Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-07-30

ficient natural fertilizinc materials to
keel. every acre of cultivated land rich
in the elements required for the produc-
ton of the various crops grown therein.
There may be at the present time few
exceptions, but they are extremely rare
Where land has become worn and desti-
tute of the elements required for the sup
port of plants foreign elements must be
obtained as starting point or base upon
which to build up fertility OF course
any system of recuperation by what may
be termed natural processes will require
more time than a strictly artificial one,
and man may begin with only portion
Of his land, adding to this area from time
TO time as suits his convenience.
First of all, one OF the cheapest and
most certain methods of restoring fertili
ty is that of plowing under green crops,
such as clover, buckwheat, peas, or some
of the coarse and rank kinds OF grasses.
The plants restore to the soil in their de-
cay Il portion, al least, OF the elements
which have been taken from the soil by
successive cropping In the Northern
States the red clover is considered the
best OF all plants for green Inanuring. but
where this plant does not succeed, almost
any species of variety or the pea may be
used instead la the place of summer
following, or permitting land to lie idle
every alternate year or even for long
err time, as is frequently practiced where
it is very poor, some kind of crop should
be raised for turning under By adopt
ing such system the land would be CON
stantIy improved, and very little, if ans.
special fertilizers would be required at
any time. If the planters in the South
ern States would practice this very SIM
pie and efficient system Of rotation they
could soon save the money which at
present is paid for commercial fertilizers
Lime, plaster, ashes and salt may oc-
casionally be necessary to furnish certain
elements not obtained in the green crops
plowed under; but these are not expen-
sive, nor would they ever be required in
large quantities There is no land which
has ever been cultivated that cannot be
rapidly enriched in this manner, and at
less expense than in applying manure
direct, unless the latter is near at hand
and abundant.
The next most important source OF ma
nure is to be found in our extensive peat
beds or ether vegetable deposits found
near almost every pond and stream
deposits are inc xhaustible. and of meal
culable value, although it appears that
few farmers who own Impoverished up
land adjacent ever think of using this
material for manure Cold, raw muck,
as drawn from the swamps. without any
previous preparation, seldom shows any
beneficial effects the first season, simply
because it is not in condition to be ap-
nj of I,Vr MIA ,rhn
posted with barn-yard manure, ashes,
lime, waste I've from soap factory, in
fact, with almost any substance which
will promote fermentation and decompo-
oition, it soon assumes condition which
renders it available as food for plants
Near any Of our large cities there are
always more or less waste materials
which are of great value for adding TO
the compost heap, and in the country
lime, ashes, or even little fresh stable
manure can usually be obtained TO ex-
cite fermentation in the muck heap. Cot
ton seed, or cotton seed meal, or even
corn meal of the best quality may
be employed for this purpose when
ever a man can afford to pay sixty
dollars per ton for any commercial fer
tilizer. The time to make compost heaps
in the fall or winter as is usually prac-
ticed, because the object is decomposi-
ton, and this takes place more rapidly
in hot than in cool weather The ma
terials used in the compost may be OBJ
tanned when most convenient, but the
principal chemical changes which, in
great measure, give to it its value take
place during warm weather.
nf courSp tharp arp hundreds of othpr
sources of cheap and valuable fertilizers
but these we have named are. as it were
universal and there is no good reason
why they should not be drawn upon to
an unlimited extent and lands which are
now constantly growing poor be made to
produce double what they do at present
and increase in fertility at the same time
If every farmer and planter would pay
more attention to home made fertilizers
and less to the commercial, they would
soon find the products of their farms in
creasing and their. debts decreasing
n. Y. Sun.