The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-10-08
for the farmer.
srnEADING MANURE IN AUTUMN.

Under the above head, R. Goodman says, "Yon
s.artIe New England farmers by the advice of
Mr. Thomas to CayRga County farmers, to spread
t3eir manure for spring planting m the fall IL
is the general superstition with us, and praeiised
upon that by so doing the best part of the ma
uure will be washed away, but il put ON just be-
fore planting, and then plowed and narrowed IN,
all the good of the manure will be retained;
and do not know farmer of my ae-
abundance in Massachusetts, or Connecticut who |
wonld not think it wasteful farming to spread |
manure in the fall Oh land to be plowed in the |
spring"
Mr.. Goedman's article is followed by editorial
remarks. which 20 to show very clearly that the |
loss if any, can be but triiing and gives two rea-
sons why autumn Banuring isbetfer thah sprung |
1st its accOFls with experience aud "a IL agrees
with theory.
1t 10 be presumed that great majority oil
our farmers entertain the opinion IN TINS
matter that Mr.. G. has expressed. Whether tnls
opinion is correct or not is praeheail! NAE
of great consequence in the aggregate 10 'ne l''i
ming community. i believe MI. lhoihas 10 GU
rsct in his advice TO Cayuga County farmers aha
whatever course in this method OF applying
nanur. is pro6tabIe to the farmers OF that Conn
ty, will also be found eqnaI! 80 W 'ne ia'inoi'
of other counties and States
I, il Int about dozen years since the quality
of clayey and Ioamy soils for combining with,
and retaining the fertilzing ingredients of ma
,Iures has been theroug hly investigated and rIgh-
tIy understood even by the scientific.
Professor Licbig, in his Modern Agriculture,
says:
wonderful phenomenon, which more con
founds all human wisdom, than is presented by
the soil of a garden field. By the simplest ex-
pertinent, any one may satisfy himself that ram
water filtered through field or garden soil does
not dissolve ont trace of potash, sllicc acld,
ammonia or phosphoric acid. The soil does not
Give M to the water particle of the food OF
plants which it cuntains The most continuous
rains cannot remove from the field, except me
chanically, any of the essential CONSTITUENTS Vi
its fertility"
ssTbe soil not only retains firmly all the food
of plants which is actually in it, but its power to
preserve all that may be useful to them extends
much further. If rain, other water holding IN
solution ammonia, potash, phosphoTic and silIcic
acids be brought in contact with soil, these sub
stances disappear almost immediately from the
solution; the soil withilraws them from the wat
er Only such substances are completely with
drawn by the soil as Indispensable articles OF
food for plants all others remain wholly OF IN
part in solution" :,
the millions of acres of fertile prairie land wona
have been as barren the sands OF cape Cod
And the fertility of the alluviaI soil bordering on
the Nile would have had its fertility icached OUT
nv the annual OVERLOOKING al that river, Ihous-
- ,.s,,,.s L.forc the SONS of Jacob went TO
Egynt 20 nurchase corn and that, according to
Biblical chronology, was 3,ooo years ago ine'e
has been an annual overlooking oil the same iahd
aver since and vet these $500 and odd freshets
Rove NOT lessened the fertility OF the soli-they
are as productive as in the time OF the INA
raohs. .,.,
Tbousands of onr swamps have been saturated
,v;tb ,r,tar most of the time-"eyer since the
fooJn-yet drain them throw up the muck, SOW
oats or grass seed aud such Is the fertility OF
these water soaked soils, that they VIII yield as
heavy crops can be grown by the use OF farm
ward manure. The feTtilizing ingredients OF u
rich aiIuvial soil, swamps muck, aud stable or
other animal manure, are ldentlcal-wlth TINS
difference, these feTtIzing ingredients IN the ma
ha lpocbpf but not
the soil. Now if the farmer applies his farm
manure to grass land in autumn, the ram and
melting SHOWS will leach ont large portion of
the manures. These, before the spring plowIng
will have mostly soaked into the soils, which sell
yes upon and retains them as miser does his
gold; and the soil will not part with them only
to growing crops and the crucible OF the chemist
Scores of facts aud experiments might be cited
to prove the correctness of Mr.. Thomass advice.
This power of absorption in soils was publish
ed by Professor Way, in 1850, he having expert
mented largely, by tiltering the foul water from
the sewers of London, and fetid water in which
flax had been stepped putrid urin, &c. 1t was
found that when three f0urths sand and one
fourth white clay, in powder, were placed IN Jars
to the depth of six inches, the foul liquids came
through the filter free from smell, and scarcely
10 be distinguished from ordinary water. But to
make a short story of this matter, it was discOv-
cred that the clay or aluminous portions OF soils
possess the power of chemically combining with
not only the gaseous compounds of accomplishing
animal matter. but also with the alkalies, am
monia, potash, soda, Phosphates magnesia, &c;
This" said Professor Way, lis wonderful
property of SOIL and appears to be an express
opinion ofnature. A power is here found to re-
side in soils by virtue of which, not only is rain
unable TO wash out of them those soluble ingre-
<lients forming necessary condition of vegeta-
ton; but even these compounds, when introduced
artifCially by manureS, are laid hold of and fixed
in the SOIL to the absolute preclusion either by
rain or evaporation"
Mr.. Charles Lawrence, an eminent English
agreulturist about that time stated in the Lon
don Agricultural Ga-etts that autumnal manu-
ring, immediately followed and covered by the
pillow, is the most valuable discovery perhaps, in
its results, for which agriculture has been indeb
ted to science. This statement founded
npon the then recently published experiments of
Professor Way, who, he says, .'has clearly eStab-
Iished the fact that the soil has the peculiar pro-
perry of absorbing aud appropriating all those
elements of manure intermixed with it, which
are essential to the growth of plants"
Most of the farmers in this section plow their
green sward in autumn, to be planted in the
spring with corn. They cart out their manure
in the fall, and place it i'll large heaps on OF near
the plowed field. In the spring RELOAD the ma
nure, lay it ont in heaps, spread and harrow in.
1t is no trifing job to reload an hundred loads
of manure next spring, and cart it over the fur
rows, which much more soft in the spring;
besides, it is usually busy season with farmers,
and their teams are not then usually in as good |
working order they are in the fall
If the farmer has manure to draw out in au-
tumn, and wishes TO inyert his green sod at that
season Of the year, it is my opinion the better |
way is TO first pillow, then cart OH the manure, |
spread II and harrow in. If he does not wish to |
"break mp" till spring, then cart and spread the
manure on the grass lands intended for spring |
plowing. If the manure is intended for grain or |
corn stubble, then apply it in the fall, and pillow |
in shallow.
If there is any reliance to he placed on the state
ments OF Professors Lebig and Way, and those |
of John Johnston and hundreds of other good |
practical farmers, there will no loss of manure |
arise from autumnal manuring, but much saving |
of money, for with the farmer time is money!
Cor. Country Gentleman.
EounE Fruis Trees i'm Autumn
Many trees set out within the past two years |