The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-15
Restoring WOrnOut Soils.

1t is evident that a hungry soil can
not feed itself and have any strength
left for paying a profit Simply put
back in the form of manure, the crops
that are grown on that soil and the gain
will not be rapid enough to pay for la
Dor and taxes. Buy grain to feed
to live stock and leave the manure
on the farm, and the farm will improve;
but will it pay while improving? Is
the grain cheaper than fertilizer would
be? That is the point to figure on,
says H. w. Collingwood, in his book on
chemicals and clover. Many authorities
tell us that poor land can be brought
up to productive point by the use of
green manures alone. This may be
true in some cases, but not in the ma
iority, and in any event the process is
slow and tedious. An experiment in
this line was that of Mr.. l.. D. Davis,
who undertook to improve rundown
Rhode Island farm by means of green
crops alone. After the labor of grow
ing and blowing in four different crops
without bringing the land in condition
to make sure of a catch of clover, Mr.
Davis concludes: 6 1t is not wise to
depend upon this process alone for fer
tiization. Though often told that plow-
ing in green crops restores all the ele-
ments of fertility in the proper proper
tions needed for future crops, l am sat
isfied 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 fertility in the same pro.
portions, whatever may be said to the
contrary. The time required to pro-
duce the desired results by green ma
nuring 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 beginning, and at the same rate
of progress it must have taken several
more summers to have produced very
marked results. 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 ma
nuring-frst, because they will give a
larger and richer crop to be turned un-
der, and, secondly, because they will
hasten the period when the desired re-
suits will be attained. To the farmer
as we'll as to the banker time is money,
and if the enrichment of the soil re-
quires three or five years by one process
and but one or two by the other the diff
ference in expense will be found much
greater than is at first supposed And
80 l should not again attempt to reclaim
barren land by green manuring alone.
My experience with green manuring
and chemical fertilizers together was
far more satisfactory. This trying to
farm poor land with green manures
alone is just like trying to winter 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 an.
swer for the hungry soil. 1t must have
something stronger. "-Enchange.