The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-04-16


BILE to that class of writer's who are con-
stantly croaking about the permanent
exhaustion" of land. Every soil has its
own natural strength; there is wide
range of this; some are very fertile and
keep producing the most exhausting crops
right along for ages, while others are
naturally weak. There are lands in the
Connecticut valley to which some have
denied the name Of "real estate, blow
ing sands, so poor that they hardly grow
the most hardy weeds. These lands have
been cropped to rye for centuries, being
sowed once in two Or three years, aud in
variably give yield Of s to 10 bushels,
without manure. This is their natural
strength and they will 90 on yielding the
same crop at the same intervals, as long
as the world stands. So in Hungary and
Southern Russia, where the land has
been sown to wheat once in two years,
time out Of mind, with regular yield,
varying somewhat with the season, but
always paying crop. Soils in Greece
are known to have been in like manner
cropped with barley for two or three
thousand years. This illustrates what is
meant by the natural strength of soils.
All production is the result of a chemi.
cal change, which is behind the crop and
is the cause Ofits growth This change
is like the winding up of clock, which
produces the ticking. The crops are the
measure of the effectiveness Of these
chemical changes They are the smile OF
Heaven upon the land. Among lofty
moutains these changes occur yisibly
the avalanches, or snow slides, are tear
ing the rocks the frost rending them, the
glacier grinding them to powder, to form
the soil for future crops. In the soil
they still 60 on invisibly; the stones
crumblc to sand, the sand becomes dust,
and the dust is dissolved by the rain, aad
by the acids the rain brings down, as well
as by those that are provided by the
plants ; aud so, by these continual chemi
cal actions, minute in detail but vast in
the aggregate, the food of the crops is
made ready.
The other quality of the soil, which
borrowed from the vocabulary Of the
stock raiser, and implying when applied
to the soil, just what it implies when APP
piled to horses or cattle,) is the result Of
what may be called extra causes,-causes
additional to the work of nature in the
decomposition Of soils, and capable of be-
ing supplied by human action. When
farms were first opened in Vermont, the
surface of the soil was found covered by
dark substance called leaf-mould, which
was the source of its great productive
ness. 1t consisted of decayed vegetable
matter, and was rich in mineral substan-
ces that had been brought up out of the
soil by the sap Of trees, and left upon the
surface by their decay. This constituted
in fact heavy coat Of manure, and as
long as it lasted even poor soils gave a
large yield This was condition :" but
by thriftless system of husbandry it
was soon exhausted and the land reduced
to its natural strength" This is just
what exhaustion of soil consists in,--the
removal of its condition
, 1t is evident that we may have good
soil in wrctchcd condition. This is the
case with watcr-logged clay soil The
: roots Of plants will net grow in it be-
cause it is too cold; it cannot be made
mellow because it Is wet. Drain it and
till it, and it becomes very fertile-you
r have developed its natural strength. The
r addition OF manures will bring it into
still higher condition. Moderately pro,
ductivc soil may be brought to very
: high condition by manuring and careful
D tillage, and then run down again to it,
natural fertility, but no lower and thi,
e may be, and is done again and again
e This is what is meant by worn out land
t Left to itselfit will slowly recover; but BY
: skillful farming it may be recovered with
D rapidly.
s This distinction between natura
= strength and condition, was brought gu
D on Mr. Lawes' farm by actual expert
e ment. His land is a moderately heavy
!, loam, Of good. but not extra natura
J strength. In series of experiments i
d was cropped year after year with winter
?. wheat without manure. Its first crol
d was l6 bushels to the acre, and for q
!. years it continued to yield an average
II without any manure, of l53 bushels. Fo
l. all that time in only once fell to half
e crop, owing to bad season, and onl
g once went much above the average. Thi
N is its natural fertility. Another piece
!, kept ii years in grass without manure
n averaged 2690 pounds Of hay per acre
30 Other experiments were made as to tn
Is effect of fertilizers on plots of land d
r rectly along side of that kept in whea
S, One of these was MANFRED every yea
T. for 10 years with IA tons of stable mar
lie ure to the acre, and averaged 80 bushcl
t, of wheat. Another plot gave the sam
ly average yield (96 bushels) when annual
MANFRED with 400 pounds of sulphate {
e. ammonia On these plots the straw frol
D. that dressed with stable manure average
o. 3400 lbs, per acre, from that manure
s. with the sulphate, 5000 lbs. Anotht
in plot gave 4S bushels Of barley, and $50
n. los. straw with ii tons stable manur
IT. 300 lbs. of superphosphates and 200 ID
lie sulphate Of ammonia gave an equal GRO
r. On plot 10 grass ii tons of stable maj
IT, ure gave 1916 lbs. hay to the acre, viii
k, mixture Of superphosphate, potash al
nd sulphate of ammonia produced 664S ID
is to the acre. These dressings had to
i'm repeated in equal amount every year,
p obtain an eqnal yield. If ommitted, Il
'e- yield fell in two or three years to tn
ty due to the natural strength of the Ian
es, This condition may be produced and e
nd hausted; not so with natural fertilit
81. On the latter depends the stability
u the soil which prevents ruin,-the co
id dition is all that can be taken out By VIII