The Portland daily press., 1894-08-16
RESTORING WORKOUT SOILS.
Green Manures and Chemical Fertilizers
Produce Very Satisfactory Results.


Green Manures and Chemical Fertilizers
Prodoce Very Satisfactory Results.
1t is evident that hungry soil can
not feed itself and have any strength
ie1t Tor paying profit. Simply put back
Ia the form OF manure the crops that
are grown on that soil, and the gam
will not be rapid enough to pay for Ia
Dor and taxes. Buy grain to feed to
live stock and leave the manure ON the
farm, and the farm will improve, but
Will 1t pay while improving! Is the
grain cheaper than fertilizer would be;
That is the point to figure on, says II.
W. Collingwood, in his book on chem
icals and clover.
Many authorities tell us that Door
land Gun be brought up to productive
point by the use of green maliures alone.
This may be true in some cases, but not
III the majority, and in any event the
process is slow and tedious. An expert
ment III this line was that OF Mr.. l.. ID.
Davis, who undertook to improve run
down Rhode Island farm by means OF
green crops alone After the labor OF
growing and blowing in four different
crops without bringing the land in con.
dition to make sure of a catch of clover,
Mr.. Davis concludes:
1t is not wise to depend on this proc
ess alone for fertilization. Though
often told that blowing in green crops
restores all the elements of fertility in
the proper proportions needed for fu-
ture corps, am satisfied that they do
not in all cases meet the demand even
in that direction. All poor soils are not
sterile from the loss of precisely the
same ingredients, and all green crops
do not hold the several elements of fer
tility in the same proportions, whatever
may be said to the contrary.
The time required to produce the de-
sired results by green manuring alone
is altogether too extended. In this case
two full years and four crops turned
under, together with much blowing,
narrowing and seeding, made but be-
ginning, and at the same rate of prog
ress it must have taken several more
summers to have produced yeyy marked
results. I doubt If the land had yet
reached point where fair growth of
clover could have been secured to be
used to advantage in the same way or
otherwise.
The application Of other fertilizers
should accompany green maturing
first, because they will give larger and
richer crop to be turned under. and,
secondly, because they will hasten the
period when the desired results will be
attained. To the farmer as well as to
the banker time is money, and if the en-
richment of the soil requires three or
five years by one process and but one or
two by the other the difference in ex-
pense will be found much greater than
is at first supposed.
And so should not again attempt to
reclaim barren land by green manuring
alone My experience with green ma
nuring and chemical fertilizers togeth-
er was far more satisfactory. This
trying to farm poor land with green ma
nures alone is just like trying to win
ter a dairy COW on hay or straw. 1t is
folly to expect her to pay profit on such
food. She simply cannot do it, because
she can only give back in the pail part
of what you put in her mouth. She
must have feed-grain. Hay alone will
not answer, and grass alone will not
answer for the hungry soil It must
have something stronger.