The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-08-11
Aarifultural.
Food for Crops.

This is the "grand question" among far
mers at the present day. In new coun-
tries, where the land has not been cuiti-
waited much, little is thought about giving
the crop any food, in order to MAKE II
food for ourselves, but after the best sou
has become exhausted by constant crop
ninc-after the "nes0" is off or rather oa,
the farmer finds, that to make food for
himself he must give food to the plants
lac wishes TO raise
Well, what must it be! To answer it
with perfect sccuracy, you should tirst
know what the soil is 10 ade of-or: in 9th
er words, both should be analysed, and
the ingredients ascertained, both as to
their quantity and quality. But this re-
quires a greater knowledge of practical
chemistry than the majority of the peo-
ple as vet possess, and also more expense
than most farmers are able to meet.
What is the next best thing to be done!
Fortunately the remains of organic bod
les. (by which we mean those bodies both
of animal and vegetable origin, that have
had life and a set of Organs forming
their bodies,) possess most of the ingredi-
eats required fer this purpose. Although
some of the ingredients which make up
the mass of the organic matters may not
be needed in this crop, they will not be
ost and will come in play for some fu-
ture one.
We are aware that there is much said
about specific manure, and this article and
that article is loudly recommended as the
very thing and only thing needed. We
do not undervalue them, at the same time
we caution our readers not to OUer0atue
them. Watch all experiments-use ev-
erything of the specific kind, such as plas-
ter, supcrphosphate of lime, sulphate of
ammonia, guanno, &c, &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 ma
nure made from the remains of organic
bodies the nearest related, that is the
nearest in kind and quality to those which
YOU wish to raise, will make the best ma
nure for them. Return to the soil again
as much of the crop as you can, in order
to make another one.
Nature gives you this advice. How is
1t that yonder forest has kept up for so
many years such heavy crop of wood!
How is it, that for as long as you can re-
member, there has not only been heav-
burthen ofwood on that soil, but it has
been constantly increased in growth! 1t
Is manured every fall as sure as the fall
comes, by thick deposit of leaves, and
twigs and small branches, which the frost
and the winds, and snow break off and
spread around their roots. These leaves
aud twigs are made up out of the mateti-
al, in part drawn from the air, and of the
same kind as the rest of the wood, and
SO they decay and supply food for the
standing, growing wood.
The vine growers in some parts of
France, find the clippings and pruuings
of their vines to be valuable dressing for
their vineyards. The cotton growers Of
the south begin to find that the cotton
seeds and refuse cotton is a valuable
dressing for cotton plants.
Many of our farmers begin to find that
the stalks and huskS of Indian corn,
pIowed under makes a valuable manure
for the corn crop, and that the prunings
of the orchard, Clipped up and applied
10 the trees from which they were taken,
make valuable dressing for the orchard.
i Maine Farmer.