The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-11-17
s0iIs &c IEanures sor 80.

SOIL is comparatively dry; but winter wheat
must remain in the soil during the heavy
rains Of the fall-the frosts of winter, and
the alternate tbaws and freezinss Of early
spring After these come the spring rains
and the overHOwing OF water produced bv
the melting snow. Great precaution is
necessary in order TO protect this crop from
destruction from stagnanJ water IN fall and
spring. There is scarcely any field so com
pletely level as not to afford sufficient fall
for carrying off the water this should be Ia
ken advantage Of and if no other mode of
drainage has been adopted surface drains
! should be made through all portions OF the
field where there IS the least probability that
water will lodge.
Much wheat is lost annually by being
heaved up by tie frost This seldom hap
pens except in light soils which have been
exhausted by frequent cropping and lack
that cohesiveness and strength which the
wheat plant requires SHALLOW plowing is
also a cause of this failure Land which
has been drained and sub-soiled, is not sup
iect to heavinr, as the soil having been
deepened and the staguant water removed,
the roots of the wheat are enabled to strike
deep, and to fix the plants firmly in the soil
1t IS a well known fact, that although the
majority Of the roots of wheat are found
near the surface certain others Gf the soil
admits of their doing so) penetrate deep In to
the earth in order to take firm hold of the
ground and TO draw up the food Of the
plants.
Heavy, clay lands have been denominated
wheat soils, yet excellent crops may be raised
on light sandy soil, If suitable manure has
been applied Previous to the introduction
of the turnip into the husbandry of Great
Britain, stiff clay soil was alone thought
suitable for the production of wheat, and
following was the order Of the day, but the
tUrnip has caused n revolution in the British
system of husbandry. Naked fallows have
| disappeared; green crops supply their place
a regular and judicious system of rotation
has been established, and soils so light as to
bear the denomination Of blowing sands
have been consolidated and fertilized
Wheat delights in new soil, but it Is neces-
sary that the roots of the grasses etc, should
be thoroughly decOmposed In order TO pre-
vent their growth, and also to furnish food
for the young wheat plants. Land that has
been for some time in tillage and then laid
down in good heart and allowed to remain
for series of years in grass, viii produce
better crop of wheat than wild soil-that is
soil that has never produced a cultivated
! crop. Manures which al ound in nitrogen
are best suited for wheat Professor John
ston proved this by experiments which are
| recorded in his Lectures on Agricultural
/ Chemistry. If we take wheat plant and
/ examine the composition Of the -four it con
tains, as raised from the application of diff
/ ferent manures, it viii be found that It's
/ gluten, which contains a large percentage of
nitrogen, Is invariably increased by the in
/ creased proportion of nitrogen in the ma
nure.
/ We may understand the properties of
certain manure and yet not be able to apply
it properly. If we make use of an abundance
of ammoniacal manure, the stem and leaves
/ of the wheat plant will become so large and
succulent that the roots will not be able to
support them, and they viii fall down and
fail to produce a crop; we must remedy this
evil by making use Of a manure that viii
give strength to the stem and weight to the
/ grain.
1t has been demonstrated by numerous
analyses that silica predOminates in the
straw Of wheat, and that potash and phos-
/ phOTi6 acid exist in the grain and certain
/ portion of lime in both straw and grain. 1t
/ is evident that the soluble silicL which is
absorbed by the straw should be given back
! to the soil, by turning the straw into manure
instead of selling it in the market
Wood ashes contain large proportion Of
| potash and consequently are an excellent
manure for wheat, or any other crop in
which potash abounds If all the ashes
that are made In the house and on the farm
were carefully collected, mixed with muck
and spread over the wheat crop, a large
increase IN the agreeable product would be
/ the result
Lime imparts health and vigor to the stem
/ and grain, and portion Of it should be ap-
/ piled to land intended for wheat 1t assists
! IN dissolving silica and the phesphates-eouD-
/ teracts the effects Of certain acids and in
various ways improves the growth of the
! wheat plant. small quantity of lime
mixed with muck or rich soil, viii have
much better effect as manure than a much
/ larger quantity applied without the addition
/ Of any other substance. Prof Johnston
! says: Lime acts in two ways on the soil.
! It produces n mechanical alteration, which is
simple and easily understood; but it is the
! cause Of chemical changes which are really.
/ obscure, and are as yet susceptible Of only
/ partial explanation.
Salt is a valuable manure for the wheat
/ plant and a portion Of it should always be
| applied, either derectiy to the soil or as top
! dressing to the young crop Lime and salt
| hasten the decay Of weeds and vegetables in
! a greater degree than either Of these ma
nures taken singly. Liebig says: Com
mon salt enables the plant to extract sulphur
from the ground where it has existed as
sulphate of lime" The grain Of the cereal
/ crops is much improved in size and color by
/ the judiciOus application of salt. 1T acts
! well in conjunction with ammOniacal ma
nures, the salt giving strength and solidity TO
/ the grain, while the size and lUxuriance Of
the plant are increased by the ammonia.
Immense crops Of wheat have been pro-
dueed by using manure composed Of salt
aud barn-yard dung.
Bones are valuable MANURE for wheat, as
they contain a large percentage Of phos-
phOric acid, an Ingredient which forms a
considerable part Of the grain Of wheat and
other cereals Bones should be carefully
collected, broken into small pieces with a
heavy hammer and covered with wood aches
in barrels or boxes. In a few months the
ashes viii corrOde the bones so much that
they can be crumbled into fragments, and
these, being thoroughly mixed with the
ashes, can be easily spread over the wheat
field. Bones may be ground into dust IN
b0nemills, or dissolved into a pulp by
sleeping them In suiphuric acid; but as
neither the mills nos the acid may be ayaila-
bic ct all times, we suggest tue wood-ashea
plan as best suited to the farmer. Zones
are generally allowed to 90 to waste, although