The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-13

Ill health and deterioration follow In
evitably.
"A growing plant secures its nour-
ishment from the soil, and if the nu-
trients are not there, disease and
death follow Good soil, in its nat
ural state, contains the twelve princi-
pal earth-ash substances: potash. so
da, lime, magnesia, iron, Manganese,
PHOSPHORUS, sulphur, silicon, chlor-
inc, fluorine and carbon. 1t Is these
in combination with nitrogen, oxygen
and hydrogen that form the tissues
of the human body. II is these ell
ements that the plant needs If it is
to enjoy a healthy, and fruitful ex-
istepce. Take away any of them,
and to that extent at least, you re-
tard the growth and fruition of the
plant,
"a great many of the ravages in
plant life which are commonly laid to
insects and unseen parasites are real
ly the effect of sap diseases. Plants
suffer from diseases of the sap just
as man suffers from diseases OF the
blood. 1t is because they have not
been given the right kinds of foods
that such conditions exist. 1t is only
by correcting these nutritiye errors
by feeding in accordance with the
| demands of nature-that such diseas-
es can be cured"
While the greater portion of Mr..
Rueggs farm is devoted to the culti
walton of lava-grown fruits, flowers
and vegetables, one section has been
SET aside for the raising of plants
without the use of lava. The same
seeds have been planted In both parts
of the farm; the same pains have
been taken In cultivation. The only
| difference is that lava has been add
ed to part of the soil. while in the
other portion, only barnyard manure
and chemical fertilizers nave been
used.
A more striking illustration of the
horrible effects of malnutrition In
plant life could scarcely be imagined
If 'mal-nutritlon" is the term that
should be used. Plants here grow
much as they do on the other farms
In the neighborhood and cannot be
compared with those that are grow
ing in the lava fortified soil.
The soil in that corner of the
| farm contained the same proportion
Of mineral as the ground that is now
so much more fertile" Mr.. Ruegg
explained. The failure without the
lava indicates clearly that somthing
more than heterogeneous or phosphate
fertilizers are required. Fertilizers
that contain nitrogen, or ammonia.
and only potash are not capable Of
feeding plants properly. They may
drug the plants. and so produce a
temporary effect of luxuriant growth
but the result is not permanent be-
cause the cause has not been remov-
ed. When any OF the mineral elem
ents are lacking In the soil, the soil
is sick, and sick soil can produce
nothing but sickly vegetation. The
old school Of agriculture has been
teaching the farmer that nitrogen,
phosphoric acid, and potash, were the
only foods that soil needed. What
is the result? Although the Ameri-
can farmer has used hundreds OF
millions OF tons OF fertilizer, his
plants, vines and trees are still suf.
fering from the many diseases to
which the vegetable kingdom Is heir
II is only by giving vegetation the
foods that combine TO produce organ
ic life that perfect organic life can
be obtained"
Mr.. Ruegg presents his case very
convincingly. You cannot escape the
logic Of his arguments, but. II you
persist that II is possible that a pro
position may be logically correct and
yet not be true he will take you Ia
his laborator yand demonstrate BY
actual tests that there is something
more than a merely theoretical basis
for his new science OF fertilization.
He will show. for example how he
tells what mineral elements the sam
pie OF soil contains. He will
show. too, that chemical fer
tilizers and ordinary barnyarC
manure do not contain any OF IN,
elements that the soil lacks. Their
he win give the ocular proof tina
these elements, lacking in the sol
and common fertilizers, may be foun,
In the lavas that he has brought from
the sides OF the volcanoes--from We
suvious, Hekla, Aetna, Mount Pelee
Tacoma, Mauna-Iola, Timboro. ant
Chimborazo. Such demonstration
is evidential. You are forced TO ad
NIT after you have witnessed Il, tina
the proposition resolves itself dow
10 one vital question; to what degree
does the soil require the mineral ele
ments In the production OF healthfu
, vegetation? II, as Mr.. Ruegg asserts
, they are the very life OF the plant
, and. without them, healthful growtl
is impossible. the importance OF hi
discovery begins to become apparent
, Mr.. Ruegg has another theory tina
/ is not so easily demonstrated. Thi
! is that the health OF the animal an
. Vegetable Kingdoms are so closel
! related that one may be said 10 b
actually dependent upon the other.
Everything In life" he said, In e,
! PLANTATION, rs matter OF transforms
/ ton. or progression. This law Q
! progression begins with the minera
and works up to man. II is the mir
D eral that produces the plant; the an
I NAL feeds upon the plant; man feed
> upon both the plant and the animal.
!. That which means health an
I. strength for one means health an
strength for the other; that whic
y | hrinru wpnLnauu dtuonaa aud daaf