Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-03-17
ffren the Southern Planter and Fsrmer.]
Green Eallow Crops, Animal
A-omures and Commercial
| Continued from last scseh.I

iContinued from last csel.
1t would net be difficult to manage a
kitchen gSrden - IN experimental farm
In miniature, whore many questions of
great valua in farm-practice could be
authoritatvely decided, without mate.
rial cost. Itwould add greatly to the
interest ofraislng vegetables merely to
est. Rightly understood and pursued,
there Is no more intellectual calling
known among men than farming. We
Will now finish this paper by brief no.
uce OF some ofthe remaining ash min
erals OF plants. We have disposed Of
ioar basic substances, lime, potash,
nagnesia and soda. There remains
bat one basic substance normally found
In the ash, and that is oxide of iron.
his substance is Of great importance
TO the healthy performance ofthe vital
functions of plants, but It has never
been suggested that it possesses any
Importance as a manure. The Quahti-
~ of it which any plant can utilize i.
very minute, and the quantity found ia
ell arabic soils is quite considerable. 1t
Is not known to exist in forms not
available as plant-food, and therefore
the agnculturist need give himself no
particular concern about il. We have
new remaining among the ash minerals,
chlorine, silica and phosphonc and sui
phuric acids. Chlorine, though in ex.
rememely minute proportions, appears
to be essential to the development Of
vegetable, and proper supply of it is
always provided BY nature. 1t has not
been suggested that chlorine ought to
be used as manure, although the good
effects attributed to salt have been par
tally explained by the supposition that
the chlorine it contains is beneficial to
the crops. 1t is, however, far more
likely that Mr.. Lawes' discovery of the
fact that soda takes the place Of potash
to q large exteut, sometimes IN the veg.
etatlve parts Of plants, is a better ex-
PLANTATION Of any benefit which may be
produced by the chloride of sodium when
applied as manure. The potassium
chloride, on the contrary, is held to be
far less beneficial to plants than the
potassium sulphate in soils where
potash is needed. Whereas, the exper-
iments OF Veille and others go to show
that chlorldes are very hurtful to the
quality offine tobacco. Altogether, it
appears to be established that chlorine
is Of no Importance as a fertilizer, and IT
is net worth while to use chlorides with
q view to obtaining any benefit from
the chlorine.
Silica or sili:ie acid may be briefly
dismissed. Although normally present
IN all plants grown under natural con-
siticns, plants have been artificial lily
grown to the perfection OF their seed
without II, and It cannot be held to be
an indispensable constituent Of plants !;
andifso, the bulk Of all soils, and most,
is composed of this substance, and we
have no evidence that agricultural plants
ever suffer from lack oft. Iii true
that soluble silica has been put upon the
market a. manure, and benefit is SUD-
posed to have been derived from it, but
in the present state Of knowledge upon
that point, We must say that ne conf
dencs oaght to be placed in any form of
sllics az constituent Of any sort Of
manure. The fact that a mixture con.
tanning soluble silica, and which con-
tains also combined nitrogen and phos.
pilates, increases the growth of crops,
cannot be held to prove anything with
regard to the action OF silica, and we
believe the conclusion isafe, that it
possesses no fertilizing value.