Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-07-04
Agricultural Chemistry.

concert bill and have read on the program
the announcemonts-"vio solo wit
uartations" and it often happens tha
the variations" are the essential part
the performance; and if | should digres
from my subject | trust you will pardo
me, even though the depression shou
prove the essential part OF this paper.
In former paper we ATTEMPTED +
treat in familiar and elementary way c
the various organic and inorganic element
which contribute to the support and nour
ishment of plant life. As the soil is th
grand labratory in which civilized ma
works out the problems of life and susie
nance let us first briefly consider soils
The main constituents of all arabic land
are clay, loan and sand-mixed in varyin.
proportions, and while all these element
are necessary to a fertile soil-it is wei
known fact that lands which are all ella,
or all sand are absolutely barrcn-neithe
one containing enough of the elements O
plant life to support vegetation. A sand,
soil is probably regarded by most farmers
as the most absolutely worthless of any
and yet this very sand, chemically known
as silica or silicc acid, is II very impor
tant element in agricultural economy-bu
is one of those things of which enough il
as good as feast-and better.
Sand or slicic acid at ordinary temper
ature is the weakest known acid-but pu
1t in the crucible and raise its temperature
to the melting point and it becomes one
of the most powerful. Potash has the
power of dissolving it and making il
available for the susenance of plants
and as all of the cultivated grasses anG
some of the grains are silcous plants
i. e., requiring larger amount of silica
potash is valuable fertilizer for such
crops. The form in which it is assimilated ID
| by the plant is that of soluble siicale,
and this, | believe, is the only form in
which plants can take up silica and the
rule is that potash can only be assimiated
| in the same form.
The Office of the slicates is to form the
skeleton Of the plant-and to give them
the strength which prevents lodging and
without which they will not be able to
withstand the fury of the gale or the
breath of the zephyr A plant which did
not contain the silicates would be like an
animal without bones-practically useless.
Caustic soda has the same power of
forming silicates with sand or potash. and
in less degree common salt probably
has the same power. The well known
fact that sandy soils will not retain a
sufficient amount of water to nourish
vegetation has led TO great deal of
discussion as to whether such lands leach
or not. So far as practical results are
concerned it does not matter whether
your fertilizers S are carried down by the
ITni fn 70 In 1,l1I
support of your crops, or whether they
evaporate or 60 Oft in the air, they are
gone in either event, and the power of
such lands to retain fertiizing material is
just as limited as its power to retain
water which is the grand solvent, the
universal and only vehicle by which all
fertilzlng material is made available for
the process es of plant life. A soil that is
not reasonably retenlve of water cannot
retain ferlilizing material well-hence it
would be poor economy to put the same
amount of fertilizer upon such soils that
might be profitably applied to more retcn.
tive soils-the rule with such must be,
light and often-the nftaner the bettor.
The properties of clay are too well known
10 require mention; but there is another
substance that enters into the composition
of arabic landslide Importance of which
cannot be too highly estimated in deter
mining the value of soils and that is the
rich vegetable mold, formed of decaying
organic matter and technically called
hunluS.
BY the general term humus, we must
understand mass of brown decayng
matter, partly soluble, partly insoluble,
partly acid and partly neutral, which with
the uninterrupted presence of air. heat
posed, and thereby carbonic acid and
water are indispensable to the nourishment
of plants-hence in n soil rich in humus
the plants will grow more vigorously,
because they find there and absorb by
their rootlets more of these nutritivc
substances than they could in soil poor
in humus. Moreover this substance exerts
a beneficial effect upon vegetation because
it loosens the soil by the development of
C irbonic acid, because it possesses the
power of attracting water from the air and
of retaining it for long time-and
because of the acids contained in it, it is
able 10 abstract from The air and also from
that very essential element in the
of plants, ammonia. The
good farmer knows by experience that the
humus diminishes in his fields, and the
more rapidly as the crops are more abun-
dant. He knows the fields rich in humus
are more productive than those that are
he seeks to restore the
humus either by manuring or by fallow-
ing. The value of clover as fallow
plant depends upon the large amount of
w oh in h., ,ob l.
their decay tend to the restoration of the |
humus. When your fathers first settled
on the lands you till, they found soil
rich in humus, and which the custom,
hen prevailing, of burning the timber on
he land on which it grew, gave rich
tressing of the soluble alkaline salts, and |
hey were. for many years, able to raise
without much trouble, such crops as you
with your more careful and improved |
of cultivation may hope to equal
Dat may not hope 10 excel; but with YOU
he case is different-this dressing of |
soluble salts has long since gone and the
lumus is rapidly disappearing. and your
ives if you would succeed as farmers
must be constant struggle to replace by
means the elements your fathers
ound in abundance. How must YOU do
tP The inorganic elements, viz: potash,
lme, soda, phosphorus, etc., are consider.
I'd by some authors the principal ones
md due proportion of them is absolutely
necessary to the development of the
perfect plant. yet the man who relies
wholly on these, might be likened to the
nan who should attempt 10 raise an
lnimal all bones. l know that some
armers unwittingly meet with tolerable
uccess in the latter attempt and quite
likely wonder how it all happens, but !
AVE never heard such men classed as
uccessful farmers. And while the inor
,anic elements must be supplied 10 the
oil, you must on no account neglect the
rganic branch of the question. In many
elds the organic matter is already gone
1T is diminishing in all and the inexora-
lie law of self preservation, demands
hat in fertilizing your fields you should
'ay attention to this matter and should
upply as far as you may the loss of
rganic matter in the soil.
The true theory of fertilization consists
q applying to the soil due proportion of
II the elements necessary for the nourish
lent of plantlife. Any other theory is faulty
nd imperfect. You can buy the inorganic
!