Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1888-04-08
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The unscientitic farmer Is OF tbs
opiaion that lesaminous crops. such
as clover. beans, alfalfa. &C., add to the
ter iiiIy VI the sod, instead VI draining
Il. such, however. Is not rraiiy tns
fact This Class Vt plants have deep
searching roots. and OBTAIN from deep
er in the earth the rich supplies Vi
nitrogsn winch the shaiioS rooted
plants do not reach. The ieguminous
y ants ABOVE named incorporate more
nitrogen In their composition than
many other kinds. And when III,
crop - removed, more nitrogen Is re.
moved from the soil than with Q crop
OF wheat or corn. But the way clover
alfalfa. &c, ie,tiiize the soil Is by drax-
ing Il fruna deeper IN the earth, and. Ia
The decay II their roots, leave in the
surface soil, and TOR the support OF
shaiiow-rovted plants, = large amount
of niiros en- THIS Is one OF tue ptin.
cipai ways in which these legumtnous
plants benefit The soil. Some ugrical.
tusai chemists contend that they dice,
OF absorb ia The growth much of thus
nitrogen froin the atg ospheTe-
Bat tue best u .tiorities almost as.
touish us with the statements which
they make rs to the amount of nitro.
gen ia good soils. kroker showed lons
ago thak good cultivated sill Contain.
not less than one per cent. VI nitrogen.
or $50 pounds ~ the acre la ioatu one
foot deep. Aud A Miller, ia his chem.
zeal analysis vi soils, found Is high ~
- per cent. Bousssagault also, on an.
ally xlug a BuInuer vi loans Vt q good
quality, taken from different localities
found from eoOJ TO ~ 90 pounds vi
nitrogen To the acre. taken to the depth
OF eighteen inches. This Is soil nitro
sen. storer says there Is - pounds oil
nitrogen la each ton of timothy hay
Ia . ton vi clover ~ pounds: and ii
three tons OF red clover be taken from
an acre. whicn Is not uncommon, q
cop takes from the soil l.9 pounds PEI
acre..
Lewis aud Gilbert by careful expert.
meats proved that cropping coniinu
ally. without returning nitrogen ia
sosne shape 10 The soil, viii render II
barren and unfrniiiui. Storer says,
volume | page 35t; 4. is 10 the soil
that the iarnIer must look for the chic:
supply oi nitrogen, rs well as for all OF
the other kinds VI plant food. except
the nitfogen vi the soil exists there in
insoiable and inert forms, which have
never been accurately :udied." While
nitrogen cunes almost exclusively 10
plants lraal the soil, ammonia, oxygen
aud clrbouic acid come to plants from
the air. Tae amount Of csrbontc acid
tss stated BY Ssoref1 in the air is slmos,
incredible. He says there are > to s
II carbonie acld IN the air 10 every
acre of the earth's surface. SO, II
mans misinansgement exhausts the
nitrog "a Of the soil. there is little dan
ger OF HIS improytden e exhaustlng
the supply o. carooaic acid, wh on
Is SO important 80 animal aud yegeta-
Die .ife.
Oxygen is another element nece sary
for plant ssosth and animal life, which
no extravagance of man viii ever ex.
hAust. Eigh,-nin,hs OF water, one
fsu tn air. as well as oae-halt Of all
silica, chalk ani slamnis. which are
the three chef constituents of the
earsh's snrisee, Is oxsgen. OF this
man need not be saving. Ammonia Il
another element ia plant lie and
growth shtch Is most frequently com
binr with other elemeuts. But ali o'
these Lungs open q vide belt for tbs
study and investigation OF farmers
but especially that 81 nitrogen. VII Oh
coast tases the best cement OF all nat
ursl or comms Tcial iertiiixers.- lows
State Register.