Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-17
AGRICULTURAL.
Necessity of Grccu yIanurimg.

EDS. COUNTRY observation-disclosures
opinion may differ on the nitrogen and
phosphate question, all are agreed as to
the benefit of vegetable matter in the
soil. That good crops may be grown on
soil well charged with the ellen ents of
fertility, without any vegetable material,
is true that the addition to such soil OF
vegetable matter or humus increases the
product is equally true, though not SO
well known as it ought to be, from mis-
conception of its true character, estima-
| ting it only, or mainly. for the small per-
centage OF its fertillzing properties, which
III some cases, as in sawdust and some
times in muck, ia little more than a trace !;
ignoring, among other things, its mechan-
ical effect upon the soil and the hold it
has upon the fertilizing elements. But
there is vegetable matter valuable also
for the amount of fertility it contains,
such as sod and green crops, containing
all the elements Cf plant food, requiring
but few weeks to rot in the ground,
when it becomes nutrment again, and is
i'll condition to be mixed with the soil.
No care is necessary to save it, no labor
to carry and apply it, and no loss from
exposure the land gets all, and the ben
eft is much more than can be got from
the concentrated manures of commerce,
which are valuable only for their manu-
rial properties, adding nothing to the
mechanical improvement of the soil, so
important in clay, besides being transient
in their effect, though less SO if in con-
tact with humus, which arrests their es-
cape.
1t is, therefore, not for the mere fertili-
zing elements that we are to look yet
these we get in fair quantity and the right
proportion in sod and green crops, and
the other advantages which all vegetable
material possesses, are, as We have seen,
Of great value-it may be said i'll some
soils Indispensable in all except peat n
benefit. 1t is vegetable matter that to u
large extent makes barnyard manure such
Il reliable general manure, and the more
vegetable absorbents that are used in the
stable, the greater the benefit when ap-
piled to heavy clay or light sandy soil
Vegetable matter loosens up the clay and
secures better texture to sand. 1t is
the only practical way in which we can
hope to improve our worn-out land, and
keep it improved. The forest and the
prairie furnish us the lesson. Cornup
sod, especially, confirms it. Our still
clays that have had fertilizers spent upon
them to grow sod, are n noted example OF
improvement in our dairy region. All
the grains may be grown with success ON
such land, including wheat on clay soil,
especially il clover has been grown with
the grass, and the decayed sod is thor
oughly mixed with the soil. The most
that our worn-out clay soil needs is to be
loosened up, made mellow and kept mel
low. Sand will do it, but it is too expen-
sive to apply, and it lacks various advan-
tages which vegetable matter possesses,
such as giving darker color to the soil,
thus absorbing heat, retaining better the
elements Of fertility, and standing better
Land very weedy pays for summer fall
lowing, not only because it destroys the
weeds, but for the humus it furnishes the
soil, and no land perhaps is more benefit
ed in this way than where it is highly
charged with quack, which requires more
work and vigilance than the ordinary
weeds, but always with corresponding
, benefit. 1t is much the same where n
field is overrun with thistles or with dai-
sizes. The heavier the growth, the better
for the purpose of amelioration, mellow
ing and enriching the land. Nothing
else can improve it more, If as much.
Little or no manure-depending some-
, : what on the crop raised-is needed for
land capable of growing heavy crop OF
weeds, rs it must have more than small
amount of fertility to do it. This and the
large quantity Of decayed matter raise
the capacity for producing to high
o point, the perfect mechanical (mellow