FARMERS' REGISTER. 



153 



roots ofplanls lo pprend themselves freely. There 

 is much vegetable matter mixed up with ihem, 

 though these soils are not remarkable for its abun- 

 dance. Upon an examination ol'the alluvial soils 

 of the Mississippi, the Ganges, and the Nile, they 

 are Ibund nearly to resemble each other, with the 

 vegetable matter contained in them in a finely di- 

 vi(led state. 



The mixed elements of soils have a povverfiji ac- 

 tion upon each oiher, and u|)on the plants which 

 grow in them. Their earthy pans have an elec- 

 tro-motive power, which operates not only by the 

 roots but, by the leaves. A fertile soil consists of 

 elements in a positive and a negative electric state, 

 fairly balancing each other. If the soil is acid, it 

 is barren; if alkaline, barren. The acid is in a 

 negative, the alkaline in a positive electric state. 

 Vegetable manures become acid or negative ; ani- 

 mal manures positive or alkaline : they must be 

 combined in order to produce the best result. When 

 peats alone are used for manuring soils, the results 

 are not always favorable. Farmers pronounce it a 

 cold substance, [n its natural slate it abounds in 

 acid properties and produces sorrel. We may ren- 

 der this substance one ol"the most valuable of ma- 

 nures by suitably preparing it, according to the ex- 

 perience of many farmers. Peat should be com- 

 bined with some alkaline or basic substance, which 

 will neutralize the acid which prevails in it, and 

 then it will supply an abundant nutriment to vege- 

 tables. Peat is composed of mosses which grow 

 and then continually decay, giving place constant- 

 ly to succession ot"these sphaganeous plants, inter- 

 mixed with leaves and decayed trees. They 

 abound on the sea- board. Swamp mud resembles 

 peat in proportion to the decayed vegetable matter 

 which it contains; and is adapted to supply the 

 manure we want. 



Peat being dug out, another growth of it comes 

 (brward, and afier a while its place is supplied 

 again. On Block Island, where it abounds, it is 

 used altogether lor fuel. In this place the peat 

 contains 98 per cent, of vegetable matter. Our 

 peats contain from SO to 97 parts of vegetable mat- 

 ter. Swamp mud consists of vegetable matter and 

 earth, making a good manure when its acid pro- 

 perties are neutralized. Several farmers in the 

 neighborhood of Boston have experienced its value. 

 Peal can be substituted by proper management lor 

 manure. A distinguished farmer saj's that farming 

 cannot be carried on in his location without peat. 

 Two farmers within his knowledge have mixed 

 three parts of peat with one of stable dung. By 

 mixing it with lime and animal manure, ammonia- 

 cal gas is produced, which dissolves the peat and 

 converts it into a powerful manure. 



Lime is highly useful in its application lo soils. 

 In bone manure it is found in combination with 

 phosphoric acid. The crenic and apocrenic acids 

 unite with it and form manures. All manures be- 

 fore they act become converted into salts. Soils 

 are in an acid or neutral state. Large tracts of 

 country, whicji are now barren, by proper applica- 

 tions might be rendered fertile. A liirm within 

 his knowledge, which was a blowing sand, a pine 

 barren, and almost hopeless, on which ten bush- 

 els of corn to an acre could scarcely be grown, by 

 thejudicious application of ashes, has been- made 

 to produce forty to fifiy bushefs to the acre. 



The Dr. here illustrated his position by giving 

 the chemical analysis of certain soils in Rhode Isl- 

 VoL. VIII-^20 



and, which it is understood will be presented (o 

 the public in his report in a detailed form. Me- 

 thods should be taken to render the insoluble matter 

 in soils soluble, that it may be taken up by the 

 plants ; and it is desirable that this process should 

 proceed gradually. If acidities abound in the soil, 

 correctives must be applied. It is easy to convert 

 one quality of soil into anoliier. The value of geo- 

 losical investigations is not properly estima'ed. — 

 An analysis of soils is greatly wanted. The sta- 

 tistics of agriculture are greatly wanted. Farmers 

 are not exact in their observation of their crops. — 

 Many valuable agricultural districts are bottomed 

 upon clay. This is desirable in order to preserve 

 the manures which are applied to them. In soils 

 where the manures applied pass through them by 

 infiltration, much loss is sustained ; and they are 

 not favorable to agricultural products. This infil- 

 tration of manures is doubted by some, but the con- 

 dition of our wells proves it. The water in a barn 

 yard is never pure. As much as a teaspoonful of 

 vegetable matter to a gallon is often obtained Ironi 

 waters which are considered pure. This may be 

 seen by any one who will evaporate the Boston 

 water to dryness. In the purest water obtained 

 from lakes, 1^ grain of vegetable matter to the 

 gallon may be obtained. In the water of Boston, 

 38 grains are Ibund to the gallon. Soils brought 

 from 150 feet depth in this neighborhood, are found 

 charged with vegetable matter. 



Land with a fbot of top soil on a gravelly sub- 

 stratum may be unproductive. This is the case 

 with the soil on Seekonk plains, which has a loot 

 of soil containing 11 per cent, of vegetable matter ; 

 but manures applied pass tiirough it by filtration ; 

 and it suffers from drought. 



All our waters come from the top soil. Clay is 

 a retainer of water. Bog iron ore is found in soils 

 and is prejudicial to vegetation. There is a ready 

 way Ibr a faimer to test his water. By the appli- 

 cation of a solution of lunar caustic to a glass of 

 water, if it contains vegetable matter, it will be- 

 come red. Distilled water will not exhibit this 

 appearance. 



Saline matters abound in soils in the form of 

 carbonates, sulphates and phosphates. Lime ia 

 an important amendment to the soils by causing it 

 to furnish nutriment to the plants. It is a chemical 

 re-agent and decomposes manures and does not, as 

 has been supposed, form insoluble matters. In the 

 ashes of wheat, lime exists to the amount of 15 per 

 cent. It is found in some proportion in all soils. 

 The carbonate of lime is a valuable amendment la 

 soils and especially to those which contain iron or 

 copperas. Gypsum is a powerful stimulus to vege- 

 tation. Lime in the Ibrm of a carbonate is easily 

 applied. The management of lime is too generally 

 misunderstood. Fields perfectly barren have been 

 rendered fertile by the use of it. There are few 

 exceptions to this fact in Rhode Island. In some 

 cases its application has been triumphantly success- 

 ful, and in many leases of failure, the lime has been 

 found to be highly magnesian. There are various 

 matters connected with these subjects which will 

 furnish excellent texts fbr discussion hereafter. — 

 The action of manures is particularly important. 

 Science here is ofgreat importance. Certain acide 

 in soils have been discovered by Berzelius. The 

 crenic and apocrenic acids. These are found in 

 the soils of both hemispheres; in the soils of the 

 Missieeippi and the Nile. The*e eoiis closely re- 



