56 [Senate 



borne in mind that quite independently of the mineral constituents 

 of plants, furnished by running water, all starch, sugar, gum and 

 oil — the cream of agricultural products — are nothing but pure water 

 and carbon. Remember that all plants are stationary beings, and 

 however thirsty, or hungry they may be, they are unable to move one 

 step toward theirfo od. 



How richly do they repay the skilful cultivator, who studies all their 

 wants, and timely supplies them? There is no economy in starving 

 one's plants, or domestic animals. No man should attempt to cultivate 

 more surface than he can do full justice to ; nor to keep more stock 

 than his supply of food will maintain in good condition. To increase 

 the food of plants and animals, it is the practice of good farmers in 

 the several counties which I visited, to plow deep, and pulverize 

 the soil most thoroughly. This practice has many advantages : 



First. It enables the roots to extend themselves freely in all direc- 

 tions, and thus present a double and treble surface to the surrounding 

 earth, water and air, to imbibe nourishment. This is garden culture, 

 and depend upon it, the gain to the growing crop is very great. 



Secondly, It seems to drain the surface of the earth of all excess of 

 moisture, the evaporation of which renders it cold, compact, and 

 unproductive. 



Thirdly. Deep plowing brings up to the mellowing and decom- 

 posing influence of light, heat and frost ; and to the action of at- 

 mospheric agencies, like oxygen and carbonic acid, the most valuable 

 mineral elements of all crops. It is by this means that plowing at 

 all is of any service. What changes mi]\e. composition and proper- 

 ties of the earth, so far as the plow extends, do we seek to attain 1 

 Is there any reason why a soil should be mellow six inches, and per- 

 mit the air to circulate freely at that depth, that will not apply to the 

 depth of twelve or fifteen inches 1 



The leaching of the surface soil, by long culture conveys much of 

 its fertilizing elements to the retentive subsoil below. The latter 

 should be broken up and mellowed, if not brought to the surface. 

 A subsoil plow without a mold board does this. Great improvements 

 have been made within a few years in the art of cultivation. To 

 this is now to be added all the advantages of modern science. No 

 one can now pretend to say what benefits a diligent search into the 

 laws and secrets of nature, may not confer on the human family. 

 A beet seed weighs half a grain. A good sized beet weighs fifteen 



