The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-02-04
WISCONSIN AGRICULTURAL CON
VENTION.

The meetings of the Wisconsin State
Society, III Madison, last
week, were Of mere than ordinary inter-
est. ) number of able papers on yari-
Gus subjects were read, from which We
select a few of the most important.
The President of the Society, Hon.
Eli Stilson, discussed the question,
CHOW SHALL WE IMPROVE THE AGRICUL-
TURE OF WISCONSIN.
He claimed that agricultural conven-
lions and meetings, where farmers
could profit by others experiences, tend
to promote this result. The improve
ment of the soil and of the stock were
the points especially dwelt upon. by
more thorough cultivation, less acreage
of wheat, more clover, and q liberal use
of manure and plaster, at least 70 per
cent. can be added to the production of
our soil. The average yield Of wheat
has not been more than IA bushels per
acre. An average of % or 80 bushels
can be obtained by the use OF plaster
and clover. The exhaustive system OF
farming is what has brought hard times
on most of our farmers.
us to increase and improve the quality
of our stock. Improvement OF stock
was considered at some length. While
other states have increased the amount
of wool raised 25 per cent, and the
value of their horses and hogs 20 per
cent, our own state has not advanced at
all. The average yield of butter is only
about 100 pounds per COW, and SUI
pounds of cheese. By improving the
common stock of the country by cross
ing with thoroughbreds, and by feeding
milk producing food, this amount might
be largely increased. Instances are
given where much more satisfactory re-
suits have been obtained. By the i'm
provement of our stock alone an amount
might be added to the wealth OF the
state equal to the volume Of wealth of
the recently discovered deposits of sill
yer.
CULTIVATION.
Prof. Daniels, of the State UniYer-
sity, read a paper on Cultivation, It's
Objects and Methods" In all the
operations of the cultivation of crops,
the soil, he said, must be regarded as
the source from which plant food can be
obtained. Much is drawn from the at
mosphere, but this is beyond the con-
troll Of human agency. The mineral
constituents of plants are stored up in
the soil, and to increase these and make
them available is the main object of
cultivation Soil is rock, decomposed
by the action of natural forces. On this
disintegrated rock, plants have grown,
and, becoming incorporated with it as
organic matter, have formed the ..arable
soil we till.
The ash ingredients and nitrogen
compound (the mineral matter) form
but a small portion of plants; these are
taken up into the plant by the roots.
These ingredients are present in the
soil. mainly in the form of rock, and the
mechanical operations of cultivation are
designed to reduce them to form suit
able to promote plant growth. By fine
y pulverizing the soil the conditions
lest suited to changing the mineral to a
suitable form is obtained. The natural
gents, ar, heat, frost and water, eharg
ID with carbonic acid, effect this change.
These agents act only on the surface of
The particles OF the soil, and in proper
ton as the soil is more nInutely pulv-
erized the greater the surface to be att
ed upon, and the more rapid and free
the solvent action is carried on. In
clay soils the solving power of these
agents is prevented by the compact form
of these particles, hence porosity and
ightness of soil are essential to q rapid
solution of the mineral elements. Cul-
tivation then is the preparation of food
for the digestive organs of the plant.
These natural forces are at work con-
tinually, and the farmer should add to
their efficiency by making the soil light,
porous and thoroughly pulverized.
Thorough cultivation also increases the
absorbing power of the soil and of con-
densing moisture and gases from the
atmosphere. These are also attracted
by the surface of the particles and are
there held in proportion to the amount
of surface on which condensation can
take place. Soil in good condition con-
tains no water as such, but it isheld In
its pores. By the agency of capillary
attraction moisture is brought up
through these pores from the subsoil, to
replace the loss by the evaporation from
the surface soil and the growing plants
by the heats of summer. This action is
facilitated by thorough cultivation and
thus injury from drouth prevented.
A minute subdivision of the particles
of the soil increases its power 10 absorb
the ammonia and nitric acid conveyed
to the ground by rain and the solid mat
ter held in solution by water; these are
attracted by the surface of the particles
of the soil as the water percolates
through it, and held for plant food in
amount in proportion to the thorough
ness of the disintegration.
The effect of manure applied to the
soil is to promote the growth of vegeta-
ton by furnishing material which enters
directly into the structure of the plant;
to improve the texture of the soil itself,
making it light and porous. giving the
same result as thorough tillage; it also
aids in the decomposition of organic
matter In the soil, and furnishes carbon
ic acid gas, a powerful solvent of the
mineral constituents necessary to plant
life, and increases its power of absorb
ing and retaining moisture and fertiliz-
ing matter. To attain the most bene-
fetal results it should be well mixed
with the soil and accompanied with
pulyerizatiOn.