Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-07-23
A Mistake Worth Knowing.

lir. Edator,-Io my mind one OF the
great wants of the farming interest OF ouT
country is such a practical kno~ledye Of
the principles Of chemistry as to understand
the properties of our soils-what they pos
.sess, apd what they need to make them
productave; and also the properties
of the different tilzers-w effect they
will have upon the soil and, more espe-
ciolly, the effect they aciU hare upon each
other, eehen more than one Kind q .jeriitiz-
ing matter is applied ut the same time.
Ignorance upon this last point led the
writer to make the following mistake -
Feeling satisfied that lime is a valuable
article in agricultural Improvement, he
had received the impression that it was
safe to use it, nai1ed with any kind Of
manure. Hence, having lot Oh hand,
be mixed some of it with chip manure.
Well, he supposes that was right; but
when the chip manure was exhausted, he
also mixel the lime with lot of stable
manure, expecting to have fine compost
for wheat the approaching fall But while
the compost heap was lying in, his stable.
yard, it was his, good fortune to get hold
of a choide work on agriculture, written
by Prof Campbell of Washington Col7
lege, Va. in which he learned that lime
had the direct effect of expelling ammonia
from the manure, and thus netitralize its
effect upon the soil.
In conversation with neighbor, who
is an intelligent farmer on James river, |
also learned that he bought two tons of
guano, which he applied to his wheat crop;
but before sowing the wheat, to prevent
smut, he lined it, and the consequence
was, he destroyed nearly all of the effect
of the guano. And why? Because the
lime expelled the ammonia from the GU
anO.
The farmer referred to was anticipating
good results from his guano until. just be-
fore harvest, when be walked through his
wheat crop, and, to his utter establishment,
he could See but little effect Of the guano,
except at one small corner of his field -
And when he inqired of the man who SOW
ed it, he learned that the lime being ex-
hausted, that small corner of the wheat
field was sown without it; and there tile
guano produced its desired effect
f t9sT that fiat yoC; ais.-i interestingly Jun,
dent from Granville county, n. c., who
bought three tons of Pacific euano last fall,
made great mistake in applying lime to
his wheat before sowing,
1t was the reading of his very interest
ing article of December 10Th, 1867, that
prompted the present caution on the sub
ject OF using lime in connection with any
animal manure.
| will now proceed to give few extracts
from Prof. Campbell on this subject:
Rub little sal-ammouiac and fresh
lime together, and YOU may at once per-
ceiyo the odor of the escaping ammonia.
Ammonia is one of the most valuable in
gradients in all animal manures, and ev-
cry precaution should be taken to prevent
its escape Hence, fresh lime should neU-
en- be mired with animal mauures, because
it sets the ammonia free"
Rub little of the guano with few
grains Of freshly Stacked lime, and ii
strong odor of ammonia is not given off,
the quality is not good
Again, this same author, speaking Of
lime, says:
Its effects upon manures containing
AMMONIA make it.unsultabIe TO be mixed
with such manures, or even to be applied
near the same time"
The object Of the writer is not to dis
courage the farmer in the use Of 3j3ae, but
simply 70 guard hin against the improper
use of
A. r.