Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-01-26
From the Pennsylvania Farm 70
MAUURES.

! "AO iai SS'y otVOAtA " eA4N VI
ures and their application and preservation,
and few additional remarks deduced from
experience may not be taken amiss.
The field where the result Of this trial
was derived, contains abou. three acres,
sloping gently towards The south, the soil
consisting Of clay, slate gravel, mixed
with loam-being in high state of cult
vatiUn, well lined, manured and subsoiled,
(by well lining | mean from 1870 to $50
bushels to the acre and even upwards:
have applied 200 bushels to the acre with
the best results)
This lot in 1853 produced over seven
tons of hay at the first cutting in the mid
die Of June. The hay consisted of clover
mixed with timothy. In the fall it was
again moved for clover seed.
1t became desirable to have this lot lay
over another year for grass, though a thing
rarely done by farmers Of this neighbor-
hood they rotate their crops every four
years, for example: lst grass, I'd corn, Sd
oats aud 4th wheat. The manure and
lime are now mainly applied on the corn
lands.
The lot was quite uniform all over in
many respects. In the spring when the
grass was taking start, We applied 200
pounds Peruvian Guano broadcast, previ-
ously mixed with dry alluvium. Now,
honestly, the effect was just nothing at all
| directed the attention of some of my
friends TO it, aud all agreed tba. they
could not see any perceptiblc difference
whatever. 1 have now tried this same
experiment for three successive years Oh
different lots of ground, and with different
parcels of guarO, with the same result.
On corn | have also experimental with.
and even then ii is far inferior TO the
cleanings of the ben-roost | am fully
convinced that its fertilizing properties
have been much exaggerated, and l pre-
sumo especially by those who make it a
business to deal in the article On lands
ike there are in this valley, which in nat
ural fertility have rarely been surpassed,
and besides have been extensively lined
and plastered, guano avails us nothing.
The effects CT guano may be, and no
doubt are, far more perceptible on worn
out lands, but i. is very volatile in its na-
ture, ani l question whether such be rot
the worse for it in yer or two. l am
sure in this, that guano has-probably
from lis vola,izing ptoperties-yolatilized
"rocks" in the pockets Of my honest far
ming neighbors, for which they never got
just equivalent.
If want guano VIC can prepare an ex-
cellent, if not superior, article at home.
and need not send ships to Peru with the
hard earned surplus If the farmer, mainly
for the purpose cf en,iching Sc. Of
SPECTATORS, and as ! have already hiated,
they are the persons who DO no small share
in lauling the fcrtilisiug properties of this
article Farmers, think of thisl Impo-
siiion is detested By us all, and the credu-
Ity of the farmer has been burrowed upon
in no small degree. Why, the farmer has
more means Of making fertilizing materi-
ais than any other class Of men, or at least
sufficient to render fruitful any land that
is arabic Now, if any body possess any
extra philanthropy III this particular, why
rot endeavor - inform the farmer how be
can avail himself Of all these articles by
means Of his own exertic1s. But no, this
would interfere with some Of the renowned
fertilizing wares.
Some few Of the dandy portion Of the
farmers would probably consider it rather
dirty work to make their own guano. &c,
and would object to it on that ground.
There is title something in that. Yet
even those very characters will commit
deeds Of the flthiest and darkest dyes in
point o: moral principle without hesitation.
Dandyism and moral reformation hold
close relationship-the fruit thereof is idle
Iess.
Iii alkalies render the elementary con-
stituents of the soil more soluble and twice
more available for the elimination of plants.
Now guano can do no more. It's virtues
depend mainly upon its ammoniacal gas,
which has an alkaline reaction. Some
maintain that plants will jus. Z" drink MP
this gas. This is az absurd idea. Plants
must digest their aliment as well as AMI
mails, the functions being carried on BY
different set of organs; yet all these func-
tons should be well studied before We can
begin to minister TO their wants to any
advantage.
Asregaris covered or uncovered manurc
banks-when manure is scattered careless
" all over a barnyard of quarter Of an
acre in extent, and thus left exposed to
the rains and SHOWS, it will certainly lose
much Of its fertili.iug property. HoweS-
er, this state Of affairs only indicates the
home of very careless manager.
.All this writer's remarks are to he received