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MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



The late Mr. Wellford, an estimable and enterprising farmer of Fredericks- 

 burg, not only gave his straw to the livery stables of that place, but hauled it 

 to them. But he sagaciously bargained for all their manure in return, whereby 

 he not only got back his straw in the most available shape for use as a fertilizer, 

 but it had vastly increased in value, by the addition of all the oats consumed 

 along with it. He had the good sense to know, what every one should, and 

 should be governed by, that the richness and value of animal manures depend 

 upon the nature and quality of the food. We much doubt whether straw itself, 

 and by itself, would not be more valuable if thinly spread over the grain in whi- 

 ter, on the Gurney plan, than it is as manure, on merely being passed, unmixed, 

 through the bodies of domestic animals. 



Remarks by Professor Lindley. 



"Supposing the soil to be now in a condition 

 of satisfactory fertility ; that fertility must suf- 

 fer during the gi-owth of a crop, for the mineral 

 portion of that crop, and some of its organic 

 substance also, have been supplied by the soil ; 

 plow that crop under, and so far indeed, as the 

 latter portion is concerned, you do more than 

 restore what has been taken, for the atmo- 

 sphere contributed largely to the organic part 

 of the plant ; and all that, by this operation, 

 is made a clear addition to the substance of 

 the soil ; but so far as the inorganic portion 

 of the crop is conceraed, by plowing it m you 

 do but restore that which you have taken. In 

 point of fact, however, the crop is rarely, and, 

 taking a whole fann together, never thus re- 

 turned to the land — the greater part of it is 

 generally sold off the farm never to return, 

 or the whole of it is consumed by live-stock, 

 and only part of it is restored to the soU — 

 Farm-yard manure — the straw of the gi-ain 

 crops, together with the excrements of the 

 stock— is' thus the whole produce of the land 

 minus that which has been sold. We sup- 

 pose that nothing has been wasted, and we 

 are right in saying that what the fanner ordi- 

 narily adds to the land is not all that he has 

 taken from it : the difference — lost to the soil 

 — has been sent off the farm in the inorgaiiic 

 ■portions of the grain, and in the bones of 

 the stock which he has sold. How shall tliis 

 deficiency be made up ? the lost substance 



must be imported somehotc, or the soil must 

 suffer* 



Some farmers import food for stock — oil- 

 cake, linseed, beans, barley, &c. ; others pur- 

 chase artificial manures. Both act on simi- 

 lar principles — they aim at supplementing the 

 deficiencies of their own more natural supplies. 



These remarks, then, illustrate the nature 

 of the respective offices of farm-yard and arti- 

 ficial manures. Consider them in relation to 

 the question of maintaining the fertility of the 

 soil, and the latter holds the subordinate office 

 of merely supplementing the deficiencies of 

 the former — consider them in reference to the 

 gi-owth of a crop, and their relative value de- 

 pends simply upon their composition — the 

 foi-mer is often nxbbish, while the latter, if 

 genuine, may be of the highest value — the 

 former, if well manufactured, is all-important, 

 wliile the latter may be a mere vehicle for 

 roguery. We say that, considered as the food 

 of the plants, the relative importance of home- 

 made and ' artificial ' manures is a question 

 to be decided by the analyst ; but there can 

 be no doubt to which the gi-eater esteem is 

 due when we refer to the offices they have 

 respectively to perform. The economical 

 manufacture and application of home manures 

 as the cheapest method of maintaining the fer- 

 tility of our soils, is a subject second in im- 

 portance to none ia the whole range of farm 

 practice." 



Parsnips for Hogs.— Parsnips are preferred by hogs to all other roots, and make excel- 

 lent pork. By them they can be fattened in six weeks. A porker of mine 22 months old, 

 and weighing net 750 lbs., never ate anything but raw parsnips and sour milk ; and finer 

 meat never was seen. In the use of parsnips for stock, they should never be washed, but 

 be given as they are taken from the ground. Used in this way they are found not to surfeit 

 the hoirs and cattle, and if given fireely to cows, will much improve the quality and quantity 

 of theii^ milk. L Prau-ie Farmer. 



* We do not speak here of the natural provision by which the soil is enabled to suffer large abstractions 

 of its substance without an apparent loss of its fertility. No doubt the carbonic-acid-water which falls as ram 

 rapidly dissolves out of the land fresh fertilizing matter in the place of what is removed by bad farniing, but 

 ■this cannot be urged as a justification; for under such circumstances it does but go to diminish losses, 

 whereas under good management it would have the effect of increasing gains. 

 (442) 



