Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-10
FARM AND GARDEN.
THE STUDY OF RURAL AFFAIR


THE STUDY OF RURAL AFFAIRS.
Young men, and especially young
farmers, should study rural affairs.
When the Roman Senate decreed that
the city of Carthage should be burnt
and utterly destroyed, it wisely saved
from the general ConfiagratiOn all
books which treated on agriculture.
According to Herodotus, the Cartha-
genians, Egyptians, and several other
nations IN Africa, were distinguished
for their skill IN farming, raising from
their irrigated and well-hoed grain
Eelds from 200 to $50 bushels from one
of seed planted. The province of
Babylon. in the valley of the Euphra-
ties, produced 200 fold, according to
the same historian.
We read in the Bible that Isaac, the
son of Abraham, raised an hundred
fold" that is 100 bushels of wheat
from one of seed. In the New Tesla
ment We not only find salt spoken of
which is mot fit for the dungheap,"
but plain allusion to some seed fall
ing on good ground that returns 100
fold to the husbar.dman.
A late number Of the Saa Francisco
Bulletin says: THE season has not
been as favorable as many preceding
ones for TILE land farmers; such lands
are generally turned to better account
in dry seasons. But there has been a
greater breadth Of tule land sown to
wheat and barley than last year.
The average production of these
lands this year will be double
that of ordinary uplands. Some
of the estimates place the wheat
crop ON tule lands as high as seventy
bushels an acre These are not ex-
traordlnary and exceptional crops.
Between Sept. u, 1873 and June .,
1874, eat4reo1-riia shipped 10 Liverpool
10000 barrels of -four in addition to
all her wheat exported. In the preced-
ing year, less than 5000 barrels Of
flour were sent abroad foroonsumption
These facts show the rapiddevelopment
of large milling interest.
As tule lands and some others
possess great fertility, We may
state a few facts illustrative of
the intrinsic value of manures for
growing wheat. corn and cotton.
Mr.. Joseph Harris, Of the Anlerican
1gricuItUrjst, one Of the few close stu
dents of agriculture in the United
States, estimates the manure made
from a ton Of wheat-straw IS worth
Sos. As the staw is dry, and the ma
nure may contain 50 per cent. or more
of water, three or four tons Of stable
droppings come from a ton Of. straw Ia
king wheat-straw as a unit at the above
price, the manure from a ton Of bay,
good meadow hay Is worth S6.43; from
a ton Of clover hay S9.64 from a ton Of
corn S645; from ton Of Canda peas
SI3.3S.
What any fertilizer is worth 10 a
farmer depends on what he can
obtain for the crop raised by
the use Of the manure.
As this is very uncertain, the above fig
ures are instructive only as showing
the relative value of straw, hay, corn,
clover and peas for all fertilizing pur-
poses. The very practical question
now arises, why a ton Of clover hay is
worth about a ton and half OF corn
for manure. and over three tons of
wheat straw: Three hundred pounds
Of straw contain only small fraction
over one pound of organized nitrogen
TO form rich manure when the straw
rots or is consumed by stock; while
three hundred pounds Of clover hay
contains seven pounds of nitrogen to
serve as rich plant-food when the hay
is dccomposed.
Estimated by the relative quantities
Of assimilative nitrogen and phosphoric
acid IN straw and clover, both dry,
loo pounds of clover are worth at
least ioOpoundsof wheat straw. Ahorse
eating the best clover hay, which must
be free from dust and cut early, gets
more muscle forming elements in 100
pounds IF such hay than in consuming
a lIka weight IF corn. Hence if 1000
pounds Of corn yield fertilizer worth
S6.t5. 1000 pounds of clover will give a
fertilizer worth 1851 Our cornf ia
peas and beans are richer than clover
in nitrogen, and yield manure worth
SIS.3S TO the ton Of dry peas or beans
consumed.
The value of these Iegumes as fer
ulizers has been demonstrated in farm
practice for unknown ages: while chem
cal analysis and careful experiments
for forty years IN the use Of all their
separate constituents tell MS what ele-
ments are most needed for manure, and
what are 50 abundant and available
elsewhere in nature as to be Of little
worth u the student farmer.
Most readers can see that there is a
wide difference between 100 pounds Of
good whea. and loo pounds Of good
wheat-straN f"rmaEing flour anibread
hut msny f1i t" understand yLy
on pound # wheat Is worth FIVE Of
stu t. fertiliLe the ground The
growing wheat plant cannot draw its