Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-08-09
agriGultural.
THE USE OF SALT AS A FERTILIZER.


A correspondent of the Maine Farmer gives
the following experiments in the use of SALT
Two bushels per acre has been generally con-
sdered safe dose
In the first place will give the old English
method of using salt when they put their land
down to grass, and then my own experiments
for the last thirty years; then | will bring for
ward Witness whose evidence will have great
weight in substantiatng the fact of the great
benefit derived from the use of salt as fertilizer.
When | was quite young took up an old
pamphlet, and, in looking it over noticed that
it gave an account of the old English method of
laying their ground down to grass, and, among
many other things the writer made this state
ment, viz:-That the farmers of England plow
ed or narrowed in seven bushels of salt to tho
acre, and the result was-they got heavy crop
of hay for ten years.
My first farm consisted of only one acre. This
land had been plowed and planted quite num-
Der of years. Iplanted potatoes the first year,
and got but a small crop of small scnrvy ones,
very similar to those raised in chip muck. The
next year planted potatoes again, on the same
the ground up, dropped handful of Liver
pool salt on the top of each hill, being careful
not to drop the salt on the stalks or tops if any
were above ground When these potatoes were
harvested we found them a good size, very nice,
smooth and clean. Since we have been toubled
so much with the potatoe rot have planted my
potatoes on dry ground, and have used salt in
the way described above to good advantage, and
from long experience, am satisfied that it is a
great preventive of the rot.
Since living in Readfed 1 broke up field
having a swae about one rod wide, running
across one corner. l planted potatoes on both
sides of this swale on one side | put manure in
the hill and on the other side, put in rock salt.
When we harvested them we found those where
the manure was put, two-thirds rotten, and
where. the salt was put, perfectly sound, smooth
and clean, and there never was the least appear
ance of rot about them, although they were the
long reds IA kind that is very apt to rot
Three years ago broke up two-thirtls Of an
ARE of poor land, ID not having any common
stable manure to put on it, l sowed on latter
narrowing over once,) eight bushels of salt, and
then narrowed it in and planted potatoes and
peas. They came up as strong and grew as
rank as they would have done had there been a
heavy coat Of dressing plowed in.
have used salt, occasionally, for many years
on my corn, putting it on the hill before hoeing,
as we do ashes. A few years since planted /.
piece of corn of about one acre. On one-thirtl
put ashes, one-third plaster and on the other
third salt When the cornstalk was fully grown
took friend into the field and, viewing the
corn at distance, (my friend not knowing of
my experiments,) l asked him what part of that
field he thought looked the best, and he imnc-
diately pointed to that part where the salt was
put on. The salt wassput on to the poorest part
of the ground. From experiments | am fully
satisfied thatrit is not good policy to put salt in
the hill, either by itselfor mixed with composts,
it being too strong for the young roots.
Owing to my limited means / have not been
enabled to make a thorough experiment with
salt in laying my ground down to grass, but /
will here Introduce witness, whose unwilling
testimony will have great weight:
1t is well known by every man in the vicni-
ty of Readfeld Corner, that one of our merchants
or traders, more properly speaking, almost in
varlably cuts very heavy crop of hay, and
generally two crops each season. A few years
since went to this trader to get some salt to
put on my corn. He wanted to know what use
was going to put it to )? l told him that |
was going to put it on my land. Says he, it
~ont do any good aciW a2 l told him that
thought it would, and then l gave him an ac-
count of the English method of using salt, Ito
which | referred above.) lie answered me in
these words, viz :-"That Is the re,yseecret achy
get so much hay" And then he told me how
ue uSe4 IL. LIZ odiu tuat ne put OH SIX bushels
to the acre, and narrowed it in before sowing
his grain and grass seed.
There is one peculiar feature in the effects of
salt when put into the ground, it serves to make
the ground very light and mellow. | have no.
ticed when l put salt in the hill, that it would
pulverize the ground through to the top, and
thought at first, it was the work of the ants but
found, on examination, it was caused by the salt
| have given these different experiments to
show the many ways that salt can be used, and
if you think any of them are worth anything
you can use them as it seemeth good.
SToRER PIERCE.
aES@Ihc higher we rise in the sphere of ideas
the more lonely we get in our intellectual affinj