Middletown transcript., 1869-12-25


The republication of Dr. Voelckers es-
say on clover as a means of supplying soil
with ammonia and the mode of insuring
large clover crop on any soil, has elected
some criticisms, and agree with the Ed
itor of the Transcript that its appreciation
is creditable to the neighborhood. A fur
tAer illustration of this idea was, the op-
perfume exhibition of the history of the au
thor 1t is said that "naturalists judge of
the intelligence of animals by their food,
consequently the Editor has complimented
his patrons by thus catering to their tastes.
The leader in the American Farmer, of
Baltimore, for March, 1855, ansWers the
query with regard to the unusual develop
ment of the straw of wheat when it follows
clover lay. As this journal was the pi-
oneer in agricultural literature in this
country the article was copied into the
Annual of Scientific Discovery. The ar
ticle is headed " Nascent Manures and
may be accessible to many of your read
ers. | will venture to copy only few
sentences although the whole is not half
as long as Dr. VS. article:
" When the carcass of an animal falls
in the field, the luxuriant grass or grain
falls on account of the absence of the rela-
tive ammount of soluble silica, or the ex-
cess of ammonia uses up all this necessary
element that is available. Two years since
| manured two lands in the centre of my
oats field, the one with Peruvian Guano,
the other with Soluble Silica, leaving a
land unmanured between. The proper
tion Of straw on the guanoed land was
very much increased, but last Summer the
same field was in wheat and correspond
ing diminution in the proportion of straw
was noticed on the land that had been GU
anoed two years since, and what is more
remarkable the lands on each side aver
aged more of wheat straw, whereas the
silicated land not only produced more
straw but also excelled the guanoed land
in wheat and ripened earlier than any 9TH
er part of the field"
Ammonia is the characteristic clement
of all animal manures and especially of
Peruvian Guano. DIR. Y. has most salts
factorily demonstrated the reason why clo-
yer is capable of fulfilling the same intcn-
tions, and his experiments accord with the
universal experience of agriculturists of
this peninsula, and almost endorse the as
sertion made ten years since in this neigh
borhood THAT a cloyer Jay would intro
| duce more ammonia into ain acre than a
ton of Peruvian Guano." The gen.
tleman upon whose testimony | quote this
is one of your subscribers who can repre-
sent the agriculture of this district in any
relation to the best advantage and fully
appreciate the practical value of DIR. VS..
or any other theory. He also assured me
that his father applied ashes on strip of
turnips running through the centre of his
field, cropped subsequently in wheat, and
that this strip not only yielded double as
much wheat, but for ten years was well
defined in every subsequent crop, includ-
ing clover. Now, he replied, 'how does
this comport with DIR. VS.. statement, that
heavy clay soils are not benefited by pot
ash manure =
As this may elicit from him another
question, | will merely respond at present
to your question. In England DIR. V.
states that the clay soil varies as it does in
this State. The upper portion of this State
aLoEGds in primitive rocks such as gran
ite, and the soil consequently is rich in
/ fragments of potash minerals, such as field.
, spar, moreover the clay glistens with par
ticles of mica which are called isinglass, OF
, silcate of potash, whereas the proportion
, of potash minerals diminishes in all of oul
clay as we leave the neighborhood of these
, primitive rocks and approach the end o
> the peninsula.
| There are several modes iy which any
/ farmer can determine whether his land re
quires potash and much more certainly ant
, economically than chemist can, but il
the case referred to where a clover la,
, produces an exuberant growth of the whea
> plant without corresponding amount o
t grain and especially where the crop ''falls.
e We can insure two crops, the first of whicl
: will certainly pay for not only the who'll
expense of cEltiyating both, but also fo
r the manure, and within six months of th
S investment.
: If any field will produce such a Glove
, lay its cultivation in corn is clearly indi
r Gated before wheat not only to prevent al
G risk of 1.-THE lodging of the wheat but in
r sure it against rust, &c. by top dressing
t each hill of corn with ashes or some of tn
o substitutes which are nof only more acces
d sible but cheaper in proportion as obtaine'
o by water freigbtqge. Any one who vii
d notice the CONTRAST between the brigh
e clear stray Of tie xheat grown ON the soil
g referred to that naturally abound in sill
. cate of potash with the wheat of our mea
: dow lard, will understand the effect @
e such an application Lime acts indirect
: ", inevitably exhausts the land (excep
based ap the primitive rocks) require
d mora time and is consequently less eaop
5 omseal. There is a proverb in German
n that ''it enriches the father at the expens