Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-04-29
agirultural.
HINTS FOR APRIL.

April is an important month TO the far
msr. In large sections Of our extended
country the planting Of corn and cotton
will be completed this month, and in
every part blowing and seeding will be
performed. On thousands Of farms, some |
fields will be troubled with an excess Of
water in the soil, and need at least surface
draining. We can not too earnestly urge |
attention 10 this subject; for TO SOW or
plant, or even to plow, land that is too
wet, involves a prodigious loss which
ought to be avoided. Earth saturated
with slagnsnt water can never develop
fertility, or The henllhful giowth Of asri>
cultural plants. Ii is in vain that the
farmer cultvates u soil from which the
air 10 nearly excluded, because the earth
does not break up into an open, friable,
pulverized mass. Ii is true that sandy
and gravelly soils are sometimes too
porous-presens too large spaces between
the PARTICLES of solid matter, To such,
the application Of good clay as atop dres-
sing, especially where land is valuable
and crops most remunerative, pays well,
as il gives body and strength 70 the sraled
ground.
The difference between TILED and un-
titled ground is not sufficiently sudied.-l
Men plow. harrow, roll andhos the earlh's
surface. wihou. asking themselves why
they do so. A physical change in the
soil is sought and accomplished; but
what constitutes the perfection Of that
desirable change! Who has ms stored
the deep philosophy of iilage, whether
shallow or otherwise Of ull the books
aud journals that have treated on this SUBJ
il is difficult to find one the writer Of
which appears to comprehend the con-
densing power of first rate soil after il
has been wisely titled. A heap OF finely
pulverized charcoal has been known so to
condense atmospheric air within its pores
ss to DO set on fire by the evolution OF
latent heat in the before rare6ed air,
rendered sensible and active by merchan-
ical compression within the innumerable
pores Of the coal. The extreme porosty
which distinguishes the best loans. per-
fee.ly commnu,ed by the implements Of
tillage, compels The oxygen, carbonic acid
and nitrogen of the atmosphere, 10 (eeun.
dale the earth in a remarkable degree.
Blu: it The pow, culliva.or. harrow, hoe
and roller do their work badly in the
spring, either from carelessness or welness
Of soil, the latent resources Of nature are
not reached by the farmers crops for that
year. He will lose full twenty-five per
cent. of his labor, and of the fair return
for the use of his land.
One Can improve soil which is defec
tive from an excess of open gravel, or pc
rous sand, much easier by the addition Of
clay, than he can remove he compaclness
and imperviousness of hard clay by the
application of sand. TO get air into clay
land, and make it break up kindly when
plewed, there is nothing better. if so good
as under.d draining. Wherever water pas
ses through the surface and subsoil into @
flowing outlet, atmospheric air follows it
and creates The earth. This imporan
fact is too little considered by farmers
hence the eye OF science sees great dea
of land powed in the spring before it il
Fl: 10 plow. Earth saturated with unmov
ing water excludes air about as effectiveI,
az would solid cannon ball made Of rol
or lead.
From these hints on drainage, tilIag
and areation, we pass TO the onsideratinl
Of manure-lhe food Of plants. Many
feed their horses, cattle, sheep and hog
in a wasteful, slovenly manner: but lh
loss from this carelessness is small il
comparison with that attending the waste
full application of mansre. A prominen
defect arises from the assumption that on
knows the relative value of fresh an
rotten manure and also the real virtue Q
different fertilizers, no matter whetbe
formed exclusively of wheat, rye, oas 0
buckwheat straw, of corn stalks, leave
and husks, timothy or clover hay, pe
vines, grain or roots. We hope not
give offence when it is intimated that tn
exact Du,riiye properties Of the variou
kinds of aliment consumed by ugricul,u
raj plants have not been investigated a
they ought to be. We have often see
industrious farmers hauling street dirt
and other worthless trash gathered up i
cities, six or seven miles into the coulr
for manure, that was not worth ten CEN
a load; for what was not clay and san,
was substantially wood and water. Sue
men never sit down of an evening, take
q volume of the Genesee Farmer in han
and study out the true reason why to
Of guano is worth fifty dollars for feedir
TO ones growing crops, while ton
common barn yard manure is worth onI
one -tiflelh part Of that sum. Ii is n
enough 10 know that he bird dung col
tains fifty times more ammonia or nitrog,
than the dung of straw.fed cattle, aI,houe
clear understa ndng of this fact is ce
,ainly worth not little to the practic
husbandman. 1t suggests to him at on,
the propriety of cultivating pretty large
such plants as will yield manure rich
nitrogen or ammonia.
s.- A thousand pounds of wheat or r.
straw contains not exceed lour pounds
nitrogen. while the same weigh. of cov
hay contains "a pounds. Peas, bea
and cabbage are still richer in the me
valuable elements in guano. The wise al
economical production and consumpti
Of manure constitute the back bone
scientifc agricul, IRE.