The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-09
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Can Land be Mace too Rich.

10 VI VIC iutcItSt Ill the investment,
The other the disproportion be-
tween the soil proper and the manure
added, the manure overbalancing 1t.
mus, III clear manure, crops cannot be
raised. The exact proportion of man.
ure IN any soil, to give it it's highest
efficiency, it is difficult to determine.
As soils differ so much, and as analysis
IS not satisfactory, test must be the re-
lance. An ordinary soil, long in use,
principally by the piow, VIII bear o
large amount of barnyard manure,
which is the hest that can be applied,
as it contains all the ingredients of the
plant. This mixed (of course thorough
ly) with the soil, should be well rotted,
so as to work more advantageousIy. Iii
makes the soil light, puffy, it VIII not
do. Soil requires a certain degree of
compactness, hugging the roots of the
plant, and preventing its dying out
This is its mechanical quality, and ia
important. Having sufficient weight
and coinpactnees, we never have known
land male too rich by barnyard OIL stable
man lie alone. In our practice with
various amounts of manure of this
ence. And this pays probably the best,
as 1t gives the largest yield and the
surest crops, with not an excess of man.
ure, safc only as it benefits the me-
chanicd and other properties of the
soil. Manure makes warmth, attracts
and retains moisture, mellows the soil,
keeps IL mellow, 50 as to invite in the
air, and prevents the frost from acting
so severely; ard such land, with good
drainage below, passes off the surplus
wafer more readily-hence the land to
withstand both wet and the drought.
All these are important properties,
which the manure-barnyard manure
is the nain agent in securing. Thus
not only fertility is to be aimed at
there wants something considerable be
sides. 1t is not therefore loss of in
terest to have soil highly charged
with manure, as high say as it will bear,
above which to apply it would be no
benefit, but rather burt, the point to
guide US being that there is a sufficient
proportion of clay and sand TO give that
weight and compactness necessary to
the best condition of growth. But this
wealth should not he carried too deep
only as far as necessary to full root
bed. This IN trees and shrubs of course
will require more depth, but then also
less wealth. SO the grasses need COM
paratiyely a Thin layer, a few inches
sufiicing. The grains require perhaps
little moro. Corn will do better, with
more depth, as Ill the deeply rich soil
of bottom lands. The same in the case
with clover and with root crops. Wheat
will bear six to eight inches depth.
The same soil will not do for grass and
for trees, 10; for grain and q root. crop
not but that the grain would do we'll,
but it would do equally well on loss
depth. The best root crop we ever
knew was one of carrots. Were rotten
horse manure "a heavy coat was turned
down to the full capacity of tho pillow.
The weight of the growth was the latter
part OF the season. when the manure
was fully reached and fed upon. Had
the upper part of the land been equally
well enriched, there would doubtless
have been still better crop.
l have never experimental in this re-
spect with concentrated fertilizers,
such as hen dung, human excrements,
bone dust, &c, but l presume with a
well balanced basis of clay and sand,
a large quantity may be used Is advan-
tage where the soil has been badly run
and is in a Low condition. The growth
here could unquestionably be made i'm
mense, with coarse, puffy straw and
light berry; but even if a maximum
crop of good quality could be obtained,
the expense would be too great to make
it paying operation. 1t would take
years to get the benefit, whereas less
manure would doubtless have realized
the same yield. Thus there is loss of
the use of pant of the manure, rs in
our deep, rich soils OF the valleys,
which have depth enough to make
several spreads of rich soil.
The rule as to the degree Of fertility
should be the greatest yield, quality
being good. TINS necessarily requires
a surplus over what is wanted for one
or several crops. This is wanted to
keep good the mechanical and other
conditions Ct the soil. The point is to
keep ut the surface or where The roots
are, and not waste by burying below
1uS piuptI bSAtuic tWClSue uflu COm-
pactness,) and full maximum yield Of
good quality, should be the additional
pc hts held ia view. Then whatever
manure is applied will be of use, and
Immediately, and work to advantage
there is nothing dead or dormant.
A test as to whether the soil has at
tanned it's highest efficiency will be
found in the application of special
manure, such as bone dust for instance,
ashes or lime, or any one or more soil
ingredients If these have an effect, it
shows the soil has not yet reached its
highest point of fertility. But in this
est, all the necessary constituents of a
properly balanced soil must be present.
LIZ all are present ami to the full extent,
any special manure will fail in argu-
mentiBg the crop; it will rather hurt it.
CIR. Country Gentleman.