Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-05-13
From b. C.nnlr, l.rnlIen,n.
Effect OF Bones and Other Manures on
Plants.

THAT certain mlnurcs produce very
powerful eir,c,, on tho growth Of particular
plants, was an early remark Of the cul,va.
tors Of I'll, sou" A article e1emplifying
,hi, statement, by {. W johnson, Esq,
appears in tho MArk.L'nc Express, from
which we propose to cond,nso a few para.
graphs for our readers.
Phosphate ol lime promotes in a remark.
able degrees the growth Of clover. An in-
stance showing this i'rela,cd by Mr.. Dixon
IN hi. prirs e'.iy on the Manuring Of Grass
Lani. \ pasture Of - acres was heavily
dressed with broken bone, nearly 20 years
aso, and kept IN grl" vithou, plowins.
The dry portions Of the ii,ld were rcmarka.
bly, fertile, bat such parts OF the ground As
wero wet, had scarcely any other covering
than carc1 and the coirsss! grasses. Mr..
d. on becoming tenant, Sc, about draining
the wet parts In regard 10 this he says
"ln ihi. operation we found at from five
TO eight inches from the surface, much bone.
in various states of Decomposition the
large pieces, when brokef, appeared fresh
inside. tel, a, tho time some regret ,ha,
much value must have been los, for many
years. and. a. then supposed. forever lost,
on account Of the manure having been in
soil saturated with water ever since il had
been laid on. However, before my drain.
ing operation had been completed twelve
months. the coarse herblro began TO disap-
pear. and m il. place appeared white elO-
yer, mari clover. aud other, Of the best pas.
iure grasses; and, in the second summer AZ
ter being drained. the soil was equally lux.
uriant with the naturally dry parts Of the
land.
Of another case !, is said
previous TO boning. the heritage on
these pastures was OF the poorest kind i'm
arinable-there being few Of any plants e1.
cep, the small carex. In the second sum
msr alter boning. the eareI had disappear
ed, and the pasture had become long and
thick-set with white clover, COW grass, or
mari clover. and trefOil."
Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert, in the las.
half.volume of the Journal Of Royal Agl.
Society, report a course Of experiments with
different manures in permanent grass land.
They sum up the result as follows:
THAT the ehec, Of mixed, but purely
mineral manure upon the complex heritage
Of permanent meadow land was chiefly TO
develops the growth Of the legumInous plants
Cclovers, &c. J it contained. and scarcely to
increase at all the produce Of the sram:na.
ccous plants. or commonly called natural
grasses. That the action Of purely nitro
ecnous manurcs upon the permanent mead
ow. was to discourage the growth Of tho
leguminous heritage. aud to increase the
produce Of the graminaceous hay.
That peculiarly earbonaceous manures had
little or no beneficial effect on the amount
Of produce Of the hay"
We may see a, home the change in vegc-
ta,ion produced either by breaking up, or
clearing land, by burning of the turf OF
mueky swamps. ETC.. and sometimes hy
turning up lower strata Of earth by deep
blowing. Forests burned over. send up
thick growth Of 6re.wecd, followed soon by
brambles Of different kinds; roplars follow
the burning of Of swamp lands, and differ.
ent kinds OF trees and plants are often in
trOdseed by occurrences which bring their
appropriate food before them. They are not
spontaneously" generated, bat grow from
seeds lying dormant in the soil, or carried
there by the wind, birds, or animals, and
the subject is worthy Of closer investi-
CATION, but We can devote no more space to
il to-day.