Smyrna times., 1880-07-14

!
County Agricultural Society, Dr. G. A.
Greene read an essay on general farming
and especially on fertilizers, in which he
gave some very sensible and practical sug.
gestons, as follows:
COLLECTION OF FERTILIZING MATERIAL.
The most prominent object in all farm
ers' minds must be tho collection in the
greatest amount of fertilizing material, for
the stern and unchangable law of nature
says that you must return the clements !
you are abstracting from the earth, or fruit |
full growth will cease in the ration of alb
straction. The above axiom strongly re-
minds one Of benjamin Franklin's wise |
saying in his almanac called Poor Rich |
ard" viz: Always taking out of the meat |
tub and never putting in soon comes to |
! the bottom Then remember that any |
animal, vegetable or mineral substance,
! when disintegrated or rotted, can be ap
proprately broughtinto your compost enclo-
sure grounds, and if your compost yard is
covered so much the better. Keep under
your barns always some muck from your
meadow or swamp. While it is decaying
it is also absorbing the valuable watery de.
jections of your animals, containing phos-
pilates and ammoniates in solution. Don't
burn up any old bones, shoes, bits of car
pets, leather, straw or such like material.
Put them all in the compost heap.
STIR 1T UP OCCASIONALLY.
This prevents evaporation and encour-
ages disintegration. Save all the old lime
from the newly plastered walls. Put all
your ashes either made from the anthracite
bituminous coal, or wood upon the heap.
Heavy or clayey soils are made loose by
the use of coal ashes and allow the tender
, fibres of the plants to shoot in amongst
them for nourishment. Haul in your sur
plus leaves and add to the pile. Take out
every shovel full from under your privies,
sheep and hog-pens and mix in with the
other ingredients. Don't waste anything,
not even the slops of unused otIal from the
house. Every pint of SCOT from the Chin
: ney will add another constituent greatly
. needed. To every ton of compost add, at
least, peck Of coarse salt. Salt and salt
! petre possess with gypsum wonderful prop
critics of absorbing moisture from the at
mosphere. Hence in continues dry weather
the crops are aided in taking up nutrition
from the earth.
The important questions for all farmers
to determine, each for themselves are lst,
what kind of fertilizers do the various por-
tions of my land require? 2nd, how large
or how small is the amount to be applied
3rd, how often must they be placed on the
soil? 4th, shall they be spread when ap.
piled, or left in piles to be afterwards scat
tered? 5th shall they be applied in the
fall, spring, or at the very time when the
3 seed, root or vegetable growth are set out
or transplanted? 9th, do | require one kind
of manure this years, and another variety
next year sand last and most important OF
7th inquiry, is, when can | the most eco
IL ,,c
qured? | have said in a former article
upon this subject that one of Gods laws i,
that in tho vegetable and animal wOrlC
especially, a constant process of growth
and decay is ever going on, formation anc
Il, disintegration is now, and ever will be the
'H commencement and end of vegetable anC
animal life.-Del. CO. Record.
The DROUGHT IN TIE WEsT.-Easterl
farmers, whose crops have been injured b.
the drouth and by the army worm, ma,
draw some consolation from the knOwledg
- that at least they are better off than tn
farmers in the extreme West. In Nebraska
* owing to the severe cold of the winter
and the light fall Of snow the winter whea
was killed, and this summer so little raj
has fallen there that the black soil has be
come as dry as powder and as light a
snow. The high winds have swept tn
corn fields until the roots of the corn ar
laid bare, and the fences are nearly hidde
in the drifts of powdered earth There
no pasture and many farmers who mont
ago were obliged to sell their cattle or Sc
them starve, are now deserting their home
and coming East.
Even the thrifty Dunkards, who, on a
count of their industry and knowledge
agriculture, are better fitted than othC
people to make garden spot in deser
have lost hope, and tho rare spectacle
presented to the people of large nun
8-tf bers of Dunlsards petitioning their brett
rem in the East for aid. 1t is relief
turn from this picture of poverty an
distress to the plenty that promise to pr
n vail in tho Northwest. In Michigan an
:, Minnesota and in the country penetrate
by the Northern Pacific railroad the whs
crop has never been heavier, and harve
hands have been hard to get at So per da
i. On the whole, people who are dissatisft
cas- here and contemplate moving to the We'
y. should consider we'll whether it be II
,4SS better to endure their present ills than
. 9'73 13 encounter those they know not of.-Da
'''' NcWS.