Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-09
firm aud sjnitseilaId.
Should StnbbIe be Burned or PlOWed
Under!

discussed with considerable earnestness,
and. so far as we have observed, the dis
putants are pretty equally divided: A
superficial consideration of the subject
would certainly lead one to believe that
blowing stubble under is greatly to be pre-
ferred to burning it. 1t seems natural 10
suppose that by the first plan we restore
to the soil a much greater amount OF ma
terial out of which to form other crops
than we can do by simply burning ~;
But do we restore to the soil the nateIiaI
in fern. shat can be assimilated by the
next crop? sCan we make this stubbie IN
strlmental in increasing the fertility OF
land, either by itself or by its action on
other substances contained in the SOIL!
These are Questions which it is well care
fullyto. consider. LIEE
That any considerable quantity of the
stubble of ripe grain finds its way into the
next crop that is raised on the field, no one
will pretend to argue. Thoroughly ripen-
ed straw undergoes very slow decompo-
sition, unless it is exposed to the combined
action of heat and moisture; and expert
encedemonstrates that traw-particularly
wheat straw-will often remain in the SOIL
for whole season with its form preserved
entire, and its appearance scarcely chang
ed except by the absorption OF water.
IL
becomes disintegrated and the carbon is
left on the land instead of being consumed.
But we must remember that chemically
carbon is of no use to the soil, though
mechanically it may be as an absorber OF
moisture and the gases 1t Is from car
bonic acid and not from charcoal, that
plants derive their supply of carbon. This
inert carbon, if we except about one per
cent. of nitrogen, is all that is saved to
the soil by blowing the stubble under and
that would not be returned to it If the
same were burned. @
Now let us consider the disadvantageous
form in which the mineral salts are re-
turned to the soil in the process of turning
under. They are in the form OF organized
matter and must wait until this organism
is entirely destroyed before they can be
resuscitated into living forms. The pot
ash, phosphorus, soda, lime and silica,
separate or in combination, must remain
encased in carbon which is one OF the
most indestructible substances, until that
is slowly wasted away by the action OF OK
ygen. Years might elapse before the
silica, which is SO necessary to give
strength to the stalk of the grain, would
Againl be made available. Now, in all our
prairie soils there is great deficiency OF
this substance, and consequently the grain
grown here is much mere liable to lodge
than that grown further north or east. 1t
is plain then that we should manage our
stubble so that this silica will not become
fixed, but will be in condition to be used
over and over again as often as possible.
The same thing is true of all the other
mineral substances contained in the straw:
they are not impoverished by use nor en-
feebled by constant employment.
Now let us see how farming affects the
stubble with view of making it available
as manure for future crop. The popular
idea is that substances are destroyed by
the action of fame, but such is not the
case. Rot and fire accomplish exactly
the same end in changing vegetable sub
stances but the one effects in a moment
what it will require the other years to
perform. Each decomposes; neither can
destroy we have before shown that the
sooner this decomposition is effected in
the stubble Of grain the better will be the
results. Straw, from the fact that it con-
tains SO little nitrogen and SO large an
amount@ of mineral substance, should be
burned but the same process would be
very Instantaneous as regards stable
manure, or other substances which are
. rich in nitrogen. These require to be
slowly decomposed, and it is preferable
that it be done beneath the surface of the
ground in order that all the ammonia
which is formed by the disengaged nitro
gen and hydrogen may be saved. Char
coal here is necessary to absorb this gas,
and that which is produced from the slow
rotting of vegetable matter is very suita-
BILE for this purpose. But, the same need
does not exist in the case of the lower
part of grain straw, as it contains little
else than carbon and mineral substances.
l. Ins n
some mechanical good on certain soils,
that are very clayey or are apt to run to-
gether and form coherent mass; but in
the great majority Of cases stubble leaves
the soil quite too porous, and there are few
instances where it is not advisable to roll
stubble before blowing it, in order to close
up, if possible, the cavity of the stalks.
This loosening of the soils of clayey land
is, perhaps, the only argument, if we ex-
cept the retention of the carbon, that can
be advanced in favor of blowing stubble
under. To offset this we have the addi-
tional expense of rolling the land and the
great disadvantage of the stubble inter-
fering with the movement fthe pillow and
the turning of the furrow.
But even in the case of clay lands the
argument is with the fire. Nothing rem
ders clay available for agricultural pur-
pOoOS do NOCo hCcu. IL bCllNo W pulf Cl iLC
it and at the same time to render the silica
soluble, and in a condition to unite with
potash and Soda Every vine dresser
knows and every grain grower should
know, that there are few better substances
to apply~to either a vineyard or a field
than pulverized brick The cheapest and
by far the easiest mode of applying this
sort of manure is to burn over our clay
fields. .2ocgh'r0h s2a
But besides the chemical argument in
favor of burning stubble, there are others
which are equally forcible. Fire has al
ways been spoken of as purifier, and in
no place is it so efficient as in stubble
field. The seeds of the tares which have
grown along with the wheat till the time
OF the harvest are, in great measure, de-
stroyed by the fire that consumed the
stubble, and the same is true to an equally
great extent of the eggs and larve of in
sects.-Prdirie Former = fs OH