The vine growers in some parts of France
find the clippingsand prunings of their vine
to be valuable dressing for their vine
yards. The cotton growers of the soutI
begin to find that the Cotton seeds and rel
use cotton is a valuable dressing for cottol
plants
Many of our farmers begin to find tina
the stalks and husks of Indian corn, powe,
under makes a valuable manure for corr
crops, aud that the prunlngs of the orchar,
clipped up, and applied 10 the trees from
which they were taken, make valuable
dressing for the orchard Maine Farmer.