Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-10-21

Stlnted SOrrel OF exhausted neldS, you
will be willing to admit that it does not live
there from choice, any more than do those
feeble nations which occupy the barren and
inhospitable portions of the earth.
The fact is, simply, that sorrel is a weak
plant, when pitted against most others in the
struggle for life of which Darwin has so
much to say. 1t cannot hold its own in n
soil where clover or any of the grasses thrive
to perfection. They crowd it out, being
more vigorous, when well nourished, than
the sorrel is and the poor sorrel retires to
the great deserts" which poor farming has
made in so many places. There it performs,
humbly, that useful work of which our friend
speaks, as a "dissolver and elaborator" of
potash, thus helping to restore fertility to the
waste. That is, doubtless, "the use" OF one
of the uses, of this despised and detcsted
weed.
1.-The weed must certainly start and throw
out leaves before it can commence its labors
of distilling acid from the air and applying it
to the minerals to compel them to give 1t
food" says Mr.. G.. 1t certainly must, and
the necessary material for this is contained
in the seed. Experiment has shown that
seeds will sprout, grow, and produce leaves,
in IA soil of pure slick, or ground flint, if sup
piled with water. The plant however, will
die rs soon us the nutriment contained in the
seed is exhausted unless its little roots can
find other food in the soil around them. But
the plant itself is perfect, though so small,
and perfectly capable of getting its living,
provided the means of living are mt hand. If
Mr.. g. will taste young sorrel plant rs it
issues from the ground with its two little
"seed leaves" he will find these minute or
gans us distinctly sour us those of II larger
plant. They already have acid enough to
begin on, before they have taken anything
but water from the soil.
The practical question in relation to this
subject is correctly stated in Mr.. G.'s last
paragraph and its intelligent solution is
based upon the facts heretofore expressed
Sorrel does spontaneously spring up in soils
which are deficient in potash in IL condition
for ready assimilation" not because such is
the soil it prefers, but because life, liberty and
the pursuit ofhappiness are secured to There
safe from stronger intruders. Mr.. Gilmore's
last sentence is also all right so far us it goes
"Any application which would restore the
potash element would''-help to-"enable the
soil to produce other and more valuable
plants" We should prefer to say-"Any ap-
plication that would supply all the elements
of thrifty growth to stronger and more use
full plants would eradicate sorrel, provided
the seeds of such plants are sown in sufficient
quantity to occupy the ground. The sorrel
will then be crowded out. 1t has been
by acting upon this theory that we have
been successful in eradicating sorrel from
our own fields. Our plan is simply this
Keep the land in hoed crops, well cultivated
and MANFRED, for two years; then seed down
to clover and herdsgrass in the spring, scith-
OFT gram, using plentyQf seed. That finishes
the sorrel, and when you see it returning, one
of two things will be found true ;-either the
land is running out again, or your grass has
been winter-kiled. In either case the REM
edy is plain. Top-dressing must be applied,
OF the land turned over and re-seeded.
FARMERS AND RAILROADS.