386 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



the following : It demands less labor for a given 

 amount of results ; it admits of a more thorough 

 cultivation of the soil ; it lessens the evils of 

 drought; it admits of the continued use of the 

 best imj)rovcd implements of culture ; and, not 

 among the least of its claims, it pi-esupj^osos a 

 thorough ])reparation of the soil, etc. Hilling, 

 undoubtedly, has its place and its advantages, and 

 these are chiefly found in a moist climate and a 

 wet, heavy, undraincd soil. Flat culture, we think, 

 will prove the system for our climate, and im- 

 proved modes of culture. Let it be more com- 

 monly tried, and adopted as its advantages may 

 seem to warrant. — UorticxiUurist. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 GKOWIWG "WHEAT— AMMONIA, &c. 



Passing food through the body of an animal docs 

 not increase its ultimate fertilizing power ; it adds no- 

 thing more to it for plants, at least for wheat, than the 

 food which the animals consumed. It is contrary to 

 nature to use plants which are capal^lc of sustaining 

 animal life, for the purpose merely of furnishing food 

 for otlicr plants. 



Fertilizing matter famished by decayed clover is 

 not as appropriate food for wheat as the droppings of 

 animals that live on clover. It contains too much calca- 

 reous matter, the very matter which animals need to 

 keep up the heat of their bodies and to form fat, and 

 which, when the clover is fed to animals, is "burnt 

 out" while the nitrogen remains in the tbrm of ammo- 

 nia, or in compounds which readily decompose and 

 form ammonia. This is what we need most. It not 

 only increases the crop, but up to a certain point ac- 

 celerates early maturity. 



These remarks will also apply in some degree to 

 poor stravv'v, leached, weathered manure. There is not 

 enough ammoina in a ton of such stuff as many far- 

 mers call manure to make hartshorn enough for a la- 

 dy's smelling-bottle. Instead of plowing in so much 

 clover for wheat, then, let us convert it into beef and 

 mutton, and if we can give our sheep peas or beans or 

 oil-cakc in addition, it will tell wonderfully on the 

 manure and on the crops to which it is applied. — Jo- 

 seph Harris's Yale Lectures. 



Now, in the first place, on what principle it 

 is that Mr. Harris can have seed pass through 

 the body of an animal, unless it becomes thor- 

 oughly masticated and digested, I am not in- 

 formed. Yet it Avould appear by this remark that 

 he had found out some canal through the body of 

 an animal whereby food could go through with- 

 out digestion, or only partly masticated. We are 

 also told that this operation adds no fertilizing 

 powers to the food thus passed through ; but that 

 the droppings of animals are a more proper food 

 for plants, at least for wheat, than the food which 

 the animals consumed. Again, how it is that he 

 separates this plant food, after it once enters the 

 animal's stomach, from the after droppings, is a 

 matter not made quite so jilaiu as wanted. 



We are also told that it is contrary to the econ- 

 omy of nature to use plant food to sustain plants 

 that are capable of sustaining animal life. To 

 which Ave beg to say that we are not aware of any 

 ordinary plant food that is not fully capable of 

 doing both ; that is, sustaining both plants and 

 animals, as may be. As to the economy of the 

 two plans, both have their proper places and ef- 

 fects ; a heavy crop of clover turned under, or of 

 buckwheat, might create what the farmers call a 

 "vinegar soil," in making too much acid for the 

 wheat crop. As a general thing, however, no 

 great failure heed be feared from this plan of 



turnj:ig under clover for the wheat crop. I should 

 prrfer to put on animals to feed the clover down 

 through the season, either for grain crops or any 

 farm crops to follow. But we are told, also, that 

 what is most wanted in the wheat crop to carry 

 it out, and to ripen it early, is ammonia. Very 

 well. And also, there is not much danger of our 

 getting too much of this ammonia for the wheat 

 crop. Now, let us see what Dr. Webster says : 

 "Ammonia, volatile alkali, a substance which in 

 its uncombined form exists in a state of gas. It 

 is composed of three equivalents of nitrogen and 

 one of hydrogen." This is all that Dr. Webster 

 says about this most tremendous word in agri- 

 cultural science, namely, ammonia; not a very 

 pleasing explanation for working, practical far- 

 mers to get through their heads, at best. 



In fact, the term when applied to agricultural 

 science in combination of plant life, is rather a 

 vague afl'air for the practical man. In fact, our 

 idea is that when the practical man has studied 

 the character of his soil as to wheat-growing, that 

 all the ammonia that is necessary for to catch and 

 measure in a thimble, will to him be of no conse- 

 quence on wheat-growing. As to how much am- 

 monia might be found in a load of straw or 

 weather-beaten manure, is a point we shall not 

 cavil about. The lady could take her salts bottle 

 to this manure heap to be filled, or to the drug- 

 gist, as she liked. Again, we are told by a certain 

 writer on "Irrigation" by rain-water, that what 

 causes the grass to grow where the water runs 

 out of the street in a rainy day, is, that the young 

 grass picks up the ammonia from the rain-water. 

 And this is what he calls "irrigation ;" also, soil 

 washed from the woods and hill lands down on 

 to the meadows in a rainy day, is irrigation. 



The first of these we should call "road-wash," 

 the second "land-wash" from the hill-sides. — 

 Now, letting the ammonia in rain go as it may, 

 our idea of the fine growth of grass caused by 

 rain-water is, that the fine particles of soil and 

 droppings of animals from the street washed on 

 to the grass, cause this grass to grow heavy as 

 far as this muddy wash reaches. But irrigation 

 proper means living running water from brooks, 

 ponds or lakes, conducted on to the meadows, 

 through the season, as Avanted. This writer 

 claims that running water from hard or lime wa- 

 ter countries, is not good for the grass, but rather 

 an injury, and only water from soft water streams 

 is good for irrigation. Our idea is that all run- 

 ning water is good for irrigating grass lands, but 

 that the soft water streams are much the most 

 valuable for growing grass and for general soil 

 improvement. 



Again, as to the best plan and most economi- 

 cal for improving poor lands that are capable of 

 being plowed well, I have but one opinion, name- 

 ly, that it can be done at a much faster and 

 cheaper rate by the use of the plow, and by grass 

 seed sown and the grass turned under, than by 

 keeping cattle on the soil to feed down Avhat lit- 

 tle poor grass grows on such thin soils. It may 

 be true, that on such thin soils at first the culti- 

 vated grasses may not grow. In that case, a crop 

 or two of buckwheat and oats of equal parts sown 

 together, and then plowed under, would improve 

 the poor soil so that grass seed after it would 

 take. The oats sown with the buckwheat would 

 have a tendency to correct the acid in the greea 



