[ 



V 



54 ON INCREASING THE GROWTH 



more especially imparts to manure its so-called 

 "driving" or "forcing power." It is necessary to 

 plants, above all, in their earliest periods of growth, 

 because it is at this time that they assume the type 

 of their whole later development. If at this stage of 

 their life they can make a vigorous start, then their 

 stalks and leaves are from the first larger and strong- 

 er, and are subsequently able to put forth more blos- 

 som and seed. On the other hand, if plants are des- 

 titute of this means of nourishment during the first 

 periods of their development, they remain stunted and 

 weak, and the poor spring can only be followed by 

 a poor autumn. The action of nitrogen extends no 

 less to the strictly vegetable portions of the plant, 

 than to its seed ; it is equally essential to the vigor- 

 ous cultivation of both. It follows, indeed, from our 

 previous statements respecting the constituent ele- 

 ments of the seed and straw of rye and pease, that 

 the latter when compared with the former is poor in 

 nitrogen. This, however, is just what might be ex- 

 pected ; for the amount of nitrogen must be lessened 

 in ripe straw, because a large part of it passes into 

 the seeds, and is appropriated to their formation. 

 Hence the lower extremity of a straw culm is always 

 poorer in nitrogen than the upper, and it would for 

 this reason be more consistent with the end pro- 

 posed to use the former as litter and the latter as 

 fodder. The great abundance of nitrogen, as also of 

 mineral ingredients, which the table upon page 51 

 shows to be contained in the leaves of the beet be- 



