Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-15

cessIul cultlVators. The condition of {
e. SOIL and the tendency of the times are such
t. oeinahd that those who are to have the ca
10 OF IT, shall be Instructed and intelligent. al
u u then no change the future has in ste
l. threatens evil or counsels Encouragement
u ior TO such an one, every advance in ii
e mastery of Nature by Man, is person
o 'fiump h-a promise that the nature of o,
i SOIL Shall be fully understood, and that
o needs and wants shall be understanding
T. applied. But lei us notice what science +,
Q already revealed to us in relation to this On
g ployment. " '''' y"
Ihls soil, which our fathers and onrselv,
: nave TILTED for the last three-fourths of
century, from which we have obtained on
: llVlng' and upon which we have seen tn
waving grass, the luxuriant grain. and tn
: soiuea corn, we have been accustomed to re-
eard as little else than dirt; but science re
neals to us that it is composed of as MANY a
cnirteeh Inherent elements that rich an,
ieftile SOIL, such as our fathers found here. i
,.sa one tenth part organic matter; blu
n''le over one-half was sand, over one
twentieth part was lime, two parts in thou
saul potash four parts in thousand soda
-FOUR parts In a thousand phosphoric acid anc
ior'y parts IN thousand carbonic acid, and
so on. 1t further reveals that. in our best
SOILS, the organic matter has been reduced
one-haif, the sand very much increased, the
potash, the soda, and the chlorine so exhaust
ca that there is but trace of them left
the phosphorlc acid has been reduced from
loor parts to one, and the carbonic acid from
forty to four, and SO on with the rest.
by understanding the nature of the DIFF
lerent crops raised, VIC lear. that each one Of
'hese thirteen different elements must exist in
the soil, In available condition, in order that
we may get good return for our labor For
instance, IN very fertile soil the phsophoric
ACID Is but two or three parts in thousand
YET SO essential is this element to the growth
OF vegetation, that if this small quantity
even be removed, the remaining soil becomes
useless and although we return as much
llme' soda, potash, or organic matter as we
please, they will not secure us crop 81
nothing short of some fertilizer containing
Phosphoric acid or phosphorus, will answer
the purpose. The same remarks are equally
applicable TO deficiency of lime, potash,
soda Or CHI lorine- By Analysing the ash of
wheat, 1t is determined that twenty bushels
OF wheat contain twelve pounds of phosphor-
&c acid. Now when we recollect that there
IS put small quantity of this acid in the
soil, in the first place, need we wonder that
IT becomes so far reduced as not to be avail.
aole, II we crop without return The straw
OF our hay and grain crops contains large
amount OF potash, lime and SILICA, Nearly
an al eighth part of them is potash, and large
traction lime :--recollecting that there is but
a small amount of either of these ia the soil,
1t ceases to be matter of surprise that we
cannot raise hay and grain without faithful.
ly returning the elements exhausted. Tn the
same manner it might be shoAn that almost
every Ingredient of the soil could be exhaust
ed by continual cropping.
But to be told by science that our lands
are poor, weak and exhausted. that the
phosphorlc acid has been carried to Trov in
Lhe many loads of wheat that have gone to
'lat place, that the potash has been exhaust. /
10 oy raising potatoes, and ground up over in +
yender factory, that the different elements of Y
ne soil have been well nigh exhausted by f
,fopplng without return, and then to be told u
nat this state of affairs must continue to o
srow worse, would not be welcome news 4
out science tells us nothing of the kind It a
ellis us that the dried leaf, the tiny twig, Y
ND the towering forest tree, decayed and f
eturned to earth, and the fertile SOIL our c
athers found thus accumulated. 1t informs y
$ that if the products of earth be passed o,
through the digestive process, even though tt
hey may fatien the cattle that feed upon W
1ousand hills, and then be returned to the
Oil Without further loss, they will inc. ease -,
5 fertility much faster than did the dried h.
vat and tiny taig. So then, if farm be- IN
'me exhausted, it is because it has not been =. Il;
'llliully managed. If vegetation alone NJ NJ
'uld exhaust the soil, our forest lands would f.
'on become sterile, and the whole earth lose n
fertility. All cases of exhaustion are re. l.
lltant IRON loss and this loss generally Of
Uses from mismanagement of manures W.
ere there may be an immense loss, all i'm br
'rcept'ble to those who have never given IA
is subject any serious attention.
Nearly all Of us leave our fertilizers ex.
'sed to the rains and the SHOWS, the wind Ia
ID the sun, and by tn Sc means, large ia
lantities of the inorganic and solua BILE ma y
rails are lost, leaving us to be content with 'uhl
dried husks. BY thus permitting our ' 'u
ftllzers to lie exposed to the thievish ele- e., e..
ents, large per cent of their potash lime ~. ~,
lorlne, n'agnesia phosphoric acid &C., are U W.,
'len from U.S. and in this way large frac- ~ ~
m of the solid portion of our fertilizers is s ,b'
IT.. Science further informs US that the a sp|
una portion is nearly as valuable as the H.
ld' this is nearly all lost to us. Nor is a aa
IS all, Many of us leave our manures ex. ~"
Sed for year in our yards and think that ~" lUI
raise better crops by thus letting them lie GU e.n
decompose. This probably is true; , tto
large quantities of the different gases o oII
food OF the plant-have been set free, e'''
! escaped during this decomposition W.
hers, who suppose they save all their fer ' wa
zers, carry them to the field in an un com. NV
'ted state, and cover them with plow.- p poO
ere they are left to decompose, and the pon
ed gases to mix with the soil, and afford p ~;
for the plant. think there is '", S
OF lection to this method: Spread over the y }'n
In sparse state, there can be but feeble l. ""
and OF course, less nourish- 10 =
Mt generated by the process. Besides H.,
lied in this manner, they are not prepared t "a
afford nourlshment to the plants as early - 10" :,
1t is needed. And assuredly, in our short ,nn
sons, there is no time that eau be well lua
red. Both thus sustain loss. When ~ ~.
nee has fully instructed us, we shall w.
more think of using our manures in their r r%
ural states, or leaving them exposed for 49, 49,
cnuSidnra bio lnnrth eli t.x,,a - - OAo