The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1877-06-22
farm aud Aoasehold.
IFor the Marietta Journal.
FARMS MADE RICH.

we'll fertilized and properly cnltiva-
ted, will prove more remunerative
than large ones upon exhausted soil
indiffsrsntly cultivated. There 10 q
constant complaint Of the high prices
Of farm products by the consumer,
and will be until sn improved agri-
culture increases the quantity per
acre, then there will naturally be
reduction in prices. In order that
that we know how to grow the ce~
reals to perfection land also all other
crops) il is highly necessary that we
know something of the constituent
elements of them. The earth, with
proper culture, should yield ten
times the cost of the fertilizers put
upon it. All vegetables contain
from 80 to 40 per cent of their
weight 10 carbon. This carbon be.
ing furnished by tho cir, and uniting
with the fertilizers put upon the soil,
enables the earth TO yield more than
che has received 10 chemical fertil-
izers. Oxygen and hydrogen rep>
resent near so per cent the weight
Of many vegetables; these are fur
nished by the water falling upon the
earth. Hence it is apparent that
about 95 per cent of vegetable mat
ter is derived from sources indepen>
dent of the soil, and but . small
fraction is furnished by human in.
dustry. Bot that small fraction fur
nished by labor is essential, for
without it the carbon of the atmos.
phere, the oxygen and hydrogen
from the water, falling in the rain
and dew, would remain in their
primitive state Of inorganic matter,
unassimilated.
We give the following table as a
demonstration Of the fact. What is
true Of wheat, is applicable to most
othor plants. The composition Of
wheat, (straw and grain) in 1000
parts, is carbon 47.69; hydrogen
5.54; oxygen 40 SO; soda 900 /;
magnssia 0.20; sulphuric acid OBJ
chlorine 0.03; oxide of iron 0O0.G
silica 2.75 azote LEO; phospboric
acid 0.45; potash 066; lime 0.29.
Plants absorb carbonic acid from the
air, aud decompose i. in the light of
the sun above 10 degrees tempera>
ture, this they do principally by
their leaves, but small quantity by
their roots is taken from the soil,
which is decomposed by the leaves
also. We have already stated that
oxygen and hydrogen are derived
from rain and dew.
We come now to conLider the
source Of azote. Plants assimila.e
azote 10 three ways: In the form of
the salts of ammonia; in the form of
nitrate, and in the form of gaseous
azote. Wheat assimilates itlin the |
form Of nitrate, and the legumes alb.
sorb azote 10 the form of an elemen>
tary gas. Besides the above, there
are ten mineral constituents of
plants, namely: Phosphorus, sui
phur, chlorine, silicium, calcium,
magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron,
and manganese. And these ten ele-
ments aid in the production Of vege>
tatioD, but they require the aid of
other minerals in the soil. They are
three, viz: clay, isand and humus.
These serve to support plants rs
mechanical elements only. Now,
azotic matters of an animal origin
produce ammonia and the nilrates in
their decomposition. The clay holds
these in fixed form for tho plants
TO assimilate The phosphate of
lime, potash and soda, united to an
azotic matter, are the agents, par
excellence, for most crops, and all
good fertilizers must contain these,
to be complete, and then they are
united with carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen from air and water,) and
are assimilated by plants in proper
proportion. The above preliminary
statements, | deem essential, that we
may know what kinds of chemical
manures TO purchase. But we need
not purchase all the chemicals that
enter into the composition of fertile
zers. The urine of both man, cattle
and horses ia highly charged with
some very essential chemicals. Its
composition varies according to GER
tain controlling circumstances, but
usually, human urine contains about
SO parts of solid matter to 967 parts
of water to one thousand
Its salts are sulphates Of soda and
potash, bi~phOsphates of lime, soda,
magnesia, ammonia, and the chlor-
ides of sodium and potassium, with
trace of hippurate of soda and the
flaate of potash, and trace of silica.
Urea is the principal solid constit
ueut of urine, and forms nearly one
half the solid matter of urine, and is
identical in composition with cyauate
of ammonia, aud hence its value as
fertilizer. Sulphate of lime (plaster)
will fix and retain the urea for use
as fertilizer. All cattle and do
mestic animals should be housed at
night, and the floor of their stable :
kept covered with plaster and forest
leaves to preserve the urea, and, it +.