Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-01-04
Agricultural Chemistry.

IL u.
Board of Agriculture, at Brad tori, Vt)
believe that you will agree with me
that the very foundation stone of success
in agriculture, is simply this: to raise the
largest possible CT ops at the least possible
expense. To do this, it is necessary that
the farmer should know something of the
elements which enter into the plant life,
and the principles which govern their
application; and the more the better,
There is no danger of anybody knowing
too much 1t is also necessary that the
farmer should possess mechanical skill
and ingenuity, as well as good sound busi-
ness judgment and tact, for these are the
instruments by and through which he
coins his knowledge of the principles OF
agricultural chemistry into solid shekels
Of silver and golu. What we term good
sound "horse sense" is Indispensable to
success in farming, AS well rs in other
occupations, but if this is supplemented by
II knowledge of the principles which under
lie and govern the life and growth of veg
citation. your success will be much more
abundant; your profits much more salts
factory.
The methods and tendencies of nature
are always toward repair and recuperation
Yet while the mills of the gods grind
small they grind exceeding slow, and the
efforts of nature toward recuperation are
not rapid enough to sustain the drain
made upon the land by successive crop
ping. Hence the necessity for supplement-
ing the processes of nature by that mean:
of artificial fertilization which is called
manuring. And here lies the province o
agricultural chemistry,
Do not think, gentlemen, that | am
going to give you technical chemca
essay-for such is not my purpose-but tC
treat simply as may be of the genera
principles of artificial fertilization. The
best and cheapest methods of applying
those principles you must determine fol
yourselves. No man can do it for you.
Chemistry divides the elements ant
substances necessary to plant life into two
classes, organic and inorganic. Tht
organic elements are water, carbOnic aciC
and ammonia.
Water is the great vehicle by which al
the inorganic elements are made avalabl,
for the processes of vegetable growth.
furnishes plants with their necessary
supply of oxygen and hydrogen, and is thu
basis and indeed forms the bulk of tn,
sap and juices of all plants.
Carbonlc acid is the product of combus
tion and is formed wherever vegetable o.
animal life is burning, wherever men anC
animals are breathing, and wherever veg
etable matter is decaying. 1t is a gaseous
element and the great store house of it il
the air. And while it is OF the air it il
one. half heavier than the air, and conse
quentlv sinks to the ground ready to b'
taken up by the leaves and to some exten
the roots of your growing crops You will
need to trouble yourselves very littl'
about you supply of carbonic acid; yol
will! have that with you anyhow, for nature
has provided AN inexhausibie supply anC
placed it right where it will do the mos
good. But look out for your ammonia
Watch it! Guard it carefully lest it tax,
wings and fly away, taking your hare
earned shekels along with it,for ammonia
like II lightning rod agent is all pure gas
but unlike the lightning rod agent, 1t il
not an absorbent of stlmulants, but is o
stself universal stimulant, its Office bens
to supply the nitrogen necessary to grow
ing vegetation and also to hasten tn,
action of all the other elements which
enter into the processes of plant growtt
and send them bounding in quicker, ant
still quicker currents through al the pulse!
and fibers of vegetable life.
Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon
uniting with each other in various proper
tons to form water, carbonic acid anC
ammonia, are the four simple instruments
with which nature works to draw from
the soil its different inorganic elements
and weave them into the thousands o
vnried forms seen in the vegetable king.
dom, and of which she forms the flesh and
blood, so to speak, the sap and juice, the
nutritious, heat producing and com bustible
elements of all plants.
But to return to ammonia. The most
available source of supply for this import.
ant element, which the farmer has al
hand, is the manure heap; and in the care
which he takes of this must lie much Of
his success in farming. Ammonia is the
child of decomposition and decay. and is
formed wherever animal or vegetable
III liter is decaying and putrefying. The
peculiar pnngent smell, so familiar ia
every farmer, which comes from fer.
menting manure heap is caused by the
escape of ammoniacal gas-which is going
off on the wings of the wind and is leaving
your custody foreve But because manure
gives off ammonia during the process o.
fermentation, should the farmer therefore
attempt to keep it from heating and fer
menting, and apply it to bis land in q
green or crude state? Not at all; fol
every atom and pore of your soil is
mouth open for the reception of plant foot
and ready to yield it up again at the de
mand of nature. And if you would feet
all these mouths your fertIizing matera
n ust be we'll pulverized and fine. You
land must be fed all over else, like th,
mythical farmer whose mythical pig wai