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

bettor mt hand. have said that muck i.
composed of decaying vegetable matter
therefore it follows that its best office will
be on lands which are deficient in such
matters rather than on those which are
rich in vegetable mould.
have sad thu lime is necessary in
gredent of the soil and that it is good to
mix with muck; but it does not follow
that 1t would be Wise to mix ii in the
manure heap. for it has powerful tend
encv to liberate ammonia. and you will
lind it damage instead of blessing il
you u ID i, to the manure heap unless you
add something else with it to fix and slve
the ammonia set free by its action
Is it basL to buy patent fertilizers? Well,
if you Won't care for and utilizeail the ele
ments and substances, both liquid and
solid, that nature has placed right under
your hands for the purposes of fertilization
you had better buy phosphates or guano
or something else, TO supply so far as you
can in this unnltural way the drain on
your lands, but you won't find much staying
power in them, and if you lean too heavily
upon this staff you will find it only a
broken reed in your hands, aud it would
be better to feTtilize your lands in more
natural way. But if you must buy gutno
let me give you the sim pl.,s: known test
for determining its quality y-burn it Good
guano will leave only one fourth its
weight in ashes. while poor guano may
leave as much as three fOurths.
And now before | concludes a word abou.
soils. The sweetest grasses and the
richest grains thrive best on those soils
which are rich in the mineral and alkaline
substances of which we have been speak
ing, these are strong soils; they are not
liable to be deficient in moisture; they
require less OF the farmers care to produce
bountlful crops than any other and yet
these may and will be exhausted if they
are not properly fed and cared for.
Perhaps the soil which will give you the
quickest return for your labor is IA not too
heavy loan with a light mixture of clay.
Such soils are warm and quick bat they
require constant feeding, not with any one
OF the elements which are necessary for
the growth of vegetation, but with all OF
them together. and they will give you
back in crops in exact proportion to the
generosity with which you feed them.
There is another kind of soil which you
may have to deal with 1t is not wet
enough to be swampy, but is trie moist
and is what you call cold and sour. You
may say there is an excess of acid in it,
but it is not so. There is nothing there
but what is useful to plant life, but the
elements are not all there and they are not
IN due proportion. These soils are natu-
rally grass lands. and if you would have
them smile At you with the rich nutritious
grasses which your animals crave you
must spread on your lime moderately and
your potash bountifully to supply the ele-
ments which are lacking-to warm and
sweeten it.
There is another kind of land in which
silica predom'nates, bul which is deficient
in the organic and in the other mineral
ana alkaline elements and land on which
the clover won't say and the wheat won t
thrive; In other words very light sandy
loans. Chemistry teaches that you can
make such land as productive as YOU
please; and 80 you may, but practically it
costs too much; and so long as you can
buy good lands at reasonable prices YOU
mad better leave all such soils to the tender
mercies of fancy farmers At all events
1t would be better first to take care of your
stronger lands; but if you have them and
nave to cultivate them, ,cultvatei according
" and put them into crops like rye and
buekwheat which require comparatively
little OF the strong alkaline elements. If
you Withdraw from the growing plant a
single one OF the elements necessary to its
nourlShment and growth it must wither
ana die; and II any one falls far short Of
ITS due proportion the plant must fail to
reach II full and perfect maturity
Hence 1t follows that successful appli-
cation Of the principles of AGRICULTURAL
chemistry consists in applying to your soil
due proportion of all the elements neces
sary to the nourShment of plant life; and
It follows as self evident proposition that
II you have soil that is deficient in any
OF these elements that it should be pante d
WIN such crops rs require the least of
the lacking substance.
And now. gentlemen, perhaps you will
say that the things of which | nave been
speaking are very simple. and so they are
but the elements with which nature ner
forms all her works in the vegetable
kingdom are comparatively few and won
'0'iuily olhPto' IL IS HOt absolutely
necessary t" your success that you should
have knowledge of jtw-cracking names
or be versed in all the technical niceties of
chemical combinations; but if you lay
hold OF the elementary principles which
are the foundation of agricultural chemis-
try you will have grasped the key which
will enable you te unlock the bounteous
stores of wealth which lie hidden in the
bosom of our common mother.