Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-08-22
Agricultural.
Experiments with Salt as Fertilizer.

Editors Country Gentlemen :--Agreeably to
your request VIC send you an account of our ex-
perimsnts In the use Of salt as a manure
Oar farm is situated geologicslly on the up
per measures of the Hamilton group of shaes,
probably tins below where the fully lime
stone marks tho dividing line between the Ham
ilton group and the Genesee slate. The Tuly
limestone is not found in place on our ridge,
and Mr.. Geddes supposes that the lime, at the
time OF its deposit was absorbed in the clay
slate, and in support of this theory is the fact
that all Of the spring water is hard, and some
OF the layers in our quarries are very hard and
of bright blue color.
Oar soil is composed principally of this rock,
in thoroughly dsintegrated state, mixed with
very little DRIFT deposit, and forms what is
considered in this region clayey loan. The
fields are well drained, but not what is usually
termed thorough-drained.
Our farming operations are governed some
what by the altitude OF our situation, which we
suppose to be about | $50 feet above tide
Pompey Hill, about two aud half miles south
Of Us, being ,743 IL feet Great portions Of
the farm, il indeed not all Of it, we're once cul.
tivated by the French or Spanish from two hun.
dred TO three hundred years ago Some portion
OF ii WAS cleared by the present race as early as
1875, and the last was cleared in 1885.
We FIRST sOwed salt as q manure in the spring
Of 1861 mixed three bushels OF salt with one
OF plaster, and sowed " the mixture three
bushels to the acre. sJwed 1t broadcast, from
three TO ten days after the grain was sOwed (;
did not harrow or roll afterwards.
A held Of spring wheat Of ten acres yielded
twenty bushels to the acre, while neighbor s
field, merely across the road, OF equally as good
soil, and as well cultivated did not produce
over five bushels to the acre. The ground was
plowed and the seeds sown on the same days.
Another field Of our own we partially sowed
In strips Of one rod in width, sowing and skip.
ping alternate strips. The soil in this field was
IN better condition than the frs. Geld; still,
taking the whole f,ld, It did not yield more than
ten bushels 10 the acre. The six or eight strips
that were sailed were taller, heavier, longer
headed, better filled, plumper berry, ripened
earlier, and brighter straw. The sailed and I'M
salted portions were as easily distinguished as
the STRIPES in q carpet, and 10 binding the grain
behind the cradle any man could have told the
difference blindiolded
10 1859 we tried the mixture on barley, peas
oats and winter wheat The effect on barley
WAS astonishing. We left strip Of land a rod
in width ACROSS the field that we did not cover.
Here the barley was so small and thin, and
orinckled down, that the machine could not cut
what little there was while the whole field
yielded over forty bushels to the acre.
Another field on another part If the farm
was nearly as good, although in 1856 it abso.
lutely refused to give us more than ten bushels
TO the acre, and We stopped raising it.
on the oats We had no opportunity Of testing
IL with any near us We sailed the whole field
and had the largest crop we ever raised. On
peas we had no opportunity to test 1t with 9th.
srs, had q large crop, but the vines grew toe
long On winter wheat thought it did great
good, but had no chance for decd d test.
10 1868 we sowed two fields OF barley; upon
the eide VI one We lett an acre unsalted. and
the crop On this portion was not hall az great a,
on that portion On which the salt was appli,d
This field was heavy sod the other field wa,
the one on which barley and peas were sown tb,
year previous had an excellent crop, but ne
particular test.
10 1854 we covered two entire folds Of bArle,
with The salt and plaster the great droughi
did not seem to affect one field the 6rs, on,
sovn, Tut little bul the other one was ereath
injured. We had heavier crops than our near
eel nelghbors, but no better than some within 1
mile OF US
We think that the increate il the value O
the straw more than pays the cost Of salt, as ,
manure and i,s application. SWIFT BRornzHs
onondsgs county, April o, 1865.