The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-06-20
Green Manuring-Clover Peas,
BuckWheat. Corn.

All cultivated lands require to be re-sup-
piled, according to their need, with those
natural and Inherent constituents of fertile
soils which are absorbed by the growing
plant, and carried off in successive! !crops-
Upon this depends its productive capacity,
for long series Of years. The best ma
nures are, therefore, those that abound in
certain mineral and vegetable substances,
in that state in which they are most readily
taken by the growing plant It would be
teaching the simplest elementary principles
of farming for .us to say anything here con,
cerning the merits of barn yard manure,
guano or bone dust but the value Of green
crops ploughed under as forming an easily
accessible and highly beneficial fertilizer,
has never yet, we think, been regarded by
the generality of our farmers with the i'm
portance il deserves. The beneficia influ-
eDce Of green crops turned under, is much
better understood aud appreciated In Eu-
rope, and especially among the thrifty Ger.
mans, than il is with us. BY this method
the sandy wastes of Belgium have been con-
verted, with but little assistance from other
kinds Of manures, into fertile loan. The
farms there are, for the most part, divided
among small proprietors, and, as they scarce
ly exceed fifty acres, they are easily work.
ed, and by patient industry, and by the
farm has been cultivated almost to the per-
fection Of a garden. The Belgians, and TO
q large extent, their neighbors of Holland,
have been taught by that best Of oil teach.
ere, practical experience, that green plants
ploughed under will give, with tho excep-
tion Of ammo MIA, all the constituents neces.
sary to enrich the soil upon which their
crops ore grown. OF these constituents
one-third may be derived from the soil it's
self. and to that extent are merely returned
to 1t in the green crop that is ploughed un
der, but the remaining two thirds are drawn
from the atmosphere. and are, therefore,
clear gain.
There are quite variety Of green crops
which might be made useful In a course of
renovation. but the chief crops for this pur-
pose, whichare adapted TO general use 10y our
farmers. may be limited to four. These are,
lst, clover; I'd, field peas; Sd, buckwheat; ;
4th, broadcast corn or these four, the
| cellence, Is clover, and next TO clover the
| field pea, commonly known at the South as
the COW pea. In an exhaustive treatise on
this subject, to be found In the Report oi
the Agricultural Department for 1864, the
relative values Of different green crops
| when ploughed under in the process Of rem.
ovatiDg coils, more or less exha usted by too
frequent cropping. is very clearly presented.
| We propose to draw from this source such
points In condensed form as are most wor,
thy Of attention, and, we also propose to
show at the same time, by comparative
| statements, why this mode OF manuring Il
beneficial to tho soil. and enables It to bear
heavy crops Of wheat and corn, and rye
and oats, and barley, on lands that previous
| ly failed to prodace them remuneratiyely.
| The value Of the red clover for manurial
purposes consists in the fact that when de-
composed IL contains all the coustitu ent.
that enter into the prediction Of crop o
wheat, es the following analysis of clover
as compared with wheat will show: