Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-03-31
H' For .he Telegraph.
common salt as "a Manure.


ance with your request to have my expe-
rience in the use of common salt as fer
tilizer, 1 will give you such as occurs to
me at this time; although it must be quite
imperfect for want of time if not for 9TH
er reasons.
Farmers as a class, or the great mass OF
them, have little, if any, confidence in what
thew call "book farming;' and not without
rood reasons IN most instances, for gener-
ally our writing on agriculture detail long
and minute experiments with this or that
fertilizer, this or that mode of culture or
thing used, as if the mode detailed would
answer all countries, all soils and climates,
without the least reference to the great va
riety of soil and climate that exists in our
coun trv even within the same State, and
in some instances, in the same county.
Sometimes an enterprising farmer seeing |
some of these details and the great ad-
yantapes said to be derived from them,
will try the experiment and find complete
failure; he at once condemns all 'book
farming'' as mere theory, and o. no use to
the practical man, without once rejecting
that the theory as represented may be all
true where twas tried, and untrue under a
different state of things as to soil and CHI
mate. -'
1t is we'll known fact that the use of
plaster and lime only produces marked
! and decided effect when used in what is
| known as limestone districts, where the
; lime rock is predominant, and found on
! the surface of the earth. The two lines
f plaster and common lime act as an imme-
diate fertilizer; producing, in some lnstan-
ces, astonishishing results; but when used
n in country like ours, with such a soil and
4 climate, its effects are scarcely perceptible,
Il and it's benefits remote if any. l imagine
n that all mineral fertilizers of themselves,
n are of but little value. 1t is only when
J applied to soils that contain some substance
IS that is reduced by the application of lime
It plaster, salt, &c, to a state as tit food fol
d the larm crops that may be put upon it tina
~ ~ it's just effects are seen or realized.
" All farm crops do not require the sam
f. kind of fertilizers to produce them to per
IL. HON""NN~S
w. and the grasses, when the climate suit
10 them, all take up and appropriate to them
be selves different mineral substances toun'
w in the earth, and when that material pc
X; culiar to each becomes exhausted, then
I'D I'D is you must supply it by artificial means O
ou cease to produce them. If all farmer
he knew what each farm crop they raise re
IN quired TO produce the most perfect croI
P and what the soil lacked they cultivate
(provided always the climate suited)
he would be an easy matter to produce as
l tonishing results when combined with tf
re- practical knowledge of the most of OF
nd farmers. Hence the great advantage W
as could derive from agricultural schoo
es, where the sciences could be taught in con
'he mon with practical farming. We kno
,eu ,e'a that many attempts have been made
hot found them, and many failures. The eau
,ed l presume is the same as the frequent la
ly, ures of ''book farming lack of pra
Tly tical knowledge in the one, and scientii
~ in the other. Agricultural chemist
up should be taught in all our common schoo
wn in order to reach the great mass OF o
IAN farmers and those that are to becor
,aS nJ such. .,-.......... ....... ....,.
Lth- common si'lC H"'o i'o oo"''
in used to great advantage on the soils a
sh- in the climate of Meigs and adjacent cou
the ties in Ohio, and in Mason and surroun
t1 o"" ing counties in Virginia. l have used
,aa in Kanawha and Fayette counties, Vlrg
ia, with good effect on some crops, a
n of but little if any advantage on others.
that combination with leeched ashes, eq
anu parts, once used it on field of corn
niso the rate of about two tablespoons full
SEES, the hill with but little if any benefit.
ate have frequently used it, and saw 9th
S OF that have used it on grass, and alWf
both -, Jnto1,o tho etfact n,
viii pereeptible; but It's greatest effect Is IN
fod- crops that follow the grass-wheat or &C
'een; If we can grow good grass, we cam
-, ana a turning it under, produce any thing th'
- ~ usually raised in this climate. 80 lar
It ut have used salt as a fertilizer, would
a dry it will pay we'll on all grass lands OF
over wheat at the rate of from two to three bl
t''ali els per acre, sown broad cast early III
> spring, or would prefer it in January
February. 1t should be used with 6
=" caution as to quantity, for little may
much good when large quantity will
n pa stroy all vegetation. 1 we'll recollect
Can va t., -.,,,, wit,
ne he spring. at Naii'a"ii"' "i'e,