Connecticut western news., 1881-03-02
FARM AND GARDEN.
Hints About Soils.

l Is to T0uu6I UACA1A OJ 41OAuCAt digging or blowing when it is neither too dry nor too wet. If dug or plowed when wet, they are more injured than benefited, as they are rendered still more tenacious. Ridging-up such soils | late in the autumn in order to expose them to the alternate freezings and thawings of winter, is very useful in some cases, but not in all. Whether it | is so or not can only be found out by actual experiment, as no certain criteria are known by which we may judge of it's propriety. Sand and coal ashes are very injurious unless laid on in very large quantities, as they have tendency to bind clays together when in small quan- titles. A most excellent way of render ing such soils more friable is to dig or blow in large quantities of green veg etable matter, such as buckwheat or clover. Horse or COW manure is best for such soils, and should be plowed in when quite fresh, befere or during warm weather, as then it's fermentation in the soil has tendency to tighten it, as bread is frightened by any ferment.
 When sandy soils have some propor- ton of clay, loam, or earthy substances in their composition, they are called heavy sands, but where these materials are to great extent wanting, they are called light sands, and where they are entirely wanting, they are called loose, or blowing, sands. Sandy soils are best improved by incorporating into them clays or other tenacious soils. Peat is also most excellent article for their amelioration, especially if they be very light. Lime and especially marls are of great service, particularly when there are indications of iron in the soil, as the lime decomposes the oxide of iron, and
 neutralizes its bad effects. Composts
 of animal and vegetable manures and
 heavy earths, particularly clay and mari,
 are excellent improvers of sandy soils.
 Another excellent mode of improving
 them is to fold sheep upon them, feed
 ing them with green food; their con-
 droppings manure it at the same time.
 Limestone soils vary much in hard
 ness and Inability. Some are very fer tile, whilst others, especially those E which contain much magnetism, are sterile, although on some soils magne- sian limestone appears to act as useful
 manure. Lime acts, however, more as
 solvent for vegetable and animal mat
 ters in the soil than as direct manure,
 and if too frequently appliedis injurious.
 It is an excellent application to the soil when green crops are plowed under for fertilizing purposes, and also when peat
 is applied. The treatment for ameliorat-
 ing them is similar to that indicated for
 clayey soils.
 s There are several varieties of marls,
 the principal being clay mari, sandy mari, sIaty mari, shell mari, and green , sand mari. The first and third are apt q to be heavy and wet, and for theil
 amelioration require large quantities oi ' sand to be incorporated with them.
 Sandy marls, on the contrary, require - large quantities of clay. Shell marlf
 and green-sand marls are generally usec J. as manures. The latter contains large e quantity of silicate of potash, as we'll a: 'l lime in different forms, and is mos admirable fertilizer. especially for sandy
 soils, and those worn out by overcrop ~ ping.
 Q Loamy soils are the most common ,f and do not require any special notice
 rroo1 oT714i ior 'f and proper manuring to make them fer tile.
 It Peaty soils, if boggy, require to b.
 ridged up in autumn, and exposed t. Il the action of the winter weather. Linn 't is an excellent ameliorator of such soils U as it acts as a solvent for the vegetabl - matter they contain. When boggy
 great attention must be paid to thor a oughly drain them. Dry peaty soil e require heavy manures to properly fer n tilize them.
 h Whenever the subsoil is clayey, hard Ii and retentive of water, under draining
 must be resorted to. In the case c IS sandy soils with Q gravelly subsoil, o WuGIC b10 1OWCl O1 SHHu IS per l. manently moist, this is not necessary d and, indeed, would be injurious. w > once planted large grove of trees on n blowing sand beach, four miles seawar, y from the mainland, and they did well o. because the sand beneath was kept con <. tinually moist by infiltration from tn d ocean. They received annually a ligh l. top-dressing of manure, and mulchin, > of sedge and seaweed to prevent tn l- sand from blowing away and exposing + the roots. When the subsoil is heav,
 or hard, it should always be broken III
 by subsoil blowing or trenching, but il
 no case should the subsoil be brough l. to the surface. The surface soil having o been exposed to the action of the ele
 ments for indefinite periods of time, Ii Il always in better condition to suppor x plant life than that which has not beer
 so exposed. Subsoiling increases tht e depth of the soil by aerating it, eand al >, lowing the water which falls upon the s surface soil to percolate through it
 carrying with it, in 8 soluble form, { .- portion of the plant food applied to the :, surface.
 Fatal Blood Poisoning. ,- 1otfar fropo Richmond Ind ,o--o