THE FARMER'S GOLD MINE. 



^TPHE farm has often been compared to 

 a gold mine, and very properly too, 

 , i butagold mine is worth just so much 

 less for each dollar's worth of ore that 

 is taken out of it. The same is nearly as 

 true of the farmer's gold mine. Every 

 crop, every animal, every pound of but- 

 ter and dozen of eggs that leave the farm, 

 rob it of just so much of its fertility as 

 they contain. And what is this fertility? 

 Where does it come from, and how can 

 we replace it ? These are question.s 

 which we should all understand fully, 

 and be able to answer them by actual 

 demonstration. With the exception of 

 lime, iron and a few other elements that 

 are usually in superabundance in the 

 soil of most farms, they are tiitrogen, 

 potash and phosphoric add. All of these 

 are absolutely indispensable to the grow- 

 ing of every crop, and to the existence 

 of every living thing, whether animal or 

 vegetable. Nature is generous, and has 

 furnished a large supply of them within 

 our reach, but we must know where they 

 are, when we need them, and how to 

 get them most cheaply. 



Nitrogen is far the most costly, and 

 yet it is the most abundant, as four-fifths 

 of the air is composed of it, but in its 

 common and gaseous form, which is be- 

 yond our reach, except through the clo- 

 vers, peas, and other pod-bearing plants 

 that have the peculiar ability to gather 

 and store it in their structures. The 

 bodies of animals contain it in the form 

 of ammonia chiefly, and all their excre- 

 ments are more or less rich in it. Com- 

 bined in certain minerals, it is found as 

 nitrate of soda, etc. 



Potash is found in every arable soil in 

 fair proportions, but not always in abund- 

 ance, nor in the most available condition. 

 If one of the three things named is more 

 important than another, it is potash, for 

 it seems to be the backbone of all man- 



ures, whether home made or commercial. 

 Frequent stirring of the soil helps to lib- 

 erate that which is locked in the mineral 

 particles of the earth. That is one of the 

 ways of extracting the gold from the ores 

 of the farmer's gold mine The ashes of 

 trees and all other vegetable matter con- 

 tain potash. But the great mines of 

 Germany contain the most condensed 

 and available supplies of it so far dis- 

 covered. 



Phosphoric acid is also found in the 

 soil, in the bones of animals, in the phos- 

 phate quarries, and in wood ashes. Cul- 

 tivation will unlock the combinations in 

 which nature has secbred it, but not 

 often easily or so completely as we would 

 desire. In order to get the wealth from 

 the mines upon the farm, we must in 

 many cases resort to outside help. We 

 must grow the clovers, cow-peas, etc., to 

 get from the air what nitrogen is possi- 

 ble. We must make and save all the 

 animal manures that can be produced 

 at home. When outside aid is called in 

 by the purchase of chemical or commer- 

 cial manures, then the cheapest sources 

 are the muriate, and sulphate of potash, 

 and kainit, for potash ; and dissolved 

 bone, bone black and dissolved phos- 

 phate rock for phosphoric acid. These, 

 and slaughterhouse refuse of various 

 kinds for nitrogen, will enable the gold 

 miner on the farm to get out the shining 

 particles, with here and there a solid 

 nugget, in the shape of good crops. 

 Then, if those crops are fed on the farm, 

 and only fat stock sold, instead of grain, 

 with fruits and vegetables (which are 

 mostly water), the fertility may be kept 

 up indefinitely. Thus, instead of the 

 farm mine becoming exhausted, it mavi 

 with good management, return profitable 

 yearly dividends, and become richer as 

 the years go on. 



U'luhing/on. H. V.. \'an I>i:M.\N. 



