Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-11

charged with vegetable substances, and IN low
lands have probably been receiving mineral
natter from tie wash of the hills for thou
sands of years. Or, if the loans are on high
lands, they are made up from disintegrated
rock that contained various minerals but
especially potash-which had been crumbling
20 pieces for untold ages.
The point is this is land that abounds
with stones benefited or injured by taking
most of them away? 1t is clear to us that IL
IS injured
l. By lowering the level of the land.
I 2. Leaving it compact, heavy and inactive,
by obstructing the natural drainage OF the
soil.
;. By taking away portion of mineral
supply to the soil. Biologists and chemists
tel us that granite soil will consist chiefly
I Of silica. (that is, flint, sandy diunaino.
I that is, the pure earth of alum,) and pot
ash and in addition to these, a trap sOI,
/ (that is, soil made up mostly from green
stone,) Will contain much lime, magnesIa,
and oxide of iron, iron rust. Lit the vari-
ETY. Of trap consists chiefly of hornbiende
which is itself a combination of silica, mag
nesia, lime or iron } is sometimes the case,
the soil formed from it will have nearly $50
( pounds each OF lime, magnesia, and oxide OF
ron. in every ton Of decayed rock
- y men tine two minerals. hOrnbiende and
Ot trap called greensboro, the soil formed from
-hein must be still more favorable to vegetable
/ lie. The potash and soda, OF which the
noInblende is nearly destitute, is abundantly
supplied by the felspar; while the hornblende
vie.,.s lime and ma nesia, which are known
to exercise d remarkable influence on the
progress Of vegetation
These references show the importance OF
stones to the land where they lie, and they
81 bS, bon,
+ two below the surface. and used as top
dressing, often answers better purpose,
even, than rich, heterogeneous manures. 1t Is
.uii of mineral matter that has bsen exhaust
cd from the surface soil by succession OF
crops. 1t frequently happens that top
.!Ic-sng OF yellow loan will BRING a lux
az ant crop, where common manures have
failed. II have seen qcheot tieids, dressed
wit! barn manure, where the growth OF stem
md Ieui very rank. hut produced no
seed. Had they been dressed with fine gray
81. -lnd. or yellow loan, we have no doubt
obey would have produced twenty to twenty
lyc b..ehcIs Of excellent wheat to the acre.
For the reasons given above, IL Is best To
keep most Of the stones that are on or near
| the surface an the SOH. If the subsoH is not
filled with them digging will be easy, - that
they can lie placed below as cheaply they
/ can re clrted away. Large ones may be sunk
whole, or split with wedges. or blasted and
then sunk
The article below is to the point, and was
/ published in the Gentleman S Magazine, Eng
land, as long ago as l773. 1t Is well worth
reading and remembering
. 1t has been long known to experienced
farmers that taking away very small stones
/ and flints, Is detrimental 10 plOwed lands III
general but more particularly 50 to thin,
/ light lands, and all lands of binding ma
ture Ii was, however, never imagined that
the damage could he 50 great, it Is now
| found to be, since unusual quantities of hints
and other stones have been repeatedly gath
| cred for the use of turnpike and other roads
/ n the parish Of Sterenags, in HEREFORD
shire, there is fell known by the name OF
| Chalkdell field, containing about 900 acres :;
/ the land in this field was fJrmerly equal, If
| not superior, to most lands in that county :;
! but lying convenient for the surveyors of the
roads, they have picked it often, and
stripped it of the flint and small stones to
such Il degree that it is now inferior TO lands
! that were formerly reckoned not much over
| half its value. for acre. Nor is II
! Chalkdel field alone that has materially suf
/ fered in this county by the above mentioned
practice; several thousand acres bordering
| IN the turnpike road from Wellwyn to Bal
| dock, have been so much impoverished, that
/ the loss to the inheritance forever must be
computed at great many thousand pounds.
! What puts it beyond doubt that the pro-
digious impoyerishInent of the land Is owing
to no other cause but picking and carrying
| away the stones is, that those lands have
generally been most impoverished which have
been most often picked nay, | know field,
part OF which was picked, and the other part
plowed up before they had time TO pick it,
where the part that was picked lost seven or
eight parts in ten, of two succeeding crops :;
and though the whole field was manfred
and managed in all respects alike, yet the
mpoverishment was visible where the stones
had been picked off, and extended not an inch
| farther; an incontestble proof of the benefit
| Of the stones. ''--Ne'c Engia4d Farmer