Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-08-20
1851

OF the lbs of alkaline sails contained in 100 lbs OF
guano about lbs may be considered liberal estimate
Of the quantity Of potash and soda that would be II lbs
of these akaes put the land in application OF 2oO
pounds of guano But our crop of wheat, as we have
seen takes from the land 80 lbs leaving the OF land
with 90 lbs less of these important akaes than before
II was cropped Notwithstanding the liberal application OF
ouano AS previously remarked, these alkales exist in
comparatively very small quantities in the SOIL and yet
they are indispensable to the growth OF wheat and every
other crop Now in commonsense view OF the subject,
what will be the consequence of continued cropping and
dressing the ground at this rate with guanof 1t must
intimately exhaust the soil Of these elements and the
larger the crops the more rapidly will these elements be-
come exhausted and then the lands will become again
% worn ont /" and less reclaimable than
have confined my remarks to these two alkalies The
same will apply every other inorganic element, which
is more abundant in crop that is removed than in the
manure that is applied to the land.
Potash exists in nearly all rocks honey in flowers
but we are dependant upon plants to gather the
as on bees gather the other Important as this aka
is and varied as its to man, dependant
Ar our supply wholly upon the vegetable world SO with
some other inorganic constituents of plants Hence it is
that CROP hay straw &C., decaying land renders
the soil productive, because the growing plant has
not only the inorganic material which it derives immed
atey from the rocks &C. in the SOIL but it has those also
already elaborated for it by the preceding crop, which is
now decomposng In this way lands to which the yege
table matter that grows them is returned become
continually moro fertile, not by the addition Of any
new material to the SOIL but by those in the soil being
by each crop during its growth elaborated and rendered
more available 10 the one that succeeds II.
wish to be understood am greatly in favor OF the
use Of guano. regard its discovery great blessing
to the present generaon Of the good gifts Of be-
nevoent Providence But wish not to turn this bless
ing into curse by using il means Of eThdusg our
lands instead Of improving them There need De no e.
hdustion deterioration All that is needed to maintain
and increase their fertility is regard properly ou
home to return the inorganic materials contained
in the hay, straw, &c. back again the land when
cattle fatted your lands sent to cities, bring the
bones their equivalent back they not needed there
And devise have the animal matter In the
cities which Is nuisance there returned again to your
fields whence it was withdrawn OF the growth OF the
SOIL every portion that is consumed by animals man IN
cuded again quickly parted with and may and ought
to be returned to the lands except what little is retained
for Few years. constituting the bodily system which al
in short time returns to the earth and thus restores
back all The borrowed clements. An animal fully grown
gives off rs much rs II consumes.
What is needed IS that oil this waste animal matter
after having performed its varied and important funo-
ons, be returned to the soil whence il was derived Till
this is systematically done soils must necessarily dee-
riorate. Many of those lands which by the application
OF two hundred pounds Of to the acre are
ducng such fine crops WILL with the present system oil
sending the produce to the cities in wheat corn cattle
Sc, without returning equivalent in inorganic mate
rias In few years be again "worn out and then bt
harder to resuscitate than If shall only be sue
cessul in awakening your attention TO this subject
that degree which its importance demands, shall fee
myself well recompensed for the e1ertion am making
by rocks is meant stones, however large or small.
j See appendix.