ARTIFICIAL AND FARM-YARD MANURES. 201 



BOUGHT, OR ARTIFICIAL AND FARM- YARD MANURES. 



It is a curious fact, and much to their credit and enterprise, that in a certain 

 neighborhood of Montgomery Country, Maryland, there is probably a greater 

 amount of artificial manures — or rather mineral and animal manures — pur-chased 

 and carried on to their farms, than in any other district : entitling them to the 

 more credit when it is considered that they are without the advantages of water 

 or artificial conveyances to transport it. 



At the same time they well understand the importance of home-made manure, 

 and have too much good sense to consider the one as incompatible with the 

 obligation to husband the other. On the contrary, they chime in with each other 

 when we consider that farm-yard dung does not give back to the land all that the 

 crops out of which it is made take from it ; and hence the necessity, when it 

 can be done, to bring on other manures to make up for that which the crops 

 take away from, and which farm-yard manure does not supply. Therein lies the 

 rationale of the case as relates to the two kinds of manure. 



On this point the following observations are clear and worthy of attention, al- 

 though the substance of them may have been again and again presented to the 

 reader. There is more information — more wholesome food for reflection in re- 

 marks like these, by Professor Lindley ; and by the reflecting farmer they will be 

 turned to more account, than is or can be made, upon one-half of what is seen at a 

 Cattle Show. Everything goes to show the necessity for instruction in the prin- 

 ciples of the art ! Without a knowledge of Agricultural Chemistry, who can, 

 or how are we, to know the true value of either farm-yard or bought manures ? 

 A large proportion of the former is doubtless often were rubbish, not worth — as 

 the farmer would see if he could analyze it — the cost of hauling it out upon his 

 land. 



Farm-yard manure, for instance, made through the winter in an open pen, ex- 

 posed to wind and weather, and composed of the off'al of half dead and alive cat- 

 tle, fed exclusively on wheat-straw ! How much more can it be worth than the 

 straw itself, since the cattle are merely used as machines to grind it down and 

 condense it ? The virtue of such manure, supposing the whole straw to be thus 

 punctually restored to the land, falls lamentably short of balancing the account, 

 when we consider what the grain has taken off. The case is very diff'erent when 

 the grass or grain crops are consumed on the land. If home-made manure is 

 thus liable to be of little or no value, so may be others ; such as marl, guano, 

 lime, bone-dust, &c., for they may be either poor or spurious, and the analyst 

 only can tell. When the sciences connected with Agriculture come to be taught 

 in our schools, though every man may not be his own chemist, we shall have 

 such chemists abounding in the country, just as we had, on the bringing on of the 

 War, West Point Government educated oflicers to drill and train the militia— and 

 why should not the agricultural chemist be provided by the Government, or out 

 of the Public Treasure, as well as the man of science in the art ofivar ? Just lie 

 cause farmers arc not educated as they should be in a knowledge of their own 

 rights, and in a sense of self-respect, which, if they possessed. Members of Con- 

 gress would not dare misrepresent them and their interests as they do on this point. 



(441) 



