The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-04-16

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country are just now facing another
phase in the fertilizing problem.
They want to know how to solve
the problem of thorough fertilizing
combined with the greatest econ
omy, or reach the nearest point to
these desirable results.
Nature is the best guide in that.
She always fertilizes on the surface.
The forest sheds its summers
growth of leaves on the surface.
There is a three fold object in this.
The foliage contains the mineral
constituents which the roots ex-
tracted from the soil and nitrogen
from the atmosphere that were
not used in building up cells which
form the trunk, branches and seed
or fruit. This is returned again to
the earth. The leaves form mulch
which prevents the sun and air
from evaporating moisture from the
soil too rapidly. The leaves as they
slowly decay form humas, which is
is the greatest tixer and storer up
of ammonia, or nitrogen of the at
mosphere, that exists. The winter
rains contain great deal of nitro
gen which is stored near the sur
face by the humas or vegetable
matter in a state of partial decay.
These manural constituents are
steadily attracted downwards, and
nature holds them as near the sur
face as long as possible so that the
supply of root food shall be constant
but not so rapid as to be wasteful.
The same natural laws face the
farmer and if he violates them,
nature will refuse to give him any
reward. Every particle of mater
ial the farmer plows under he is in
so doing violating the laws of
vegetation.
The barnyard manure is the most
important of all the vegetable mat
ter at his command for providing a
store of humas near the surface of
the ground to arrest and store the
nitrogen of the rain and dew. This
is the reason grass seed sets so well
when barnyard manure is used on
the surface. There is a store of
nitrogen in touch of the young
rootlets first put out by the seed.
How can the barnyard manure
be best utilized by the farmer is a
question of vital Importance to him.
The best way it would seem would
be to so handle his yard manure
that it would be reduced to a well
rotted condition that would freely
spread with a manure spreader.
BY this means it could be spread
very evenly on the surface, and be
made to cover large area, not very
thickly but evenly distributed.
This manure being in a well adj
vanced state of decomposition pro-
vides a bed of humas in the soil
near the surface and in contact with
the young roots of the grain
and seed, holding constant
supply of heterogeneous food for the
infant plant. A small quantity of
fertilizer drilled in with the grain
supplies store of food for the roots
when they have acquired strength
and the plants begin to require
more and greater variety of food.
Lime being an attracter of moist
ure, a decomposer of soils, the min
eral constituents in the soil are by
the chemical action of lime set free
and made soluble, put in condi-
ton for plant food. An abundant
supply of plant food having been
furnished by this combination, and
stored near the surface, vigorous
growth of cultivated grasses and
grain is assured, strong sward is
secured to serve as a covering to the
land when at rest from cultivation,
and a bountiful supply OfvegetabIe
matter fills the soil and sorrel and
other weeds which take possession
of hungry soil disappear, being
choked out by the cultivated
grasses and grain,
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