Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-02-02
State Board Of Agriculture.
MEETING AT BURLINGTON. JASUART p AND
%. 1872.


Crops.
PAPER 81 PROF. 5. y. JOHNSON.
Prof. Johnson said that 10 agricultural opers-
tons on an extensive scale, rotation mss long
been practiced and Is indispensable to the beat
success We md in Nature tendency to rota-
ton. Theosk forests Of Charlemagne's time are
now forests Of pine When the spruces Of the
Adirondack woods are destroyed, the white
poplar takes their places. Ia new countries AMI
IN primitive stages Of agriculture, he effect on
rotation is secured by cultiyating the ground Ter
a time, and Leaving It vacant Tor time As
population increases aud agriculture progresses,
it becomes necessary 10 to Till the same ne.d al
the time, and experience soon shows that II VIII
not do as a general rule TO r5ise the same crop
on the ssme spot al the tine. Yet there are e.
eeptions which prove thst 1t not impossible 10
raise the same crop on the sane soil, and with
out manure, indefinitely Barley hiss been
thus raised in Greece as the zane fields for 1000
years. Some Of the systeRs Of rotation are very
old. The three course system, one year OF failoT,
one Of winter grain and one Of summer gram,
was in vogue in the days Of Chsrlemague- 1t
ruled Europe for 1000 year,, and is still pTac-
ticei to some extent. An important change Vas
msde BY tie introduction Of Tire cultivation O.
forage plants. This is comparatively Of modern
dste The clover has been oaiy known $50
years and the cultivation Of this class OF P ants
only dates back 100 10 $50 yesrs. In Engani.
which has been more benefited and vicumizei
By systems Of rotation, than any other country,
the Norfolk, f1ur-ye1r system, has ruled 10
large par, Of the country There Is an improved
Norfolk system, 4 five year system, and there
hsve been ten and twelve year systems in use.
10 aging down the principles Of Rotation,
We must consider the differences in plants,
which adapt them 70 succeed each other
Plants differ in their ways OF feeding, 81 much
as suimals They differ in the structure oil;
the leaves and in the structure q their rc0ts
We divide plants, IN general way, into two
clssses, thote with prongei roots branching from
close below the surface, as grass plants ; and
plants with tap-.ooJs, like the tobacco, app e.
tree, SC, having roots which 20 straight down
for some distance aal then branch ont below.
Our grains are sta.l0w-r01-ei, while clover is
deep-ro0tgi, having roots twice IS long ss wheat.
OF course the length Of roots varies il different
soils, the roots keeping near the surfase in rich
coils while in sand. roots Of indian corn have
been traced ten feet.
Far too little attention has been given. esp
oislly in this country, 70 investigations Of roots
Of plautg Though all the expense We put on
tillsge Of the soil goes into the roots which alone
take up the mineral matters that enter into the
composition Of the crop, you can 90 the couu-
try through, and not fud man who can give
you definite information, as 10 the comparative
weight and composition Of the roots Of our staple
crops. In Germany more attention has been
given TO this mat,er. Professor johnson e1hib-
tied table sh0sing the results Of some careful
experiments in Germany nste to determine the
c1mpsr stive weight and ingredients Of the roots
Of 50 he
Of both vegetable and mineral matters IN the
roots Of clover, IN a. average crop. On given
quantity Of land, "a double the weight OF the
roots Of rye, AID treble the weight Of the roots
Of wheat, barley Snt buck-Wheat. \ crop o.
clover consequently returns 10 the soil iJrics as
much mineral matters, E1ch IS line, potssh,
rulpauric and phosphoric SSH, as the crop o.,
rye.
Plants differ also greatly in the action Of tie
roots on the sol. This vas shown By 4 series Of
experiments in Germany. Equal quantities q
a s0i. made by mixing pulverized sandstone alI
bAsslt washed TO extract al soluble matter,
were useI Different crops were soWn, the sur
face being kept covered with cotton batting TO
keep out dust. After the crop vss raised the
plants we're taken and burned, the sshes weighed
and analysed, and the soil analysed. Ia every
case it HaE found that there Ess great increase
the action Of roots N the coil sni it VS. found
that come plants made t'rice a. much Of soluble
uatter as others
Plants differ IN the structure q their leaves,
the main division being into large-le.yed aut
smSll-.eayei plants Clover has s great surface
Of leaves, wheat comparatively little. The
leaves sre generally greater in root crops than
in grain crops.
Plants differ greatly in the amount Of material
they appropriate from the air. The amount 60
taken IS larger than many suppose. In & bushel
Of wheat, Of sixty pounis, ffty-eight pounds
have come from the sir, and but two pounds
from tie sol. Some plants get nitrogen from
the atmosphere, while others 10 not Clover
will b. " nitridcaton take l27 pounds Of nit
r0seu TO the acre, where wheat takes forty-ive
pounds. Turnips viii help themselves where
wheat will stsrge
Different plants make different absolute de-
msnds on the sol. All must get from it potash.
lime sulphuric acid, ph0sphoric acid, and NJ
trogen but they take these in different propor-
tons. Some Of these differences were Illustrated
II tables, showing the results Of experiments.
Some plants IN ripening the seed draw largely
on the materials which have been stored n the
roots. The root ofrye diminishes third from
the heading out TO The time Of cutting. while the
root OF clover Increases s third in the same
period.
crop ofrJeor wheat. takes from the soil. IN
It's stalk and seed, fourteen times AZ much Of
materials IS it leaves 10 the root While crop
OF clover, harvested, takes away but half &c
much as It leaves 10 help make smother croD
4 crop o. clover grown snd all ploughei ia,
Will generally furnish nitrogen. potash, &c, for
succeeding crop Of Whes;, cheaper th.u by
u'lng fertilizers The German who discovered
thus great value Of clover as a preparation for
other crops, was ennoblei By the government
As general rule it is well to alternate
oere'ls with clover or forage plants, and hoei
crops With those s0Nei broadcast. But there
Is no h1ed rule Of rotation. Where fertilizers
are cheap rotation may not be needed Where
glover viii not grow, buckwheat or sowed corn
VIII answer SIS substitute. The lupine. not
grown IN this country, but much used .bro,i
is extremely valuable in improving sandy AMI
barren soils.
At the elose Of his lecture Prof johnson wa
''ked il swamp muck was likely to be beneficial
% heAvy clay land. His answer was that
nanuring is generally thrown sway on vet
LAY. If muck can be applied so as to help to /
AIRY of the water, it may be useful bat the
ame amount Of money spent in UNDERTAKINGS
commonly better. In answer to another
question Prof said th.t lime has reclaimed nora
'orthle'S land than ell other meSns put together.
ie mentioned cases Of the kind in Pennsvlv,pi,
nd knew Of no reason Why lime would no, bs
& beneficial on worn out lands in New Euyi.n5
should be given in small doses, and repsst
he dose Too much lime may make . mort,r-
ed Of the 6eld
oAfAkAriYE VALUE OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
The paper on Commercial Fertilizers. read BY
rot Collier, on the last evening Of the meeting
the Board Of Agriculture. wss one Of i'm
lense practical importance to farmers, because
embodied the results Of careful analyses Of a
lumber Of the fertilizers most in vogue, by
thoroughly competent chemist. Prof. Golfers
able, copied below, Shovs that our farmers are
hro"ing away good deal Of money. Not tia,
hey are not improving their crops By the use
fertilizers, but they are paying sltogetber
DO much FOR some Of them in proportion to
heir value. Probably thousand tons of these
'rtilizsrs will be sold in Vermont this ye.r.
De. to the farmers Of $50, goo to ss5. OOo whom
he sane amount Of phosphates ouzh; to he
ought for half that money
PROF. GOLFERS PAPER
Mr. Collier said that the application OF chem
try to agriculture is OF comparatively recent
ate The fret work On agricultural chemistry
ss written by Scotch nobleman in 1895. As
ne as 1850, a prize Was offered for the solution
the question whether mineral matters in the
III are OF consequence to the plant. Tie ashes
plsat represent the mineral matters which
lter into its composition. AnalyziDg them We
nd them to consist chiefly of potash and phos-
horic acid. Now If we can return to the soil
! much Of these substances az we take from it
! our crops. We shall hold our own. English
atistics show that the crops Of that country
Ike from the soil each yesr 80. 900 tons Of phos-
horic acid, and that 25 900 tons Of phosphorus