Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-06-29
Green Manuring.
! In Country Gentleman.

W. II. White in Country Gentleman
In attempting the improvement of
our land by green manuring, we need
to know at what stage of growth the
plants should be plowed down. for
there is stage Of growth when they
hold the greatest quantity of organic
matter beneficial to future vegetation.
and also how deep it is to be buried
in the soil, with other attendant
queries. The question also some
times arises how plowing down only
that which is grown on the soil en-
riches it. We increase the capacity
OF soil for production, frequently,
by merely changing the combination,
or locality in the ground, of essential
elements. The plant obtains some
of its constituent elements from the
air as well as from the soil; por-
tion also is drawn from the subsoil.
These elements form compounds,
some of which are found in the sap,
while others are found in the leaves
and other parts. Some of these COM
pounds are known to contain nitro
gen, which is a promoting agent of
decay. The decomposition of one
constituent induces other elements to
leave their places and form new COM
binations. Thus matter goes through
the process we term decay, which, in
reality, is only change. This decay,
or change, takes place much more
rapidly with green vegetation than
with that which has ripened. If
green vegetation is allowed to fall
and decay in the open air, very much
of it is lost to the soil in which it
grew, having passed off in the air;
but if the green vegetable matter be
covered in the soil, then the absorp.
tive capacity of the soil is such that
it holds these elements, changing it
to that extent. The deeper vegeta-
BILE manure is buried, the slower the
process of decay. We thus save to
our soil portion of organic plant
food by plowing under green vegeta-
bic matter at the right stage of
growth.
In experience, and a course of
many years observation, | have found
that green manuring plants should
be plowed under previous to coming
into blossom, in order to obtain the
largest benefit to the soil. l have
noticed that some farmers in order to
obtain large quantity to turn down,
will wait till later stage. May not
much of the difference Of opinion of
the value of green manuring arise
from this cause? On valuable land,
near ready markets, the loss of a
season, or even single crop, would
often pay for manure and hauling it
from market; still in such cases
there is much green vegetable matter,
refuse, which might, instead of going
to the compost heap, or be left, as is
too often the case, to waste away in
the air, be lightly coveredIin the soil,
doing much good. Even a small
growth of some kind Of grain, if
sown very thick, would be a great
benefit; not so much, perhaps, in the
amount of fertilizing matter it would
add to the soil, as in the change. /
know that hereabouts we cannot grow
fair potatoes on soil which has been
planted to hoed crops a few years,
hut if we seed it to clover, or grass
for a single year, good fair potatoes
are produced in quantities. | sup
pose that land gets "sick" of the
plow and hoe, the same as one does
of the sameness of breakfast, dinner
and supper; at all events, l have
known land well manured (as the
times go) fall off in yield, while if
some different plant be grown one
season, or a few weeks growth of
some grain be turned under, a sur
prising change is produced. Differ
ent soils, in different localities, vary
in the time when failure or sickness
begins.