Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-24
No. l..

During the past two years the state
agricultural college, in cooperation with
q large number of prominent farmers in
the state. has been endeavoring to get
some definite information as to the best
means for restoring the fertility of our
worn-out lands.
The chief reliance of the farmer for
bringing up his land and maintaining and
increasing its fertility must be proper till
age and economical outstanding and use
of the manures of the farm. But most
farms do not and many, for some time to
come, at least, can not supply enough OF
these. In consequence, our farmers are
using every year hundreds of thousands OF
dollars worth of artificial fertilizers, phos.
pilates, bone, guano, potash salts and the
like, and with varying, though, on the
whole, favorable results. 1t is certain that
these, rightly employed, are very proGta.
BILE and often indispensable aids TO sue
cessful farming.
HOW CAN VERMONT FARMERS USE COM
MERCIAL FERTILIZERS PROFITABLY?
To get some light upon this question,
and ut the same time to learn mere of how
some of our crops may best be grown, the
college has instituted experiments with
fertilizers in all parts of the state, furnish
ing materials and directions to intelligent
and philosophical gentlemen who have
been making the trials upon their farms
A full account of these and the conclusions
to which they lead will appear in the next
biennial report of the college. Meanwhile
it is proposed to give herewith some Of
the main results and ways in which Yer.
mont farmers may use them this coming
season. Before describing the experiments,
however, let us briefly recapitulate some
of the
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF PLANT
GROWTH AND FERTILIZATION.
l. Plants, like animals, require food
for life and growth. A part of the food
of plants is supplied from the atmosphere,
the remainder is derived from the soil.
No ordinary cultivated plant can thrive
without sufficient supply of each of a
number OF substances needed for its food.
With an abundance of all these, in forms
in which the plant can use them, and with
other circumstances favorable, the crop
will flourish. But if the available supply
of any one of them be too small, a LIGHT
yield is inevitable. For instance, potash is
an essential ingredient of the food of plants.
If all the other conditions for good
growth of corn, potatoes, or other plants
are fulfilled in the soil, except that potash
is deficient, the crop will inevitably fail.
But if the potash be supplied, the yield
will be abundant.
2. The most important soil-ingredi-
cnts of plant food, the ones that the at
mosphere cannot supply and the soil must,
so that the plant can absorb them through
its roots, are potash, lime, magneSia, iron,
phoSphoric acid, SuIphurtc acid, chlorine,
and some compound of nitrogen. Plants
also take SILICA, soda,and some other ma
tcrials from the soil, but these are needed
only in minute quantities or not at all.
). In removing crops from the soil we
take away plant food. This is the chief
cause of soil exhaustion. Lack of fertility
is commonly due,in large part or entirely,
to lack of plant food.
4. Soils vary greatly in their capabili-
ties of supplying food TO crops. Different
are deficient in different soils.
The chief lack of one may be potash, of
phosphoric acid, of another several
and so on.
3. Soils fail to furnish enough food to
crops, and not so much because they have
not abundant stores as because the matte
rails are not in available forms. A soil
may have thousands of pounds of phos-
phoric acid within reach of the plant, but
ocked up in fragments of rock SO that the
'oots can not absorb it and thus the crop
will fail for lack of phosphoric acid.
g. The infertility of many soils is due
more to their mechanical condition, their
eXture, and relations to heat and moist
are, than 10 lack of plant food Such soils
want amendment first and manures after
ward. Some soils will give good returns
or manuring; others, without irrigation,
" amendment by draining, tllage, use of
ime, mari, or muck, or otherwise will
lot.
FERTILIZERS AND PLANT FOOD.
I. The chiefuse of fertilizers is to supply
plant food which crops need and soils fail
% furnish.