OP AGRICULTURE, 101 



acids and salts act with powerful effect upon the 

 vegetable matter in the soil, hastening decomposition 

 and rendering soluble the vegetable mold, and also, to 

 a great degree, by freeing the alkalies, the very sand 

 in the soil. This vegetable mold and sand, in their 

 turn, yield up potash, soda, lime, carbonic acid, and 

 in the proper condition to be taken up by the roots 

 of plants. 



The action of these constituent elements of 'ferti- 

 lizers is fully discussed in the appendix to this little 

 work, and the author respectfully refers the reader to 

 the deductions, experiments and illustrations therein 

 stated. 



A CAUTION TO PLANTERS. 



As many of the artificial fertilizers now upon the 

 market are put up for sale, and even Peruvian guano 

 is adulterated to a vast extent, it requires a great 

 degree of caution on the part of the planter in pur- 

 chasing such articles. The only safeguard is to buy 

 these manures from perfectly reliable and responsible 

 dealers, who are willing to guarantee the fertilizers 

 to be equal to the standard of value branded upon the 

 bags and barrels, and as published in their advertise- 

 ments in the public journals. 



ANEXPERIMENTMADEBYTIIERAINS, IN 1868. 



On the plantation of a brother of the author, in 

 Attala county, Mississippi, there is a piece of land 

 containing one and one-half acres, It is immediately 

 belojv and adjoining the horse-lot ; so situated that 

 the washings from the lot spread very equally over 

 the land below it. The rains from the cloiuls manure 



