News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-02-16


others different element is first ex-
hausted. 1t is therefore necessary be-
fore attempting to enrich soil with any
material or by any process, to inform
oneself about the formation of the ex-
hausted soil and what groupings it has
received. In word, it must be ascer-
tanned as nearly as possible what i'm
portant element or elements of plant
food are deficient. If the soil be rich
in mineral substances but poor in de-
cayed vegetable matter, then the appli-
cation of phosphoric acid and potash is
both labor and material expended to no
purpose, while green crops as manure
are in order and will pay literally.
In many sections of the Eastern
States clover furnishes a most valuable
renovating crop, being also equally
valuable for forage. But ii the land is
too impoverished to grow clover the
soil may be given over to leguminous
plants, as field peas, which make quick
luxuriant growth under conditions that
would fail to gain good stand of clover.
Rye and buckwheat are also much used
as green crops to turn over.
In some measure the soil can be made
self-fertiIizing. The gradual decomposi.
ton of the soil is provision for keep
ing constant supply of food ready for
each generation of plants as it's needs
may require. There remains in all soils
plant-food waiting the proper time for
its development, To greater or less
extent the process which nature is
carrying on may be fastened. Pulver-
izing the soil certainly unIocks stores
of plant-food otherwise unavailable. A
fallow by which the fresh particles of
earth are exposed to the atmosphere is
followed in many instances with yield
far exceeding the. loss sustained by
na ing the ground idle, though on some
soils this is not advisable.
In many instances the subsoil is capa-
BILE OF furnishing supply of plant-food.
Some lands need an admixtu of their
subsoils to make them more retentive
of moisture, more compact, or to pro-
duce other mechanical changes in their
texture. There are also some fields in
which loosening of the subsoil proves
very advantageous in the removal of
surplus water. Again, the subso1 of
some fields is rich in the elements which
plants need and by loosening or exposing
it with the pillow these elements become
productive of desirable results. The
different effects that have been obtained
as the result of practical experiment
with subsoiling, however, has proven
that it is not always beneicial-in fact,
it is frequently injurious. These varia-
BILE results are due to the fact that the
subsol differs in different sections.
one of the sources of supply of plant
food, there are difficulties connected
with its use in some localities and under
some circumstances that make it prac-
tically unavailable. Unless, therefore,
the character of the soil is such as to
make it quite plain that the effort will
not be wasted, practical experiment
must determine whether subsoiling can
he made to pay in any particular field.
When fertilizers are at hand, either in
the form CT barnyard manure and COM
post or commercial fertilizers, it becomes
a question in many instances whether it
is profitable to expend green crops for
enriching the ground or time in restoring
it with naked fallows.
To render the subject of soil fertiliza-
tions as plain as possible the following
facts are presented for consideration:
To secure a permanent Improvement
three classes Of substances are necessary
to the soil-fertilizers embracing all the
mineral elements of plantfood and
nitrogen, chemical agents which render
plant-food available and mechanical
agents rendering stiff soils friable and
porous ones firm.
Farm-yard manure is complete
fertilizer in the sense of containing all
CT the elements of plant-food, but as the
supply on most farms is limited, reliance
is also placed on green crops turned
under, the application of mineral
elements and iudicious rotation of
crops.
Phosphoric acid and potash are the
mineral elements exhausted in most soils,
and which have to be arti6cially applied.
Phosphate rock and animal bones fur
nish much of the phosphoric acid of
commerce. Potash is contributed in
the forms of sulphate of potash and
chloride of potassium from hardwood
ashes it is gained as carbonate. Pot
ash is also contained in marls and other
substances.