The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-08-20
FARM AND HOME.
Theory vs.. Practice.
Country Gentleman.

a APPLICATION OF Manure, uses some Eret>
'y strong language conce rning the tbeo-
RES and practice of farmers generally at
the present day. We who till the soil
81" not like such raspins, either from one
OF the guild, or from an outsider and
1t IL not little tempting to use some
strong language in response thereto. If
H. ). A had happily enjoyed an expert
ence, or even an observation of an hum
dred years, it is far more likely thu,
otherwise that he would have learned
there are very many things one needs to
unIearn to get at the real KNOWLEDGE Of
natures laws, and proper Cooperation
on our part. IL is quite certain that az.
rieulsure has made very fair progress
curing the century past-that some new
IDEAS OF small value have been learned
as wei as some old ideas unlearned be
many to their decided advantage.
1t ls-no longer a question of interest
whether deep or shallow blowing is tbv
pest, whether a rotation or successive
crops OF the same kind are the most wise
whether it viii pay to purchase com.
mercial fertilizers or not-wbetber Il i
Tor profit to underdrain or otherwise FIR
these aud a score of other ouestione Of
the former times have become settled
and the intelligent tiller of the soil will
now admit that the true answer ia gov-
erned wholly by the attending eircum.
stances. A neighbor, who is emineptIv
practical-m we'll skilled in tillipg the
SOIL, and elear-headed and successful
"lthai, has repeatedly told me that some.
tunes 1t seems as if one way is best. and
sometimes another; that the same rreat-
ment and the same soil will bring a DIFF
ierent result one time from another that
no" one may gather fine crop with
Aght manuring, and then perhaps a poor
crop with heavy man uring-in fine. the
best way is not to be learned from hooks
nor from any one man, ncr to be learned
IN the experience of an ordinary lifetime
After an experience of more than
twenty years, and the reading of manv
DOCKS, were | to give q summary of NV
views upon the theories and practice of
agricuiturists, it would simply be that
they are gathering useful KNOWLEDGE
daily through the slow process of innum
cradle experiences of a " ideIv varied
character, and results. conflicting. Guncer.
tain and irregular. In mathematics
twice two,a are are four, but in agriculture
three successive failures of the wheat
crop, though is broke thousands of farm,
ers financially. did not break their belle
in4 the wheat crop paying to grow. And
mus to~day we find. good farmers grow
ing the. wheat on fertile lands of the
west, where no other crop affords the
same profit. = 1t certainly makes some
difference whether good, tillable land can
be- bought, fOriten dollars per acre, or
whether it. costs one hundred, or five
hundred, as.with US /; and where q farms
er can pay for: his land with one good
crop, he is apt to think that crop paws
him pretty we'll
he theory of rotation of crops is an
excellent: one, and yet it is not ADAPTED
to every region or locality. Under drain
ing is an excellent practice where land
pays to till az the value ots,two hundred
dOlars.per acre, but with the land at 50
per acre it you'd BE very unwise prac>
tice in its general result There is no
doubt that deep blowing is very servicaa-
bic to soma land, and to others it is rath :
er injurious-thc character of the SUBJ
soil or underlying stratum must deter>
mine the question of its fitness, and no
ruls that is invariable will ever be held
as good practice AS to the applcatio
of manure. l.. s. A Ihas some good rea>
sons upon which to found his opinion,
and yet after having tried various meth
DDS and finding each one to have some
advantage, am at q loss to clearly de-
termine which is the best. A proper
composing saves all blowing under
fresh made manure saves all but these
are attended with much labor or some in>
convenience, as is also the application of
liquid manuring, which gives the the
quickest and most perceptible results,
Tep>dressing and commercial fertiliz-
ers rothe reader meth DDS of manuring,
and if the season is not unduly dry, the
general results are very salts factory un-
der our practice and observation. No
donbt some loss .ensues by surface ma
nuring with rich stable or yard manure
the mechanical advantage derived by its
,mulching character, and its incorporation
with tho surface soil, aiding to keep II
porous, is considerable, and the loss
seems to be about fnlly compensated for.
AS commercial fertilizers are mainly
used in Eis section to speed the crop, or
in connection with other manUres to
strengthen them, it is not within the
writer's power to deal with them indie,
pendent but the profit of their applica'
ton will always depend wholly upor
their relative cost. For instance the GU.
ano we are now getting (puro guana) a
cost of $50 to SO per ton, do not con
slider to be worth the money, at the pres
ent price of produce; the article is to,
dear for such low grade.
As to whether the table land AROUND
the Capital is GROWING Doorer merriam,