THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



mi- 



which might he cited, that Liehig has changed 

 his views in regard to the value of ammonia 

 as a manure ; but it is still very difficult to 

 determine " what it really is that Liebig 

 means." Perhaps he may accuse us, as he 

 has Mr. Lawes, of having read but one sen- 

 tence in his book, so we beg leave to state be- 

 forehand that we have read it over carefully 

 several times, and that we are still in doubt 

 as to the real position of the learned author 

 on the subject it is the special object of the 

 work to elucidate. He has made some " agri- 

 cultural experiments " on a ten acre field, and 

 in summing up his conclusions from them, 



My 



experiments, 

 of 8,000 



which occasioned 



norms, ($3,200,) or 



says 



xne an outlay 

 $320 per acre, show indeed that to make a 

 soil fertile, which is barren from want of active 

 (soluble) ingredients, and not on account of | 

 unfavorable physical condition, requires an 

 outlay greater than the purchase of the most 

 fruitful soil ; but in this I was in no way dis- 

 appointed. What I wished to arrive at, was 

 well worth the sacrifice. What I have ar- 

 rived at is, [now, surely, he will state his con- 

 clusions on the value of mineral manure ; but 

 alas, no ! what he has arrived at is only] the 

 firm conviction that the time must come when 

 agriculture will he carried on as an art, ac- 

 cording to scientific principles, and not accor- 

 ding to mere recipes" 



Liebig brings forward these experiments as 

 practical evidence of the correctness of his 

 opinions, and they are, therefore, worthy of 

 attention. He says : 



J ' In the years 1845-9, 1 instituted a series of ex- 

 periments on the action of individual mineral ma- 

 nures. * * Former experiments which I had 

 made in my garden, gave no results; do and apply 

 what I would, I was not able to perceive any effect 

 from a single one of my mixtures."* 



The cause of this is ascribed to the richness 

 of the garden soil. This led to purchase a 



*Prof. Hossfosd, in one of his letters from Gerssen., 

 (Cultivator, 1846, page 139,) dlhnles to these experiments 

 as follows: "In the spring, (1844.) preceding my arrival 

 in Geissen, the Professdr planted some grape scions under 

 (me windows of the laboratory. He fed them, rf I may 

 use such an expression, upon the ashes of the grape vine, 

 or upon the proper inorganic food of the grape, as shown 

 by analysis of its ashes. The growth lias been enormous, 

 &c. I was shown pot3 of wheat, in different stages of 

 their growth, that had been fed variously— rorce upon the 

 iaorganic matters they nodded according- to the analysis of 

 their aslies — others had merely shajea the tribute of the 

 general soil. Tho results in numbers I don't yet know 

 In appearanee, no one could bo at a losa to judge of what 

 might be expected. * * The experiments of Prtf. L., 

 which I have altoeB to, are full of" interest not alone as 

 sustaining the views he has expounded, [.what views, if noi 

 tho?e of t!i2 mineral theory T] but as -a bo showing that the 

 trsaaurc-s in the shade of inorganic manures, heaped up in 

 «ome quarters of the gltrt>e, bay pe ma'cfe to equalize the 

 fruita of labor in «>ther region?." 



ten acre field, " distinguished from all ftt&nr 

 land in the vicinity by its almost perfect in- 

 capacity to support the ordinary cultivated 

 plants ; T do not believe that in an entire y€»;, 

 so much grass and fodder grew upon it »• 

 would sustain a single sheep." This was-p un- 

 questionably, a poor soil; and the mind remfe- 

 instanc.es of similar soils having been render! 

 fertile by the ordinary processes of a^ricultui^-. 

 The farms of the late Judge Buel, and It lit. 

 T. More, of Waterleit, N. Y., and man j m, 

 the county of Norfolk, England, were mm^ 

 blowing sands, but now are as remarkable 

 fertility as they once were for barren asm 

 This result has been attained principally 

 through growing crops of clover and turnips, 

 by plowing them in, or consuming them oa !: : 

 farm, and returning the manure, £hus supply- 

 ing organic matter and especially ammoaasv 

 from the atmosphere. This, however, is 

 ply a deduction from certain theoretical co>nsi/f 

 erations, founded on Mr. Lawes' experiment;.-! , 

 and we have frequently expressed the 

 that experiments with ammonia salts, argpsdsz 

 matter, and mineral substances, might be in- 

 stituted on similar soils. By applying ammo- 

 nia on one plot, organic matter on another, fclb 

 various mineral manures on others, and as, 

 mixture of these in different quantities : 

 proportions on others, and reserving one pt>:.i 

 without any manure at all, we might ©tai j 

 decisive information on this interesting sub- 

 ject. Let us see what kind of experiiia^ta 

 the great Geissen Professor instituted. • 



No part of tJie field was left without anw 

 ■manure. A quantity of mineral manure 1 was 

 sprea'd uniformly over the whole field, except - 

 ing a piece of vineyard of about 2000 vest:?, 

 each of which received at the time of plantm? 

 one quarter pound Of the same mineral ma- 

 nure. " On separate divisions of the §tf&2 

 were cultivated wheat, rye, barley, clover, pates 

 toes, maize, beets, and Jerusalem artichokes, 

 Would it not have been better, instead of hm 

 ing nine different crops and only one kind 

 mineral manure, to have had nine differed: 

 manures, and only one-crop ? If the ashes- ©I 

 plants represent the manure best adapted fo- 

 their growth, no one compound of mineral ism 

 nures could be best suited to both wheat ks-A, 

 clover, maize and beets. 



t: Some patches received saw-dust, one nouMz-pv 

 but stable-manure, another a mixture of the ivv 

 era! manure with an equal quantity of stable- drasg:. 

 Beside this stable-dun**, no other animal substanfi^- 

 no ammoniacal manure was used on tho vrhoh 

 iehl. One small plot bad added to it several w-f;-.*- 

 foii loads of soil from-a forest; another recent 

 the aame mixed with the mineral manure." 



