The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-30
Vegetable Manure.

Vegetable Manure.
1t is a great verror.with farmers not
to use more vegetable manures. They
have all the elements of fertility, and
in better proportion than can otherwise.
be obtained, so that, the soil being well
balanced. the use of vegetable manure
aids in keeping it so. 1t needs no test
ing to determine its value, as with COM
mercial fertilizers. 1t forms nearly a
perfect manure, being plant growth it
self. One of its elements, carbon, II is
true, is of little value in the soil, as the
plant obtains this from the atmosphere.
1t has, however, value as humus. Be-
sides all these advantages, it can be
procured on the farm, requiring no
money outlay and little labor, being
largely grown in tae soil las sod) and
in plants turned down.
We know the excellent effect of this
material on general farming. The eff
feet can be largely augmented from the
crops that produce it. Right here hes
the secret of the whole case-making
sod the cheapest of all manuring except
deposition by overfows. Next to sod
is the turning down of green crops.
This may require a whole season. In
such case the benefit occurring from
working the sOll-about paying for the
labor-and the action of the vegetable
material on the soil in developing new
plant food, will go far to Offset the in
terest and taxes on the land, or the loss
of crop that might have been grown,
the profit of which, from the condition
of the soil (needing enrichment) could
not be expected to be much, if any, and
might not pay cost. Where heavy ma
-nuring is not required, the better way
is to SOW stubble land, without blowing,
as soon as the spring crop is removed,
narrowing well Any strange growing
plant may be grown Let what weeds
there are also grow, the whole is TO be
turned down in the fall. - JOEY 10
: Rye may be sown, and farther
growth given it in the spring before
turning it down. This is an excellent
grain for this purpose. Then there are
peas and clover, cheaply grown with
plaster, the former allowing two good
crops to be turned down in a season,
greatly ameliorating the soil. These
have been tried, and are reliable.
Buckwheat is also a large yielder, and
improves the soil by shading and sup
pressing weeds. Rye is well adapted
for green manuring on sandy soil. Corn
yields an immense amount of material
to turn under. Some fields bear heavy
growths of weeds, like the daisy, Can
ada thistle, and q cloud of coarse
grasses, in a wet season, all which, in
stead of being the nuisance they are
usually considered to be, may be turned
down with decided benefit.
By far the greater portion of our land
requires this kind of treatment. We
see its effect most where mixed farming
is practiced (the dairy or grazing being
the principal branch), and among farm
ers who make thorough work, whose
motto is ''sod for manure mot few
scattered fibres in the ground, but
thick network of roots, showing unmis-
takably that the crops that produced
such sod were abundant in yield. Now
such wealth of soil will produce with
out additional fertility, two or more
crops of grain as heavy, under favor
able circumstances, as can be grown
without lodging, and leave the land in
condition for seeding down again, with
almost the certainty of a good catch
and good results following, needing
only some manure in addition to the
fall growth, which should be allowed
to all grass lands.
Vegetable manure as a corrector of
the soil, is not only highlyvaluable and
necessary to the highest success, but
the only means we have OF successfully
and extensively improving the texture
of the soil. All soils require it except
low, peaty land. Especially is it Dene-
fetal to the two extremes of clay and
sand, giving mellowness TO the one,
and retentive character to the other,
deepening the color of each by the nee
essary. humus they lacked, favoring
also the capacity for moisture, so neceS-
sary in our climate and so much re-
CURED by both, but particularly sand.
1t is surprising to see on some of our
dairy farms to what extent clay soil has
been improved by this means. 1t
amounts to a complete change from
pale, heavy, tenacious mass, to mel
low, dark-colored loan, working easily
and producing any crop abundantly.
Let it be understood that what we see
of the effect of grazing upon sod and
the treatment of our meadows, is far
from what the land is capable of, not
covering half the capacity, as the best
practice Enthusiastically shows. We are
to take the best practice for our guide,
which we may do with safety, as it
shows what can be done with all varie-
ties of soil. Not few of our advanced
farms were brought up from the poor
est sandy, clayey and peaty land, the
peat removed, except the layer needed
to mix with the underlying clay or hard
pan. All clay soil may thus be i'm
proved, and sand, treated with vegeta-
BILE manure, may be made to appear and
act much like the reclaimed clay, though
so entirely different in the start.-COr.
Country Gentleman.
A Narrow Escape From the GallOws.