Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-04-17
Private Experiments With Manures.


cent. "f the entire moss Of agricultural
plants is derived either directly or md
rectly from the atmosphere and the
object OF apple y ns fertll zrrs OF al. kinds
Is " supply Whatever the soil lacks III
an asslnllable ioIm Of the remaining
constituents Ut various crops. But al
though the amount of TODD drawn by
plants from the soil is trllllng in COM
uarlson with that furnished by the air
still an ample sulliclency OF II Is essen
tai 10 profitable farm NJ. aud It's avail
able presence in varying proportions
makes all the difference between land
entirely barren. through all degrees OF
producliveuess. up To that which yields
Inc most GENEROUS harvests. The more
readily asslnnlable the plant-lood III all
fertilizers, tue more economical Is Their
application and the more Immediate
tnelr results. The bulk OF nlanures, al-
though often, when large, beneficial on
account OF its mechanical effects, has
nothing 10 do with tnelr value aS tertlll-
zers. Tor this depends entirely on the
quantity of chemical salts they contain.
ACCORDING to Mr. Lawes Of ROlhamsted
ENGLAND. whose lifelong study oil eX-
detrimental agriculture has d. seryedl>
won hm.a worldwide reputation, The
NATURAL properties Of ton ol OarlN ara
manure are confined To It's Inorganic
matter, amounting only to ~ pounds,
and even in this pittance there is cOi'-
81 cradle amount OF substance There Is
such comparatively little value as a FER
tllzer that he excludes it from his ma
nure ingredients. Moreover. a great
deal OF the manuri'l constituents OF
dun are in an Inactive form aud are
either slow in their effects or wholly
lost. Mr.. Lawes' experiments with
larm-yard and chemical manures on
two plots. proved that $500 pounds al
nitrogen applied in the former, during
10 wears, produced precisely the same
total yield as ~ pounds applied in The
latter during the SAME period. In other
words, ii pounds OF nitrogen in ann
moniacdl "a tsp I'd zee rs great effect
as 2UO pounds III banyard manure.
Nevertheless barnNard manure. being
necessary product OF nearly every
form OF farming. must continue TO be
the agriculturst's cniet means OF restor'
ing or preserving the fertility OF his
land. But after every scrap OF dung a.
ol all kinds OF refuse. has been carefully
hus Stranded and utilized, there will still
he large field for the profitable EN-
vlo,memt OF chemical marurcs. Tor II
would be the hight OF thrlltlcssness to
Keep stock solely or mainly for the pur-
post OF manufacturing barry ard manure
Where 1t, equivalent can he otherwise
obtained at IL reasonable figure.
While iudclOus economy Is very I'M
portaut III tie USE OF all measures, 1t Is
ui special Importance in The employ
mcnt of commercial fertilizers "n ac-
count OF tnelf high price and the NUN
,ruus cnauccs Oi tin, jr being unwlttmSly
nlsappllcd. Tnls economy can be M
surcd ouly by the person via" uses them
kuowIuy what kinds OF food which tlir
various plants need, are deficient in the
soil. and abundantly supplying what i
lacking. Sclcnce has pretty accdraul ~
determined and widely published the
ualur. vi the elements Which each class
OF plauls absUrbs from the soil. but en-
perimrut is the only ell able me ms Of
ascerlanns the quantity Of these the
land contains. Nitrogen. phO>phUrlc
acid. aiid potash are the must lmpor-
laut INGREDIENTS IN commercial ieltlll-
zcrs. both on account OF their cost and
scarcity III the sol. Ctller things being
equal. each u these should prcdomln-
ate Tor certain kinds OF crops nitrogen
Tor wheat. rye, barley, oats. meadow
aud timothy hay. ONIONS, sugar beels
and carrots; pnosphorlc acid tor corn.
trrn ps and rutatasa-; potash FOR pola-
toes, cabbageS. peas. DcanS, huckWheat
aud fodder corn and rye. As the fer
tility OF the soil varies not only III every
neighhOrhO0d. but often on every farm
in accordance with Its natural iOrma-
ton and the treatment IT has received.
it would he well for every intelligent
farmer to do at once what every lntellI-
gent farmer is certain to do five years
hence stabliSh on his own farm a PR
vate experimental station. In reality,
it would be a very simple undertaking
and the fund of practical information
derived thereirUm would, ere long,
richly reward The necessary trouble and
amply repay che triting outlay. Set
apart a piece of ground Of average con-
dItion. divide it into number of plots
sufficient to allow one to each fertilizer
TO be tested, and when the same irrtllI-
ger is tested Oh more than one kind of
plant, allow plot to each. Set Out
specimens Of each kind Of plant on an
unmamured plot, s0as be able to Judge
correctly. by comparison. of the effects
of the various fertilizers. Each ploi
need not be larger than l-4O OF an acre,
OF 80 lcet square. By this means
every farmer could demand OF his land
what is needed To produce the very
hist yield OF every kind of crop. anu
always receive truthful answer.
1t would be by no III an, necessary
TO limit exclusively to chemical terllll-
GERS. for the lack OF nitrogen might BE-
udrated by the effects of such manure
as blood and flesh OF phOSpnorlc acid.
by those OF hOme-pr- pared crushed
bone /; and Of potash, by those OF wood
ashes. Care should be taken to SOW
precisely the same number OF each
Kind OF seed when experimental on II
with different fertilizers, aud to apll'
the quantity Of manure to diieren
seeds. BY adopting such practice, AT
the close OF each season the mind will
inevitably be enlarged, IL valuable fund
OF practical knowledge will be yearly
accumulated. and the way at once
thrown broadly open TO a system OF
economical ma.urng.
a family table ought t'l be bright and
cheerful. sort OF domestic altar,
where every one casts down his or her
o.rrrlng. great or small, Of pleasanlnc>s
or peace where for at least brie