The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-31

charaster and needs of his soil with
reference to both its physical condition
and chemical constituents. he must see
that the latter are present in character
and quantity to supply the demands Of
plants and the former is such that the
roots of the plant may readily penetrate
and gather the food necessary for build.
ing up its organism. In the order OF
creation the earth was clothed with
vegetation before animal life was posi-.
bic. The same is true to-day, and more;
plants alone can organize the matters of
dead earth and airinto life., The farmer,
therefore, must learn the laws of plant
growth and nutrition and the conditions
which contribute most effectively to the
ful6lment of the destiny to which man
has devoted it. This involves skillful
manipulation of the soil physically and
chemically with special refereHre to ena.,
ble the plant 10 appropriate the material
needed 10 its Town. advantage. Since
plants take all their food either in solu.
tion in waters as the vehicle or as gases,
metsorolo al conditions are ofprime
importance How then, shall We eregsrd
the plans? Certainly as a factory in
which the crude material of soil is GOV.
yerted into more valuable vegetable
products capable of being utilized by
man and beast,
g The .renditions necessary for the sue
cessful operation of this factory being
sufplied,, It becomes self propelling the
physical, chemical and vital forces CO.
operating to carry 1t forward to the
fal6llment Of its destiny. This destiny
being fulfilled We have the fa~ material
for supplying mechanical factories if
fibre is the finished product to which the
plant Is devoted ed-animal factories if 3
food product results.
The soil, then, and air furnish the raw
material for the plant and plans the raw.
material for the animal factory, while
the latter is devoted to supplying the
masterpiece of Gods !creation-man.
The farm is incomplete without this last,
and, when properly handled, most profit
ably finishing machine. This becomes
especially apparent when We consider the
fact that a Sby.product ofthis animal
factory-the manure contributes in such
important degree TO the reproduction of
its own raw material.
Les,us take the sheep, for instance, to
illustrate this point. Grass organizes the
substances Of soil and air into food for
the sheep, or, if used as hay, into an
article of commerce. IF converted into
hay for market, costly labor mast be OK.
pended in harvesting, housing, baling
and drawing to market. If utilized
directly by the sheep We have further
expense connected with it, but it is man
ufactured into wool and mutton by the
animal which demands nothing at our
hands except an occasional ration of salt.
Ifconyerted into hay for market, whoever
purchases the hay must pay the grower,
not only the cost of growing, but that of
harvesting and marketing, and If the
consumer lives at distance from the
hay field he must pay the cost of trans.
portation and the merchants profit
besides. Now if he can afford to pay
these charges in addition to the cost of
growing the hay, and yet makes profit
by feeding it, surely he who ultizes the
quiet sheep to manufacture his hay in
his fields should realize much more, since
the manure, being returned to the soil, is
only robbed Of the plant. food sold in
wool or mutton.
Our people do not seem to appreciate
the fact that the conversion of all ayaila-
BILE material derived from the soil into the
more valuable and compact animal pro.
ducts without the Intervention of so
much costly human labor constitutes a
most important factor in determining-the
question of success or failure. They do
not sufficiently appreciate the fact that
nearly all of the nitrogen of the food
consumed by grown animal and all of
the phosphoric acid and potash contain.
ed in the food are excreted in the solid
and liquid manure. One of the most
culpable wastes of which any people we're
ever guilty is that of applying cotton seed
and cotton seed meal as manure without
first running them through the animal
machine. Both are most valuable feed.
stufs which would be equally valuable
as manure after passing through the ami
NAL ifthe solid and liquid excreta were
saved. Lawes estimates the value of the
manure from q ton of cotton seed meal at
$27 in England. The meal costs US here
much less than that. 1t is true that it is
not now practicable to feed the entire
product of cotton seed in the South be.
cause there are not enough stock to con.
sumo them.
On many southern plantations enough
peas, potatoes and small grain is wasted
to produce, if consumed by swine, enough
bacon for the family of the proprietor,
and enough hay dries in the fields, if
harvested and fed in connection with
cotton seed, to produce more value in
beef and milk than.the cotton crop upon
the plantation will bring after paying
cost of production of the latter. We fail
to utilize the very forces of nature which
do our bidding most willingly and profit.
ably. So true is this that the measure
of fsuccess of the tillers Of the soil in the
South NAV be yeYy accurately gauped