Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-07-14
4urm aaS fjcussbo!s.
Fur the American
Plant Food.

Plant. ike animals, require certain sup
Pile. Of food for their growth Anall is
shows, that Of the IS elements existing on
the earth, plant, ,e.ec, for their food but
abou, H. namely, oxygen, hydrogen, nitro
gen, carbon, silica, potash. lime, sulphur,
soda, magnesia, phosphorus, alumina.
chlorine and iron. these are called 1.-The IA
omnipresen; or indispensable constituents, "
each OF which i found il every plant, from
the simplest 10 the most complex. although
different plants vary ~idel, ~ the relative
amounts Of the ,ariuu, elements, \ paint
er b, mixing red blue and yellow With d,i-
ferent proportions can produce = great va
net, Of hue, OF shades Of color; 50 nature.
b, mixing potash. lime, sulphur etc. pro-
duces an infinite ,ar.e,. Of plants. Th~
MIXTURE fur grams contains large proper
tion of phosphorus that for grass. q large
proportion Of silica FOR potatoes. Arg,
amount Of potash The compon,n, par, re
qu.rrd in the largest proportion j. called
the "domnau," constituent. thus th,
'dominants" Of clover arr nitrogen and
lime, and Of wheat. silica and potash
4 soil i. Impoverished. or run out ~heu
it c4nno, furnish the due proportion Of
each Of the II constituents required By the
plan; sought to he grown: thus, soil 50
deficient IN nitrogen ;ha, il 'cauno, produc,
wheat, may contain potash enough 10 grow
potatoes II !, not iufr,quent. that rucr-
waited or worn out land ], reclaimed BY rc-
placing a single constituent, The worn
o4," dair, pastures Of Herkimer y y
blossom ike the rose when top-dre, >ed
with bone meal The exhausted tobacco
fields Of Virginia become fertile when
dressed" with nitrogen and potash. Pho,-
phate Of lime has given a four-fold increase
OF wheat 10 the sol Of Old England. So
the practice Of relying Oh paten, manures
which replace but three elements nitrogen.
potash and phosphoric acid, /, q. absurd
d would be the practice Of physician who
would with single remedy hope 10 A.lc,!-
AAt a. lAAALtG "a t44NtAot- a4t 4l4ta-4Htl4s
cholera morbus. cancer, corus or ldzmess.
A popular theory Of TO-DAY :, that Of the
constituents taken up as food ny plants,
there are only four which are likely 10 be
exhausted. These four are nitrogen. pot
ash, phosphorus and silica. which i, j. claim
ed can be supplied by means Of commercial
fertilizers cheaper than IN any other Way.
This theory has enough Of fact to make il
i fruitful one for knayes il has filed the
markets with worthless fertilizers. defraud-
ed the farmer Of his money, undermined his
confidence in scientific agriculture. and is
turning back the tide Of Intelligence, TO that
which obtained in the valleys Of the Nile in
the DAYS Of the Pharaohs
F.rmsrs Who attempt 10 restore fertility
10 exhausted fields and bring back the boun-
tifll crop. Of the past, by the use Of com
mercisl manures, usually find that one dose
Of this sort Of experience sufhces for cure
Fraud is not the only reason why patent
manures SO often fail 10 produce anticipated
results Ignorance and Encouragement
have much TO DO with it. Which is the
best of the patent manures neither prac-
tice nor science can tell.
Till the oonstl tuent exhausted, is known,
And also the kind Of crop to be grown.
Farmers talk Of vearing-out or exhaust
ing the and. a Il il vas an inevitable in
agriculture. A complete exhaustion Of
soil, cannot take place until the natural
ekanges-decsy and disintegration-go going
on in soil are estopped, Of which there is no
fear. so long as the Sun, the great parent
of vegetable life, gives warmth 10 the sea
sons, or color to the landscape
A neighbor complains, that his farm i.
becoming 50 worn-out and sour. as to
grow nothing but sorrel7 The presence of
sorrel is no evidence that land is sour or
worn out. Sorrel is potash plant lands
deficient in potash, cannot produce it, The
oxalie acid which gives sourness to sorrel.
is derived from the atmosphere, and not
from the soil.
Worn out land which has been cropped
nigh unto death, skinned to the very bone,
turned out to common, and relieved of
bush-seythe, fire and plowshare, shows a
determined persistence and vigor Of tree
life in few years forests are waving over
it, rich in greenness, as the Selvas of the
Amazon. Land too sterile to grow poverty
weed, will push up treelets which swarm
into its occupancy, climb in altitude, and
in few years form a dense green woods
covering trees, evergreen or deciduous, as
the soil does, or does not supply draiId6ie
potash.
AGRICoLA.
ssIf II CuPinR EYePybOdY.