Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-05-20
SHADE AS A FBATILIZER.

the RURAL, on the recupcrativc CT
fects of clover and other substances
upon the soil, and have been much
interested therein. think, however,
there appears to be a want of general
appreciation of tie reason chy clover
aud other fertilizing agents exert
their peculiar and bencfccnt effects
upon WORKOUT and other thin soils.
There is one thing l learned early |
in life-the great value of shade as a
fertilizer. The first incident that
called my attention to this fact oc-
CURED when was quite boy. One
fine autumn day, being out in the field
where there was large pile of straw
l noticed a large volunteer squash
vine growing from under the side of
1t, This vine was of a small kind
designed for table use, the squashes
growing to the size Of the two fists.
The vine grew from a single stem,
and wouly probably have covered the
space Of good-sized room. 1t had
scventy-six full-grown squashes on it,
besides many more smaller ones. How
many of these latter ones came to
maturity before frost time | cannot
say, as do not remember to have OBJ
served. 1t was late vine, for l did
not notice II when the oats were har-
vested in the field around it.
This pile Of straw had been thrown
upon that part of the field because
II was low place where water stood
a good part of the year. and hence
the soil was so thin and poor that
nothing could ever grow upon it. 1t
had been put there only a year or
two before, and was only very par
tally decomposed---so that the ex-
traordinary change that had taken
place in the richness of the soil could
not be attributed to the rotting of the
straw to any important extent. To
what then was it due?
Without doubt to the fact that the
straw had furnished a protective COW
ering to the soil during the drying
heats Of summer, and thereby had
preserved in it the necessary moisture
toicarry on those important chemical
processes whereby the soil is enabled
to attract those peculiar salts and
gases from the atmosphere which rem
der it fertile and productive. In
other words, supposing the soil and
atmosphere to be two parts of an
electric battery, a certain amount of
moisture is necessary to connect the
two poles of it. This needful. mois-
ture IS furnished by the shade.
This is the secret of the success of
proper mulching in fastening the
growth of young trees. Your late
contributors experience" with the
use of sawdust as fertilizer is an
other illustration of the same princi-
pie. The practice in some sections
OF cuttirg down timber, and letting
1t lie on the ground from one to two
years before clearing and planting.
is another, Hence the great value of
clover as fertilizer of poor and worn
out soils. There is probably no other
plant in the world of such value TO
the farmer for this purpose. 1t fur
nishes the most perfect protection 10
the soil during the fierce, driving heats
OF summer. Being constantly dc.
clduous plant, its leaves are perpet,-
ally falling, and soon form delicate |
covering for the entire soil, sufficient /
ly thick for shade, and easily penc- /
trated at all points by the air. which
Is tho great carrier to the worn out !
soil OF those atmospheric elements
that are to enrich it.
In this way clover furnishes at once.
byth by the growing plant and more
especially by the dead leaf coverlet.
the two essential conditions of n first
class fertilizer. First, siacte, not 20
dense, but just sufficient to protect
from thd excessive heat of summer.
and, asecond, covering perfectly
permcable at all points to the air. as /
the carrier of moisture, gases and
other supplies to carry on those inn
portant chemical changes, which
take place most actively during the
warm season, and which are almost |
completely arrested by many crops
which do not permit the proper mois-
ture to remain in the soil for carrying
them forward
IN this way the clover plant does
not contribute directly to the fertili-
Elng Of the soil by giving its own sub
stance to il. 1t furnishes protect
ing covering to the entire ground.
which encourages and stimulates those
chemical processes by which the hun
cry and exhausted soil is recuperated
from the vast supplies of nutriment
that are held in the atmosphere. In
this important junction, it stands un-
rivaled, and becomes to the farmer
the most valuable fertilizer in the
world, as II does not impart fertility.
like most manure, in spots, but TO the
entire soil, which becomes renovated
throughout.
l well remember n field on my
fathers farm that, after few wears
Of cultivation, had become almost
entirely worthless. II enclosed about
fitoen acres, about half of which was
II long, sloping hillside, with light.
gravelly soil, which the remainder
was what, in Illinois, is called cred ,
oak land and was originally thin.
ehaiky and poor. 1t was finally put i
into clover for two or three wears 7
ana came out one of the finest speci-
mems of dark mulatto soils | ever
saw. The next crop, which was wheat.
was an unusually heavy one. Almost v
the entire field lodged"
IL rs on account of their greater or
capabilities Of shade that some crons
tend rapidly to exhast the soil while
Others enrich it. Wheat, by taken
Oh the ground at the beginning Of the
heated term and, and thereby leaving a
The soil naked and unprotected. is an