Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-02-15
The Comparative Value of Different
Manures

and that there is no department of
agriculture of equal Importance with
that which teaches the proper appli-
cation of manures. improvements
in machinery, perfection of animals
or vegetables, and economy of pow
er, all sink into insignifcance when
compared with the application of
manures. All other departments of
OF agriculture would be powerless. if
the fertility of the soil could not be
maintained
Such is the uncertainty Of the eff
feet produced by many artificial ma
nures, and so exceedingly complicat-
ed are the circumstances under which
it must be tried, that it is only by
dint of numerous experiments on
various description of soils, that
their peculiar properties and uses
can DO determined.
Manures composed of many organ
ic substances, seldom fail to benefit
the soil, and concerning them the
question generally is, which is the
cheapest But with manures chiefly
composed OF inorganic matters, the
case is different; such manures only
require to be applied at long inter-
vals-to supply the soil directly or
Indirectly, with some essential ma
terials which are not contained in
that applied. Such is lime, with
some soils, it is only considered nee
essary to apply once in seven years,
good dressing being then given
If similar quantity be applied ev-
cry year or on two successive years,
1t would have an injurious effect
Nitrate of soda, nitrate of potash,
and common salt, ale all Of this class
And hence it is that many farmers
inadvertently fall into error in the
use of these fertilizers, by inferring
that the manure which is necessary
for soil one yer, must be so in the
next, and that which is necessary on
one soil, must be 50 in another.
1t is with inorganic manures that
cultivators always have the greatest
difficulty; for instance, if lime is APP
Piled when the soil reqeires it, when
all that previously existed in it is
exhausted or neutralized, the effect
will be beneficial, but if it is applied
to soil in which sufficient lime al
ready exists. the effect will be either
decidedly injurious, or but slight
Improvement. Some soils also re-
qulre greater or more frequent
application of such manures than
others. Accordingly there are great
er variations in the reports Of exper-
iments with the more organic ma
nures, than on those of a more
organic constit ton. Frequently
nitrate of soda is benefcial-as fire.
quently it is injurious. All of this
would be of little consequence if the
cause was understood, but unfor-
tunately we find nitrate of soda con-
demned by one, recommended by
another, and declared too expensive
by a third, according to the results
of their several experiments.
The fact is generally overlooked
that if nitrate of soda, or gypsum or
lime, or common salt, is unnecessary
on one soil, still it may be necessary
on another; and that because it
does lot benefit one field, is no reas-
on why It may not the next. If a
certain subs lance is deficient in any
soil. then the application Of it direct
ly, or of such me chanical alternatives
as will afford it i.ndi ectly, must
prove beneficial The only means
whereby it can be correctly ascer-
tanned whether any inorganic manure
is necessary, is by Analysing the soil
and learning its peculiar composition;
but there is an objection to this
manner OF testing, because scarcely
two parts of the same field contain
soil exactly alike. Experiment may
go far, it is true, but experiment
alone with inorganic manure will
not suffice, as they frequently con-
tradict each other, and at best are
not decisive unless tried under
great diversity of circumstances
connected with the quality and con
dition of the soil, the state of the
weather, etc.
Orgaoic manures, such as guano,
barn-yard dung, and night-soil, ETC.,
are not so difficult to apply properly
as the inorganic. Experiments with
such manures may be pretty safely
relied on, since they furnish nearly
every ingredient that is necessary
for the growth of vegetables hence
the sole object in experimenting with
them is to ascertain which is the
most economical. All good manag-
ers will, in the average of years,
gain profit on their livestock, con-
sequently the manure they make costs
nothing. Barn-yard manure is there
fore cheaper than artificial manure
1t is also better fitted for fertlizing
the soil, and may be applied from
year to year with good effect, be-
cause it contains the constituents of
plants in a suitable condition to be
absorbed by the roots OF cultivated
crops and appropriated by vegetables
Of every kind in forming their stems
branches, leaves, and seeds Western
Rural.
~s2------