THE PENINSULA FARMERS' CLUB. 449 



Subject for discussion : ''How shall we keep up the fertility of our farms?" 



Mr. Avery opened the discussion of the evening as follows: 



We find the woody fibre of plants and trees composed principally of carbon, 

 hydrogen, and oxygen. It is a singular fact that in this woody fibre liydrogen 

 and oxygen are present in just the proportions of water, so when decomposi- 

 tion takes place the result is to produce water. Starch and sugar are composed 

 of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It is agreed by scientists that plants absorb 

 both carbonic acid and water through the leaves. Thus you see how plants 

 can make their bodies, as the supply of food is abundant. If now the oxygen 

 of the carbonic acid be thrown off through the leaves, we have left only carbon 

 and water, or carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. We have stated that plants get 

 carbon, hydrogen and oxygen through the leaves. The next element to con- 

 sider is nitrogen, which composes from 15 to 25 percent of the grain of plants, 

 the most valuable part, and from which we expect to realize returns for grow- 

 ing most of our crops. It is yet to be proven that plants derive any part of 

 the nitrogen through their leaves ; consequently they must take it through 

 the roots. The chief source of supply is uminonia and nitric acid ; but we do 

 not find it in large supply in this shape, on account of its strong tendency to 

 unite with other bodies, such as carbonic and sulphuric acid. W'.-iter will also 

 absorb from five to six hundred times its own bulk of ammonia. 



Now comes the point : Success or failure, profit or loss, on our ability 

 to get this ammonia into tiie land and to keep it there when we get it. 

 Lime has a strong tendency to drive off ammonia from its combination ; also 

 tends to produce decomposition; hence you understand why our soils show 

 such quick returns from manures. Decomposition is rapid. From the above 

 imperfect statement we may infer: cultivating or stirring the soil lets in the 

 air to the particles of humus, and produces decomposition ; that produces 

 moisture (all known plants cannot grow without moisture) ; water attracts 

 ammonia, and the roots drink up the ammonia. Admitting the fact that car- 

 bon is cheap, but nitrogen is dear, and that the available source of nitrogen is 

 ammonia, which is very volatile, and that it escapes to the surrounding air 

 whenever any substance is decomposing that contains it, how important it 

 is that we study every available means to retain it ! 



I will point out what seems to me the cheapest means of preventing part 

 of the loss : 



First, Beware of long summer tilling during hot weather on barren fallows. 

 This practice, I am glad to know, is at present disapproved by the best English 

 farmers. If a great amount of tillage is necessary to destroy troublesome 

 weeds, or the roots of troublesome grass, substitute hoed crops. 



Second, Use large quantities of bedding for animals. Keep both animals 

 and manure under cover until they can go where there are growing plants to 

 welcome them. The fire-fanged, rain-drenched manure is hardly worth draw- 

 ing on the land ; besides it costs less to draw the manure as it is made to the 

 field where it is wanted, than it does after it is saturated with rain-water. 

 Nitrogenous manures are only available to plants in a soluble state; hence, 

 after stable manure is thoroughly drenched with water, all that is at that time 

 available is washed away, which is a very large per cent when we consider the 

 urine as being the richest in ammonia. What farmer here to-night, if told by 

 his wife on his return that his vinegar barrel was leaking, but would start im- 

 mediately to attend to it ? But, believe me when I tell you bushels of wheat 



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