THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



507 



SOMETHING OF PLANTS, AND HOW THEY LIVE. 



Plants feed themselves. They increase in 

 stature because of nourishment. They receive 

 what is required, and discharfre from their roots 

 what is not required, to assist their growth. What 

 are plants made of? If every farmer could an- 

 swer this question, and then provide the pet plant 

 with such matter as it requires in the manufacture 

 of itself, he would disperse a mist in which at 

 least nine-tenths of our farmers are bewildered. 

 Burn any dry veojetable matter. What becomes 

 of it ? You see nothing but ashes. This is not 

 all of it. The balance has become dissipated in 

 the atmosphere. That part which is nowhere — 

 which has escaped in the air, or burned away, is 

 the oryanic part — the ashes^ the inorganic portion. 

 Where did this plant come from ? " Dust thou 

 art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The part 

 become air must have originated in air ; while the 

 ashes have become earth, and originated in the 

 soil. The organic part is air, the inorganic matter 

 earth. Remember it. Nothing is lost. There has 

 been no annihilation — only a change of form. 

 The organic matter, which ^has burned away, con- 

 sists of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. 

 Carbon is a solid (charcoal), and the last three 

 named jare gases. Carbon exists in all plants, 

 and in combination with these gases constitute 

 nearly the whole of most plants, ashes bearing but 

 a small proportion to the whole. Carbon con- 

 stitutes about half the dry weight of plants. Oxi/- 

 gen supports combustion. It unites with many 

 substances. It is sometimes called vital air, be- 

 cause necessary to respiration. Oxygen and car- 

 bon form carbonic acid, and united with hydrogen 

 forms water. When united with iron, the iron 

 becomes rusty. This rust is called oxide of iron. 

 Oxygen united with nitrogen forms nitric acid. 

 The two also compose atmospheric air ; and here 

 witness the wonderful adaptation of the works of 

 creation to each other ! If the atmosphere was 

 pure oxygen, every living thing would soon decay 

 of combustion ; but adding to one part of oxygen 

 four parts of nitrogen, God has so diluted the 

 exhilarating gas, as that in its place we have a 

 dehcious life-giving and life-preserving nectar — so 

 pure and palatable that we never cease to thirst 

 for it, yet the supply is ample. But there are 

 other elements in the atmosphere which the lungs 

 of plants receive, and yet they are called impuri- 

 ties. We have seen farmers for the want of the 

 proper knowledge apply certain compositions to 

 a soil, when, instead of benefiting the plant, 

 it drove away, and dissipated all that was giving 

 life to it. We have seen ammonia, one of the impuri- 

 ties above alluded to, allowed to escape from a 

 manure heap, because of the want of the proper 

 application to fix it there. Carbonic acid, ivater, 

 and ammonia are all essential to the maturity of 

 most vegetables. Carbonic acid'is the most impor- 

 tant in its relations to plants, for from this source 

 alone is their carbon obtained. It consists, as has 



been said, of carbon and oxygen. It is remarkable 

 as being the first gaseous substance recognized 

 after atmospheric air. Dr. Black, in 1757, called 

 it fxed air, because he found it fixed in common 

 limestone and magnesia. Plants, as we have be- 

 fore said, receive nourishment through their roots, 

 and by their leaves. Carbon enters in the water by 

 the roots, and is absorbed from the air by the 

 leaves. Since carbonic acid is the source of sup- 

 ply of carbon only, to the plant, the oxygen must 

 be separated from the carbon, and sent off into the 

 atmosphere. The gum portions of the plant ex- 

 hales the oxygen under the influence of sunlight. 

 Sunlight is essential to the decomposition of car- 

 bonic acid, and to the rapid growth of plants. 

 When a plant decays, the carbon in the plant unites 

 with the oxygen in the air, and becomes carbonic 

 acid. The same is the result where bodies burn. 

 In the consumption of food and respiration, you 

 are manufacturing and throwing oflF carbonic acid, 

 which goes to assist again the formations of food 

 for yourself or your dependants. Carbon then is 

 certainly in a transition state, and though it con- 

 stitutes so large a part of all vegetable and animal 

 matter, yet it is all derived from the small amount 

 of carbonic acid in the atmosphere ; and but for 

 this constant change and exhalation of both plants 

 and animals, the supply would be exhausted. The 

 fire in your kitchen is constantly supplying the 

 trees and vegetables near your door with carbonic 

 acid, which if exposed to the sun decomposes 

 rapidly, and hence makes a rapid growth. The 

 tree near your dwelling, though no better than the 

 one planted at the same time, in the same manner, 

 and in equally as good soil, in the orchard fifty 

 yards distant, is far outstripping the orchard tree 

 in growth — simply because it is fed with more 

 carbon. Trees are necessary near the house ; and 

 in large cities, every man who understands the 

 laws of nature and of health will provide these 

 absorbents for the extra amount of acid generated. 

 We frequently find in cities the leaves of plants 

 rapidly forming, while in the country the twigs 

 are as bare of foliage as at mid-winter. We should 

 not be misunderstood. Carbon enters the plant 

 in the form of carbonic acid. The carbon is re- 

 tained until the plant decays, but the oxygen is 

 thrown off to unite with carbon agam. Carbon 

 is fixed in the plant until decay commences. The 

 blood of animals, which contains carbon, unites 

 with the air, or tlie oxygen of the air, as it is in- 

 haled into the lungs, and forms carbonic acid, 

 without which process no animal could live. This 

 carbonic acid is thrown off, and feeds plants, which 

 in turn feed animals again. 



We have said carbon is a sohd, or, in other words, 

 charcoal is a solid. It is light and porous, hence 

 a good absorbent. This is the secret of its value 

 to the farmer. It absorbs gases that may escape 

 from plants or decomposing substances. It 

 separates from water any impurities, decayed ani- 



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