The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-06-08
Green Mauuring.

Green manuring is Il term under which
: comprehended the application of plants
and vegetables in fresh state. as manure.
bat 1t is especially applicable to the sys
lem OF ploughing in certain crops, Guilt
yated expressly tor this purpose. This is a
practice of very ancient date but it fell in
tl disuse ON account OF the facility with
which other manures can be procured. 1t
practice, however, from which much
benefit may be derived. especially on soils
hat have been scourged by repeated crop
ping. without adequate manuring. But,
although it has always been found to be
an excellent method of temporarily en-
icLing land, it is not sufficient Of itself, to
keep up the permanent fertility OF the
-nil
The reason this is the case is that plants,
especially such as penetrate the soil to
The same depths, draw up those inorganic
ingredients which had either SUNK or nat
urally existed at a certain depth in the soil,
and place them near the surface and with
IN the reach OF other crops when the plants
are pluughed in But by the constant
practice of green manuring, the inorganic
food contained in the subsoil becomes
gradually diminished, and ultimately the
supply Of such food becomes exhausted,
both in the surface and subsoiS
Although green manuring may be occa-
sionally OF great service in drawing up in
organic food from the subsoil for the ben
eft OF succeeding crops. yet other manures
must. from time to time, be applied :;
Otherwise The soil will become barren.
Nhen this system is followed, the plants
such as clover, buckwheat, Nc, should
he ploughed in before coming into full
flower. because the flowers give Off nitro
gen; consequently when the operation OF
ploughng is DELAYED until the plants are
IN full blooms considerable portion OF this
important constituent is lost. The depth
IF furrow should not exceed four inches, SO
that the air may have access to the plants
TO promote their decomposition. but at
the same time they must be properly COW
cred TO prevent any Of their constituent
parts from being lost.
The most important mode ia which
soils are enriched by the addition of vege-
table matter, and which, from it's effect
ON the soil, exceeds all others, is the lay
ing down the land to grass, &c. 1t is
well known that soils which have become
Impoverished by continual course of
NiOBpi NphN'bNlCb III OpCI way
have their fertility restored by being laid
down to pasture, and even those soils
are under proper system Of management
and have liberal supply of manure al
lowed them, and q liberal course Of crop
ping followed, are still much benefited by
being laid down for two or three years in
pasture,
The general opinion is that the good
results Of laying down land to grass for
pasture are produced by the droppings OF
the animals enriching the soil, but the
real cause is, probably, the large amount
of organic matter added to the soil annu
ally by the death of the roots and stems OF
the grass, and the decay OF the roots when
the field is ploughed up for tillage.
Experiments have shown the large
amount of vegetable matter contained in
the roots of grasses. and that different va
reties of grass, &c. vary considerably as
to the amount of matter derived from
them. 1t has been found that in old pas
ture or meadow, broken up, the living
roots lett are equal to four times the
weight of that years hay crop. If a tor
and o half of hay have been mown, ther
about six tons of vegetable matter remain
in the soil in the form of roots. If a fielc
of clover is ploughed up at the end OF the
second year, the quantity of vegetable