Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-02-01
Agricultural.
Green NIanuring.

The Germantown Telegraph is q believer in
green manuring, or the blowing under Of
green crops, rs the cheapest and best method
of maintaining the fertility of the soil. We
believe that generally this method is less in
favor than it was 20 years ago. II tho crop
is worth The cost of gathering, feeding and
returning to the soil in tho form of stable ma
nure, there is little or nothing gained by plow-
ing it under. If the crop is worth much
more than that-as any crop must be that
pays for growng-there is a loss of material
that might be converted into something of in
creased value (as milk, beef or pork by feed
ing. Most soils need mineral fertilizers rath-
er than such plant food as may be obtained
from the atmosphere. When green crop lie
plowed under no mineral fertilizer is added
to the soil except that which the crop has just
taken from it. The carbonaceous and nitro
genous material of the green crop-which is
derived from the atmosphere-is all that can
be Of benefit to the soil that was not first TAX
On from it by the crop ITSELF and the former
of these is derived wholly from the stmos-
phere. II the carbonaceous matter increases
the fertility of the soil at all, it acts as an alb
sorbent or in some indirect way. But the
Telegraph says
after going over tho whole subject, VIC
come to the conclusion that nothing meets the
general want so well as proper green manur-
ing-that is the sacrificing of one crop for
the benefit of another, and we may say of the
whole land. Here is a case in point There
is a farmer who well understands the value Of
having his soil rich in order to yield profitable
crops. From three acre plat of grass last
year he realized four tons and q half of hay.
But late warm rains came, and the second
crop grew so that became a question wheth
or it would pay to NOV it again. It is pro-
posed to put it in corn next season, and with
this farmers ideas of cultivation it will need
O heavy coat of manure, most of which he
will have to buy. His first idea was to let it
rot on the ground, but he finally decided to
NOV the piece. He said be could buy manure
for less than the hay was worth, but we think
he made mistake in this decision. The cost
of curing the hay crop was certainly not less
than $40, and rather poor stuff it was at that.
Not more than ton was realized, worth per
haps also SO, and this not without consider
able labor in marketing, leaving no profit.
Now the question arises, how far will SO go
in manuring three acres of land. 1t will not,
we think, need much calculation to show that
not much was made by the course adopted
At the same time, had the second crop been
suffered to dry up aDd pass away into the at
mosphere, not much better result would have
been obtained. Therefore the wisest course
in our judgment, would have been to apply
about 20 bushels of sleked lime to the acre
and then about the first of August pillow the
whole under. This would have made de-
post of vegetable matter, after being tolera.
bly, well decomposed under the whole surface,
of some quarter of an inch thick, which, at
the rate at which manure sells here, would be
worth at least $50 per acre. This would Gov
er the labor of blowing and loss of hay and
still leave good margin to the credit of the
fertility of the soil Hence we have no
doubt that the final solution of the problem
as to the most profitable way to renovate
wornout land will lie in the direction of judi
cious green manuring."
If it costs $40 to cure a ton of second.crop
hay, as estimated above, laborers must be
rather slow and their wages high. The cost
here would be nearer SO.