The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-04-10


Then the tbreefold supply from the air
will lie 9-and the total amount of pro-
ductiveness u. Let US further suppose
that we reduce the fertility in our
soil to 1, las am afraid we have already
done,) then the threefold supply from
the air will be 3, and the total amount
of productiveness will be f. Let Us 20
back to the original supposed productive
ness of the soil 5, and reverse the calcu-
lation. Say by manuring and better
tillage we bring fertility in our soil from
up to l0-the threefold supply from
the air will give 80, and total amount of
productiveness will be 40 Raise fertility
in tho soil, once more, from 10 to 20 and
the threefold supply from the air be>
comes 60 and the total amount of pro-
ductiveness of crop viii be go "Under
which King BenzonianY' speak or die.
If any should ask why this certain uH-
varying proportion of supply of plant4
food from earth and air, we simply
answer it is one of Gods laws, to accom>
plish great and good ends for his creat~
ures on the earth, and should we add
our own belief as to why this division OF
proportions, we would say that the Great
| Giver of all good gifts knowing how dis
tructive and untrustwOrthy this animal
called man would be, wisely placed the
threefold proportion of essentials to plant
life (snd consequently the life of all
animated existence dependant up the
soil, IN an element beyond his reach or
capacity to iyure, but made him a free
agent with the consequences attendant
upon such a position, in regard to the
fold supply of plant food in the earth.
Should he as an unfaithful steward
destroy, CT even fail to increase the one
talent" committed to his care, so should
he suffer the consequences in regard to
the threefOld loss, and be deemed an
incompetent and flithless steward. But
returning to the subject all we can say
with certainty is that plant vigorously
started by rich soil, feeds much more
oAA htSOSO APOh SAO
abundant storehouse of the air, than
sickly delicate offspring of poverty
stricken soil, that has scarcely life
sufficient to raise its head towards heav-
en-, and imbibe the life giving food await
ing its appropriation. Messrs. Editors,
again fear my article is growing longer
than it should be, but since have writ
! ten the above, most admirable article
has come to hand that think you could
do no better service to your many read
ers than to publish. 1t is an article
written by Prof E. NJ Pendleton, of the
University ofGeorgia. The article gives
deductions made from actual and well
considered experiments In that portion
of his tr realise relative TO vegetable ma
nures he thus writes:
The importance Of vegetable mould to
! be used an conjunction 1Cith fertilizers
was tested as follows: One row with
enough mould from the woods to half fill
the furrow, with ammoniated phosphate
at the rate of 900 lbs. per acre, made
900 lbs of seed cotton. The fertilizer
with the mould made 742 lbs; the natur-
al soil, 432 lbs The fertilizer with the
vegetable mould, made 12S per cent, on
production without it, only II per cent !;
showing that the presence of organic
matter in soil adds much TO its produc
ton when fertilizers are used
| The importance of outstanding the
vegetable matter of the soil, cannot be
impressed too often or too deeply on the
oultivators of the soil Where a good
crop of grass, weeds or of pea-vines or
other plants have decayed in soil, there
| is enough of all the mineral substances
left IN an available condition, except
phosphoIic acid, to make a fair crop of
any of the farm products. One thousand
lbs of grass decOmposed in the soil will
furnish four times as much potash as
will be required to make one thousand
pounds of corn or wheat, and half
enough phOsphoric acid, with quite an
overplus Of all the other mineral subs
stances. The straw of the cereals will
furnish more than enough of every one
of them except magnesia and phosp horic
acid nearly enough of the former, and
one fourth enough of the latter To
; make peas there are enough of all the
minerals in grass, with quite an over
plus, except phOspOric acid Just hall
enough of this, and double the amount
of potash. Pea vines furnish a superb
bundance of potash and lime, to make
both corn aud peas, in fact of every
mineral substance except phosporic acid
There is about half enough of this to
supply the demand. There is suficien
CIV in grass to make the seed and fibre Of
cotton, of all these substances except
maguesia and phosphoric acid. The
stalks of cotton will also furnish enough
of all the mineral food except potash
magnesia and phOsphoric acid. These
three are quite deficient Thus allowing
that the stalks of cotton left in q field
weigh as much as the seed taken from
them, for every thousand pounds there
will be taken away eight pounds OIL
phosphoric acid in the seed, more thar
is left In the stalk; ten pounds of potash
and six pounds of magnesia And when
it is remembered under our system oil
|, clean culture, the cotton stalk is about
E all the organic matter left in the field
and the cattle take off good portion Of
this during the winter, it is not wonder.
full that our lands deteriOrate, our crops
: rust and purses remain empty. The in
{ ference is clear from the above facts
that good crop of grass and weeds, Of
other vege. able matter covered In TIT
! soil and properly decomposed, viii
furnish suflciency of all the mipera
substances, to make good crop of corn
cotton or peas, except phosphorie acid
That piece of land run in cotton for
number of years, will rapidly be depriv-
4 ed, not only of its nitrogen, but its phos-
phOric acid, and gradually of its potash
r and its magnesia That in a system o
rational agriculture, it is quite as impor
, tant to husband the organic matter of the
: soil, as it is to apply fertilizers of an,
! kind That one of she most importan