Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1875-11-25
'7f'XMOND CITY, NJ .r, NoVEMnIER Is, 1875.
THOUGHTS voE PROGRESSIVE FARmEs

|
| The long looked for hard times have cene
in the lpore active business world; at l6st,
SUSPENSIONS assignments, and failuresflre
occurring on all hands, and generally arDng
the most active trading class of men. Nose
who were the richest in their own anl5ub-
llic ESTIMATION, and who were consr Aig.
! trade, and arrogating to themselves breat
power and wealth are now not unfreqltntly
the poorest, the most utterly brokep and
PROSTATE.
n This condition Of things has callstl the
prudent business man to look aroufl and
think Of the effect it is to have on trad.
The farmers have the greatest buthen of
taxes to pay, and the national detfto dig
out of the ground-for there is u other
place to getit from-all wealth haso come
from that source.
While on an extended tour along the
farmers Of Northern Kentucky IFas often
questionedas to the duty Of the brangers.
My answerwas, educate yourselyd as to the
nature Of your soils. Let there Ii read be-
foreeach Grange, essays on soils strops and
finance. Let each member comn&nce prac-
tising the most rigid economy, an train UP
your sons to look OIL farming as allonorable
occupation, and that farming sho5d stand at
the head of all professions. Subscribe for
agricultural journals, read them, sld explain
| to- your sons the great feldof Knowledge to
be gained by a practical Life spe8t amid the
details Of stock raising. the Cultivation o1
fruits, field crops, and learning Sae nature Of
the varioussoils. Every farmd should pos
sess some general knowledge ofsois and the
nature of plants, in order thai he may 50
adapt these to the several sort Of soils, and
thus secure the best results. Here, indeed
is to be found a most importatt, not to say
indispensable part.of the farber's training
and without Information sucs us that her,
referred TO, tile greatest care fnd labor vii
often proveof little avail. According to a
obvious law of nature, every Fpecies of plan
flourishes best and attains tie most speed.
and perfect development infhat description
of soil which ismost congenal to its peculia
nature and habits Of grown. So intimate
indeed, is the relation suSsisting betweel
soils and the vegetation hey, sustain, tina
the agricultural chemist isenabled to ascer
tain the character Of the timber spontane
ously produced by soil, md also, in a lik
! manner, hecan Immediately decide as to tn,
value of that same earthHor cultivation, q
regards anything that mag be named.
ALondon gourmand WILL tell in what par
ish OF shire the mutton N is eating was bred
whether on the chalk hills or on the downs
The wine faster willtell you where the grape
grew that the wine was prepared from, an
the nature and composition of thesoil.
The principal soils ary silica, sand or cart
Of 1iints, lime or clay, magnesia, a minera
substance; with these Ee blended vegetabl
or animal matter in a dcompOsed andcOm
posed state, and salineacid or alkaline com
binatons. The NATURE of silica or sand
dry and hot, and thai Of clay or alumni
cold and wet Hence. combination or anal
gamation of the two tends greatly to the i'm
proyement Of both When a soil is light
dry and porous, with little adhesiyeness sui
sisting between the particles, it can only b
made capable of producing a valuable crop b
an adlnixtnle Of clay, or some agglutinatin
material that will serve to render it NOR
humid and adhesive. And when there is to
much hunaidity with little or no friabilit5
the remedy is sand, Cold and sterile clay'
| by the application Of sufficient quantity {
this ameliorating material have been rel
dered highly valuable for various purposes
and when filled with warm and linvigoratin
manDres, are probably the best and mos