Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-04-04
LYNCHBURG, MONDAY MORNING. APRIL 4. 1889.
lailp Sirginiau.
From tho Richmond Wing.
AGRICULTURAL,

From tho k'chm"nd wing
AGRICULTURAL,
Mn Enlron We solicit the usc of your col
umns, ns a medium thruuch which Ia address n
communication the Farmers and Planters of Vir-
GINA. We frankly confess the matter treated Of
il not without personal interest vet were we not
sincere in our con, ,tons Of its far greater inter.
est to the public, wc could not bc induced to in
trudc upon Your columns.
1t il estimated ,hat the apriculturnlst. of Vir.
| ginia pay nnuuni.y, from one and u half to two
millions Of dollar, lnr Peruvian Guano alone; and
| this is by no means M cxtrayngnnt cstimatc-
Now it is ccrtai,,, n question Of some interest ns
To whether the surc 'ts in product cannot bc
obtained, md r,t,t.r lrnefi secured to the soil,
| by the use If u, Z. iHcal.cu OF Peruvian Gunnn,
Mt II less cost IL we assert rounlly, that such n
result can be had with nm nrrrrvni, saving of
from fro Lna,irfd 1n1 nm 10 Mr.r asa1,ed Mou-
sds2 daNIyS T. tho farmers of the State we NAV
! run the ri4k of iucurriny riliculc but many
things have been ,ili,uled that hu,c nevertheless
| been fund true L,,nn.ce.
While it j. u iael that Peru, inn Gunno il unri-
vailed in its rcm,rl,,hlc effect, upop crors yrt
| we hi i, raralIc Il n demonstrations based unon
received pru.nlrs il, arrioul,u,al chemistry. Tint
| il hns arErc, which render il lar lc,s ynluuLlc
| than i uoill othrrv iAe be
TIL, ,l,l,, in p,ruyi,n q nnno il not a., p,u,h in
the nh.cner of aIy ,n,nabl, clement. n. in Tho re
la,iye p.oporiinn IL which it, two chief elements
tnmmunia and pbo> nhate Of limcl exist Tint
fertilizer Ines, ufromt shes IA, cad desircI which
oruiu,r, the l,rret i,ld al the lc,at cxncusc
with thr ,rco,rsi l.. , fit 10 tho suil Tho ,rtiG.
zcr tbn does no, in,,,yo thc soil /, rad,,nly do.
rrctiv, b,vcycr yntunule II nuy n,hcrwis, he. us
| n s,imul,nt
Tho snl il III, r,,,. si,,rv IF ,crtn, cc,ocnts of
| fertility which il ul,u, cnn supnly: hence when
dcnri, rl If ,L,., ,l.n,,nts l,r,iIiv j. roue nnd
! cannot Lc rc,tnrnl c>.ept n. returned by direct
| nnpli,,,inu Nov il. c,ery crop of t,hacto corn
| or whoa, tho soil r,,ts with n oiy,u uunutiiy of
! ,hes, clements, which may Ir ard ~ accurately
! knnwn, hrnre il C,llws # =, : ii he cultivated for
n series or,cor. wll,not rc,,a,in,, it, clements Of
| fertility. Ly the nppicn,ion of manure in somc
! form il hrcomes p, l,nustcd md barren. IL fol.
| lows. also. with cauu ccrnin,y that il the app,
cation ma lc is uur,nnl to the loss sustained the
s,il i. unlrrsoin. Gradual process of oxhnustion
there Il, i ,l,,i.rs md c,nclusiy We that improyr-
| mc,t in cnllity ,an only lc effected by un npp-
cation nl IA. re of tho elements than the soil PARTS
| with in the annunl raoiuctinn of crops Hence II
! learned author observes.
| "Thc rriuciul pr, blem in arricu,ture il how
'to re- tore those Substances which cnnnot DO sup
| "rl;.l Ly tho ,,mos,.lrrc lf,hc mnnuresnnlies
an imn.pf,t sntion fertility decreases; if
ION the e,trury m re are given. then fertility in
crcascs
| Cun Peruvian Gu ,uo i,nproye the soil? Wens
| ,ert il r.nn,t milo ,,,,licd in ouuui;,ics which
| a. ,,iH
| lb. nrr ara From such An npplicntion whntey-
| or imurn,rmeut il effected is mn,le nt II useless
| ond cry,.,r,,aui waste IF ammonia Now we pro-
n,,se to s,sinn ur assertion by undeuiuL,e fn,ts.
II is nm incontro,cr,ihlc conclusion founded upon
| uunnswcroilc reasoning and tho dictates of com
| nan scn.c that .,lls cannot be mnd, fertile by
the simpl, orplca,ion Of ammonia ur nitroycnized
manure. II ammonia alone ln applied to n soil
in which the mineral elements urc absent n cereal
| crnn cannot he prnducpd if applied To II soil in
viii IA thcSr elements abound n crop would he
prnlucct. Tut it i. plain, the fertility of the soil
would be greatly ,limini.hed; and if repeated il
would Soo,, become exhausted and barren. Hence
ammonia, To lac ,nhmLle. must be nnplird in com
Linntion with nm n lcouue uunnli,y II the mineral
elements Now IA , question. cnu Peruvian gun
no improyc the soil ran easily be answered by
osc,rtaiin,r thc ouontity of phospbatcs il contains
| in 100 lis pul mparinp it with whnt ouantity
or thc son,c clemet il rcuuircl to produce II given
crop. |, isiut down upon the authority Of Wny,
| LicL;,, B,u..inpnul, and others that 30 bushcl.
Of Whe,, takes rom the soil 60 lbs. IHosphatc ot
| Ljme, Now np,n nke good authority, 100 lbs. Of
Peruvian puonn sunplie. tho soil with % to 80 lbs
onlv nnJ ia 300 u.s. so or GO lbs only. 1t is per.
r,cly oLvi,us tl., au ucrc of land producing from
| 90 to 70 bu.hols .i wheat. TO which had been an
nl;rd 100 ,r 15O or 200 H., Peruvian puano. would
| have pnrtcd with from 10 to % lbs. more Pins
nL,tc Of ju,c ,hnu il had received in the npplra-
ton: hence it would he less fertile thnn before -
These facts doultlc,. account for tho universally
ol.crvcd resnt. that the Weld of grain from Peru.
yian runno is rarely, if ever, so great as ancra-
tel from the growth Now; it is clear, from tho
nl,yc conclusions. that Peruvian gunno, when
| nscJ in ouonti,ies that nroduce and economy will
| ;n.,ify, cannot rermnmently improve soil The
soo,n oh.rryrtions opply with greater force to
"Elilo" Guano, as it contains less Phosphate Of
| lime than Peruvian.
From rho nature and character Of ommon;o II