156 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



Bonous to plants as there are those which are de- 

 Btructive ol" animal life. Nux vomica and some 

 other substances poisonous to animals, are poison- 

 ous to plants. Substances whicli taken into the 

 stomach of a man may be serviceable lo health, il' 

 received into his lungs might be (iital. So suh- 

 etances which il applied to the roots ol plants 

 might prove destructive, if imbibed in a gaseous 

 form by the leaves, may stimulate and advance 

 their growth. In simple carbonic acid gas, plants 

 would die; but received in quantities larger than 

 exists in our atmosphere, it [)roves favoraiile lo 

 them. Carbonic acid gas, which in certain quan- 

 tities is nutritious to plants, is destructive to animal 

 life. 



The quantity of vegetable matter in soils and 

 other different substances, presents a curious inqui- 

 ry. Silex is the same as rock crystal, obtained 

 after solution. Alumineisthe same as clay; but 

 clay is not found pure, and usually contains more 

 than fifty per cent, of silex. Oxides of iron, man- 

 ganese and lime are found. Lime is usually Ibund 

 in the Ibrm of a carbonate. Peroxide of iron, iron 

 rust, is found. Silex, alumine, lime and iron, com- 

 bined in various proportions, constitute soils. Ve- 

 getable matter, containing the crenic and apocrenic 

 acids is found. Geme is not a simple proximate 

 principle but contains these two acids. [The Dr. 

 illustrated this matter by an exhibition of the cre- 

 nale and apocrenate of copper, obtained from 

 geine.] 



The analysis of a cla)^ soil in this vicinity is as 

 follows: 



"Water, 



Vegetable matter, 

 Silex and alumine, 

 Carbonate of lime, 

 Oxide of iron, - 

 Loss, - - - 



Of another is as follows : 



Dark clay : 

 Water, 



Vegetable matter, 

 Silex and alumine. 

 Carbonate of lime, - 



2. 



- 3.5 

 74. 



- 5. 

 15. 



- .5 



100. 



100. 



To give some idea of the quantiiy of vegeta- 

 ble matter contained m an acre of ground, we 

 may make the Ibllowing calculations: 



Example of calculation of the weight of a soil and 

 of its manure. 



Let the specific gravity of a soil be 1 277— wa- 

 ter being 1.— ihen one cubic (bot of waler weigh- 

 ing 1000 ounces, a cubic foot of the soil vvo~uld 

 weigh 1277 ounces or 79.187 lbs. 



An acre of land contains 4.3.560 square feet 

 area, and if vve estimate the cubic foot of soil as 

 weighing 79.186 lbs. or half a cubic foot at 39^ lbs. 

 nearly, supposing we wish to calculate the weight 

 of an acre of ilie soil for the depth of six inch'es, 

 (the usual depth of tillage,) vve have tlie lbllovvin<T 

 sum: 43,560x39^=1,719,620 lbs., or 859 lont 

 nearly, as ilie weight of an acre of this soil to the 

 depth of half a foot. 



if then the soil contain 9^ per cent, of vegeia- 



ble matter, 3.2 per cent, being soluble, and 6.3 in- 

 soluble— 859 x9^-^100=:81^ Ions of vegetable 

 mailer to one acre wiliiin 6 inches depth. Of ihis 

 27 2' tons is soluble, and 54 tons insoluble. 



This example is taken liom an actual analysis 

 of a soil in the vicinily of Boston. The princiijles 

 laid down will suffice for the estimation of each 

 and every arlicle Ibund in given soils by chemical 

 researches, and the quanlity of manure or of any 

 leriilizer may be easily learned. 



Some acres of land upon examination, have 

 been Ibund to contain 91 tons oi' vegetable mat- 

 ter — some 96 Ions — 22 of soluble and 72 of inso- 

 luble. Excluding stones, wc may consider that 

 there are 800 ions of soil to an acre 6 inches deep. 

 In an acre of land, by a calculation of this kiiid, 

 containing 6.8 of phosphate of lime, bone manure 

 would have no effect. 



The peat on the farm of E. Phinney, Esq., used 

 both for luel and manure, contains 96 per cent, of 

 vegetable matter. The ashes of this peat contains 

 silex, alumine, phosphate of lime, oxide of man- 

 ganese and oxide of iron. 



The carbonate of lime, of potash and of soda, 

 acts upon it. The carbonate of ammonia is taken 

 up by it. Lime neutralizes its acid. Peat bogs 

 are composed of sphaganeous mosses ; and on 

 Block Island they are said to renew themselves, 

 alter being dug over, in forty years, if the surface 

 paring is returned to the pit when they are dug. 



Besides decayed mosses, decayed trees and 

 leaves collect in these swamps and compose a part 

 of the deposit. Peat is of immense value, and 

 not well appreciated by farmers. Expermients of 

 its application in a natural state have proved fai- 

 lures. The farmers on Block Island would not 

 use it. A farmer in VVaterlbrd, Me. applied it in 

 a crude slate, and his corn was dvvarhsli and ap- 

 peared as though struck with the yellow lever. 

 When its acid properties are neutralized, it be- 

 comes as valuable as horse dung. Peat bogs 

 must be drained. Covered drains properly con- 

 structed, are as eflectual as open drains. Peat 

 bogs arc remarkable lor retaining moisture. Wet- 

 ness is absorbed by the peal by capillary attrac- 

 tion. 



Dr. Jackson stated that he had fully described 

 JVJr. Phinney 's method of management, in his 

 third report on the geology ol' Maine. His mea- 

 dows are drained. 'I'liey are then ploughed or the 

 sward inverted; and theiidiessed with a compost 

 of animal manure, mud and lime prepared in his 

 hog |)ens, where the hogs earn much of their liv- 

 ing tjy their labor. 



On land thus prepared, he lias obtained 75 

 bushels of corn to the acre, and Irom 4^ to 5 tons 

 of ha}' per acre. The last season he got a crop 

 of corn of from 80 lo 100 bushels per acre. Alter 

 such land is well drained, he can work upon it 

 with his cattle. He refuses to sell this peat upon 

 this land even at 500 dollars per acre. Being well 

 supplied with peat mud, each hog will make ten 

 loads of manure in the course of the year. This 

 is then thrown out and freely Hmed. After three 

 weeks' preparation by lime, this compost may be 

 applied to the land, at the rate of twenty loads to 

 an acre. About one-third of stable manure is 

 deemed ihe firoper proportion lo apply to the com- 

 post. In the opinion of Mr. Phinney and Mr. Hag- 

 gcrston, three loads of muck and one load of sta- 

 ble dung aie equal lo (bur loads of stable manure. 



