American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-16
.afillfrs' department.
Renovation of Soils.


minute division, by continual tiilage,
and the concurrent action of salts,
manures, and frost, this division may
become so extreme, that at length a
soil may be reduced to a fine powder
or dust; in which state it WILDE des-
titute of substance, and cease to be
productive; the rain falling upon it
-vilI convert it into mere mire or mud;
and this being hardened by the heat
of the sun, the air will be excluded,
and the roots of plants will be wholly
unable to fulfil their functions. "All
these Soils (for instance, where 45
parts of 100 are clay) "are unprodue-
tive, and become adhesive and clam
my when wet; the waiter which stands
upon them is uniformly turbid and
whitish, and particularly SO when it
is agitated by wind; the effecto heat
is to contract and crack their surface,
to make it hard, and renderit impen-
etrable to the plough; nor can they
be made to any considerable extent
productive, but by the liberal appli-
cation of coarse undecomposed ma
nures, and especially by ploughing in
crops of buckwheat when in flower. "
It is not my purpose to discuss the
question of renovating soils, for it
has often been ably treated, but to
state the result of an experiment in
wheat culture, on soil approxima-
ting the above description, quoted
from the sterling work of Chaptal, on
Agricultural Chemistry. The soil
was rather stiff clay, and having
been some thirty-ive years in arabic
condition, and for much Of the for
mer part of this time very productive
of wheat, it had been, for want of a
knowledge of the benefits of the ''ro-
tation system, sadly abused. In 1888
it was summer fallowed, having laid
the four years previous to sheep pas
ture, but the crop of wheat which fol-
lowed was very ordinary, not yieldire
ten bushels to the acre; which ippaft
arose from the adhesive and viammy
nature of the soil, causirs the frost
TO have very cons;erable proper
tion of the plant on the surface to
nerisb This IS we'll known to be a
yerv com,.5n occurrence, in our eli
mate. ith heavy clay lands, if SOW
e1 ste; but this was not the fact in
Sac last particular, and the growth in
the fall was beyond anaverage. Af-
ter the crop was harvested, | obser-
we'd on all parts of the field, numer-
Gus cracks on the surface, to much
greater extent than isusual with SINH
lar soils. l contemplated giving the
field heavy manuring the following
season, and plant with corn; but SUBJ
sequently changed my plan, having
resolved to adopt the course recon-
mended as above, by Chaptal. I con-
sequently applied about twenty-five
large cart loads of coarse, unfermen-
ted manure, drawn from my sheep
barns, to the acre, which was spread
no faster than the ploughs would COW
er. The plants in the fall, assumed
so dark a green, that | was a little
apprehensive of the usual rank growth
before harvest, which almost inyaria-
bly, follows the direct application of
manure to the wheat crop, as well as
large disproportions of straw to the
berry. But, doubtless owing to the
great poverty of the soil these results
did not follow. The field averaged
over twenty bushels to the acre, which
is about the average production of
well TILED fallow land, sown timely,
and in favorable seasons, in this i'm
mediate quarter. The coarse manure
had evidently affected material modi-
fication of the soil, few cracks were
distinguishable on the surface, after
harvest, showing most clearly, that it
was more friable. 1t is year ago
last spring since the grass seed was
sown upon it, and more luxuriant
covering of clover, I averarely seen
than the field now presents; which is
another proof of some renovation of
the soil, otherwise, very much of the
clover would have been thrown out by
the frost of last spring. 1t is my
present impression, that if this field is
permitted to rest for two years longer
and then sowed with buckwheat, and
.plowed under when in blow, prepara-
tory to wheat, in consideration of
what has already been done, its orr
ginal fertility will be nearly restored,
and in some measure the adhesive
clammy texture of the soil destroyed.
But while on this subject, / beg leave
to enter a protest against applying
manure-except compast--directly to |
the wheat crop; unless, as in the
above case, when the soil is rendered
quite unproductive, by long and "skin-
ming management, before agricultu-
raj periodicals taught us better. You
u permit me to quote your remarks,
alemen on this point, for am
quite sure they cannot be kept too
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