Daily Kennebec journal., 1870-04-02
1aiIp Aenuebee yourltal.
THOUGHTS ON MANURES.


1T is quite common for farmers, when
conversing about any particular manure,
to ask" is it permanent manureP }"
l..How long will it last9" &C., &c, imply
ing belief that substance may be in
state of continual exhaustion, and yet
never exhausted. Such questions are
most common in relation to superphos-
phate. Now it would seem to the writer
that we all misunderstood the true nature
of manure and vegetable nutrition gener-
ally. The growth of vegetable must be
at the expense of the plant food in the
soil. When this is exhausted, the soil be-
comes barren, so far as that vegetable is
concerned; and at last barren to every
description of vegetables--as is most la
mentally demonstrated by the numerous
fields of "worn-out" lands in all the mid
die and Southern States. Now if this be
so. the manure we apply to the soil is the
food upon which the growing crop lives
and grows; and if this be so, what are
called permanent manures" are very un-
desirable, even if there were any such
things; because it would be folly to ex-
pend money and labor in applying manure
that would make no return for five or ten
wears. We want that which will make
the quickest return for our money and
labor. and hence we apply the manure
that will be all used up in single year, it
we can get it. We do so for the same
reason that, when we have hundred
dollars coming to us, we prefer note
payable in one year, to one payable one
fifth each year for five years. We have
been much interested in the remarks of a
sagacious Georgia planter, as given in the
G,,1t L oil ORR,
planters had followed his example there
would not now be such wide breadths of
barren lands to reclaim. Hear
WHAT DAVID DICKSON SAYS.
1.-The planter should not only learn
to make money, but he should be good
fnancier-learn how to invest it: First,
SO as to get the greatest comfort from the
part spent in living and, secondly, the
safest Investment, yielding largest divi-
dends-dividends, too, that will not hurt
any body, but be advantageous alike to
those now living, and to posterity. -
From my experience, | will give my
plan, hoping that many others will give
theirs. l am for an annual MANURE
soluble manure--one that will return the
principal, or at least rs per cent. of it,
with one hundred and twenty-five cent.
profit, or double the investment. am in
favor of an investment that never pleads
for time, or complains of usurious interest,
or calls for relief or repsdiation, but will
punctually square up accounts, with one
hundred per cent. profit. Such an invest
ment is Soluble Bones and Peruvian
Guano. Lend it to your land at six to nine
months time, and if you do your duty, the
payment will be sure. Your land will be
left in better condition-money will be
furnished to put back the same amount of
manure the next year, and ample divi-
dends made to live on and make other
investments The word stimulate" is i'm
properly applied to manures. Plants
have no nerves for them to act on. When
you see plants growing very rapidly, to
which manure has been applied, do not
think they are drunk: The truth is, the
manure is soluble, and not permanent, and
the roots of the plants are absorbing it,
and the blades working it up for the crop.
have no use for permanent manure.
If permanent, 1t is not soluble; If not
soluble, it never will enter the roots of
plants, and ii it does not enter the roots of
plants, your money is gone. No manure
is worth cent, if permanent. The
Atlantic ocean would not be permanent if
its supplies were cut Off the rain
ceased, and all the rivers were stopped.
Supposing it level at the bottom as well as
the top, and one thousand feet deep, still
it would dry up in less than two hundred
years--a shorter time than some lands in
Virginia have been cultivated. So, away
with your permanent manures; but be
ever vigilant to save all homemade ma
nures possible, of every variety pine
straw and swamp mud included. Manip-
ulate your sandy land with clay-your
clay land with vegetable mould. Buy
lots of soluble manure, and save twice as
much as if you bought none. Is there a
single planter who would lend money to
be paid in equal instalments of twenty
years, with low INTEREST," Yet If he uses
permanent manures, he cannot expect
much better luck. Is there one that is
unwilling to lend his money at six and
nine months, have it under his control all
the time, and get prompt payment-re-
ceiving rs per cent. OF the principal and
125 per cent. protitP Give me the manure
that will pay promptly. with good divi-
dends. Do not be afraid that it will ex-
haust your land. Put the cotton seed
back, together with the manure from the
straw, corn, oats and shucks, with the
straw uSeu 10 save tle ulduuIc anu Dcu
the stock; also what the crops got from
the atmosphere. l would like to have my
land exhausted that way.
There is only SO much corn and cotton
in any manure, and the sooner you get it
the better. 1t will pay. The loss will be
smaller, and only one years work re-
quired. The same is true of land. There
is only material enough it to make given
quantity of corn OF cotton, and the greater
quantity you get each year the better. Do
not understand me that am for exhaust
ing land. Not SO. Each year put back
more than you take from it, Accumulate a
large fund in soluble mould and other
manure, and never let it be said by poster
ity, that it is harder for them to live be-
cause you lived before them. Leave your
land better than you found it. Improve
agriculture so that a given quantity of
labor may produce double what it does
now--double the capacity of the land.
Then each agriculturist will be able to
consume four times as much as he does at
present in necessaries and luxuries."