Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-06-14
VOLUME SS,---NUMBER "a.


bles take up from the soil, require always 10 be
dissolved in water. There S no other way In
which they can enter into The plant, and take
part in its organization. The most direct meth.
cd Of feeding plants, therefore. is TO give them
their proper elements in q state Of solution
Manure q soil ever so richly. and the plant gets
40 benefit, until water comes. dissolves a pOr-
ZION Of the manure. and il is absorbed with the
water, by the spOngiOles Of the roots. While
one.tentb Of the msnures in our fields may be
50 dissolved and taken up, the other uine-tenths
either remain undissOlved, or pass of into the
atmosphere, and are blown away by the winds
or infect the air with unhealthy qualities.
TIE METHoD-What is required is TO bring
alternately, liquid manureS, such as the waste
of the barn-yard, fermentpd urine, soap suds,
or any fertilizer whatever, and air. to the roots
Of plants. Mr.. wilkins plan is as follows
He forms an artificial hard PLn, from sixteen
to twenty inches below the surface. This may
be done by laying tiles, or slate, or q concrete
Of lime and gravel, or simply bed Of clay
There is made, say Eve feet vide, with the
sides rising four inches, and the bed may be
of any convenient length, say twenty or thirty
feet or more. 1t should be slightly descend
ing, just enough for the water to run of, at
the lower end. In tray Of this kind, lay say
two rows Of draining tile, or brick, or what
ever will most conveniently make loose drain,
allowing the free passage Of air and water,
and their escape into the surrounding SOIL AT
the upper end, each drain must communicate
BY tube to the surface. AT the lower there
must be the means of drawing of the surpers
Auous water, and at the same time admitting
the air. There should also be an open tube in
the soil at the lower end, to show how high
the soil is saturated by the liquid manure.
The vegetables are to be sown in rows, over
the drain pipes.
The advantage Of this process will readily
be seen by every scientific agriculturist. The
pabulum of the plant is carried just where it is
required, and in any needed quantity. The
surface is not caked and baked hard, as with
: common waterings. There can be no drouth-
drouth being the lack of water to dissolve the
food of the plant, and to carry on its circula
5 ton. The manure, though consisting Of the
Q most offensive substances, is Immediately and
s thoroughly deOdOrized by the soil, and made
: pure and proper food for the plant-much
4 more readily than when masses Of manure are
= in direct contact with the roots.
1t will be obvious to every practical farmer
: and gardener, that this principle admits ofmany
notifications in practice. Where hard clay
pan already exists, i. will only be necessary
to lay a slightly descending drain, of pebbles
or brush, or tile, to let the liquid manures flow
and percolate beneath the roots Of vegetables
The ingenious reader will have no difficulty in
: contriving variety of methods, when the prin'
: cpe is well understood.
A lady, for example, has only to fasten up
with cork, the hole in the bottom other flower
pot; to place in the bottom a layer of two in
ches of coarse gravel, with tube on one sid'
reaching the surface; and then put in the loan
with her seeds, or plants. Then, taking an.
liquid manure, she can pour it into the tube
when it will raise and perform its office. IT.
surplus. after a day or two, can be drawn OF
by removing the cork in the bottom. The tub
J at the surface can be fastened, to prevent th
annoyance OF any odor of ammonia. Air car
be freely admitted to the gravel substratum
y Let us now examine the results Of this meth
cd of culture, and see whether it will pay fol
the trouble and cost; for that, after all, is The
!, most important question.
a Mr.. Wilkins has grown Hemp and Flax, oil
a barren English common, two crops in yea
!. showing that England can be made indepen
;. dent of Russia. He has grown Mangel Wort
"a eel ct the rate Of over SO tons to the acre
# Peas produced eight times the quantity raise
!. Iby the common methods. He cut FIVE crop
a, of grass in one season, of the first years SOW
IL ing, where only one crop grew by the usua
n method of culture. Geraniums, in boxes pre-
pared in this way, lowered continuously, an,
the perfume and beauty Of all plants was great
10 lly increased Some of these results. toe
were obtained from soil, on which nothin
A. could be grown BY ordinary culture. So grea
d was tne improvement in the quality Of roots
9 that the milk of COWS fed on them was in
4 creased fourteen per cent. Celery was ex
ceedingly delicate, as we'll as abundant
,. The rapidity of growth, tits to be noted,
as remarkable as the improvement in quantit.
d and quality. Winter Broccoli, put into th'
ground after fine crop Of potatoes, came Il
e. perfection in six weeks, and was succeed D!
an excellent crop of Savory Cabbages-thre