RENOVATING OUR FARMS. 53 



waste about our farms and applying it to our soil, unless we 

 have first prepared and put it in proper condition to receive 

 the manure ; for it is presumed no good ftirmer would for a 

 moment think of putting his manure upon his soil saturated 

 and full of water, that the roots will not take it up, to lay in 

 a dormant and useless state. Every farmer can in a large 

 measure control the condition of his soil, and this he must do 

 before applying his plant food, or he is sure to make a failure 

 in his crops, whether it be grain or grass. Now, if the soil on 

 which we are to cart our manure be a sandy loam, we have 

 only to put on our teams, and plow and harrow, and take off 

 the stones, and then apply the plant food broadcast, well pul- 

 verized, and a small quantity in the drill, when it is ready to 

 receive the seed, and with good care your crop in most cases 

 is assured. If your soil be wet, and so saturated with water 

 that the roots cannot take up the plant food, first drain and 

 bed up your land before applying the plant food, when the 

 sun and air will soon do their part of the work, and the land 

 will soon be ready to receive the plant food and seed. 



It is an established fact, that the soil is composed of organic 

 matter, or at least the soil furnishes through its agency, 

 potash, nitrogen, phosphoric acid, lime, soda, magnesia, 

 silica, (sand) sulphuric acid, carbonic acid, oxide of iron, 

 chlorine, and alumina, in all twelve ; from the first eleven 

 plants are grown, (or known as plant food.) Now if we 

 yearly grow crops upon our soils without regard to the food 

 that grows them, and sell a part or all of them without 

 making due return of the elements of the crops, we shall as 

 assuredly impoverish our soils just in proportion as we neglect 

 to return the food taken up b}'^ the crop, and our crops will de- 

 crease year by year both in quality and quantity, until the ex- 

 haustion of the soil becomes complete. Prof. Stockbridge 

 tells us that by investigation it has been found that the larger 

 portion of soils, although well supplied by the nine last sub- 

 stances, and that we need not very much concern ourselves 

 about them, that the most of soils by excessive croppings, 

 have been exhausted of their nitrogen, potash and phosphoric 



