;j82 



^\)c ianncr's iHoutljli) bisitor. 



(loverisliment of tlie soil. It is said, also, tlial 

 ils allialiscent i>]0|ieilles are effeciiuil indeslioy- 

 inj; the yiniffHS wliicli sotno pliilosoplicrs liave 

 legaidcd as llic proximate cause of the "potato 

 plague." — Maine Cxiltivutor. 



A Golden Chapter on Farming. 



„^ric>Jlvie—]ls Object— Descriplion of Various 

 Soils — Choice of Farms — l^'eeding. 

 Agiicidliiie may be fl(^fiiie<l as the art of dis- 

 jiosiii;; the soil in siirh a innniier as to make it 

 produce, in the greatest ahiindaru'e and perfec- 

 tion, those vegetables uliirh are iisefid to man 

 and the aiiiiiiiils depending on him for sidisisl- 

 eiiee. The earth, in a etate of nature, unless 

 where it is chilled by an ungeiiial climate, pos- 

 sesses a certain degree of (ieriility, so as to pro- 

 dnoc: plants more or less suitable Ibr the subsist- 

 ence of man and beast ; lint its spontaneous pro- 

 ductioiisare small In amount coin])ared with those 

 which can be drawn (ioiri it by man's industry 

 and intelligence, and those prodnciioiis are not 

 Biu-e to he of the kind which are most needful. 

 Savage nations usually rest content with the iia- 

 tuial produce, and tliey are accordingly found to 

 Le tew ill (iroportion to the surface which they 

 possess, and generully in the lowest state of mis- 

 ery. l>ut wherever man has possessed any intel- 

 ligence, lie has applied himself to cultivate the 

 earth, so as to make it capable of supporting in 

 comparative comfort a large amount of popiria- 

 tiori. 



'I'he earliest eflbrts in agriculture appear to 

 have every where been simple, and limited in 

 their object. The surface was ploughed, the ce- 

 real grains (wheal, oats, &e.,) were sown, and 

 such a crop as nature gave was contentedly reap- 

 ed. It cannot lie said, that, by such a system, 

 more w.is done than merely to take advantage of 

 the natiual fertility, in order to raise farinaceous 

 grains instead of the sponlaiieons herbage. Mere, 

 liowevcr, agriculture seems to have in every coun- 

 try taken its stand for many ages. It has only 

 been in recent times that men any wliere thought 

 of cultivating the soil under certain advantageous 

 circumstances, having a relerence to scientific 

 principles, so as to increase the natural productive- 

 ness, and consci^uently render the earth capable 

 of supporting an increaseil population. 



The soil, or that earthly substance with which 

 she dry land is in most parts covered, forms most 

 particularly the material on which the agricultu- 

 ralist has to operate. An investigation of its va- 

 rious (pialities is absolutely necessary for all who 

 would conduct farming business in an enlighten- 

 ed and liberal manner. 'I'hesoil is mainly com- 

 posed of particles which have lieen disengaged 

 l)y various means in the course of time from the 

 rocks on which it rests. In some instances, and 

 more particularly on hills, it is composed ill the 

 iiiaiii of pulverized materials from the rocks im- 

 mediately beneath ; but in many others, the pul- 

 verized matter has been washed down from liigh 

 into low grounds, or lrans|iorted by flodds from 

 great distance--. 'I'he action (jf air and water on 

 rocks in ilissolviiig them, and the power of the 

 latter element in iraiiBporting the disengaged par- 

 ticles, are the chief causes of the present arrange- 

 ments of the soil. 



Notwithstanding the different appearances 

 which llie earthly covering of the globe exhiliils, 

 it is compose<l almost entirely of four substances, 

 formed by an original uiiioii of simple element- 

 ary matteis. These four substances, washed at 

 a former period liom rocks, and called primitive 

 earths, are c/ai/, sand, lime and maixnesia. It is in 

 Iho duo combmalioii of these that fertility con- 

 sists. 



Clay, or as it is often called, alumine, or argil- 

 laceous earth, is easily distinguishable. It is a 

 compact substance, which absorbs water slowly, 

 and when moistened throughout, is sol), pliant, 

 and exceedingly tough or tenacious. In its ordi- 

 nary coiKlition it is so clos(; in texture a« to pre- 

 vent the penetration of ihe roots of plants, ami 



lhere(()re it is a serious obstacle to vegetation. 



Clay is one of the most ohdinati: and worst kinds 

 of soil u|itiii which a (iirmur is called to operate. 

 If it rest on a snb«traluin of gravel, or friable 

 roel<, or sand, it admits of easy melioration ; but 

 this is seldom ibo case ; it too (r(<piently rests 

 oil a cold and still more compact dark day, call- 

 ed till, which is so close th.it no Water can sink 

 thrniigh it. 



A clayey soil may he meliorated by a due mix- 

 ture of sand or any other light substance, which 

 will serve to sheer down its particles anil keep,, 

 them apart from each other. All kiiiiis of calca- 

 reous mannres, ashes, and the loose dung swept 

 fi'oni the streets of towtis, peat, and farm-yai<l 

 manure, are .serviceabh; in mingling with clayey 

 soils, and In iiigiiig them up to a pro|)er state of 

 fertility. When so improved, they are calculated 

 to yiehl good crops of beans, w heat, oats, cluver 

 and tmiiips. They likewise answer well for 

 meadow lands or pasturage. Cl:iy soils ought, 

 if possible, to he ploughed iiji beliire winter sets 

 in, in onler to expose the furrows to the action 

 of the frost, which mellows and brays down the 

 ten;icious clod.'--. 



Sand or gravel, called somelimes silex, silica, 

 siliceous matter, or earth of fiinls, isdistlngiii.-h- 

 ed by properties ol' a totally opposite character 

 from clay. ]l has little or no cohesion among ils 

 parts; is incapable of rettiining moisture; .-md 

 pouerl'nily promotrs pntieliu-tioii, bin perniils the 

 gases to escape. Sand is thus a corrector of alii- 

 niiiie. These two earths may indeed he classed 

 among the contending elements, of which a 

 union heightens tb'-ir common virtues, and recti- 

 fies and subdues their respective deli;cls. 



The bulk of the soil, generally, is composed 

 of sand, to ilie e.\tenl of from four ioseveii-(-ighths 

 of the nia,-is. Sir Huni|ihrey Davy observes that 

 "the term sandy shoidd never be applied to any 

 soil that does not contain at least seven-eighths 

 of .«and ;" also, that," sandy soils which effervesce 

 with acids shoidd be called by the name of cal- 

 careous sandy soil, to distinguish them from those 

 that are siliceous." 



When properly prepared, a sandy soil is one 

 of the most valuable which can be worked. Il 

 will produce good crops of common turnip.', po- 

 taioc.*, carrots, barley, rye, buckwheat, peas, clo- 

 ver, and other gra.sses. It seldom po.-sesses suf- 

 ficient strength for wheat, rye or barley. 



Crops on sandy soils are easily injured by 

 diougbt, as the moisture too readily evaporates 

 liom the open particles. This may he in some 

 measure remedied by deep ]iloughing, which lias 

 ilie effect of preserving a due degree of moisture 

 in the substratum, as a reservoir for the plants. 

 To assist further in preserving the moisture in 

 the soil, any small stones wliicb lie on the surface 

 should not be picked of^ ]u rainy climates, or 

 when Ihe soil rests on retentive clay, such expe- 

 dients may not be necessary. 



Gi-a\elly soils are similar in character to those 

 which are sandy, and eqnrdly acfjiiire the adiniii- 

 islration of materials to give tenacity to the mass, 

 also a due supply of comiiost mamire. Koth 

 sandy and gravelly soils should have lrei)ueiu re- 

 turns of grass crops. 



Lime, commonly called calcareous earth, is 

 nevi.'r found nalurally in a pure state ; hut in com- 

 bination with the acids — chiefly with the carbon- 

 ic, tor which it has so strong an alliiiity that it at- 

 tracts from the atniosplu re. The burning ol' 

 limestone is undertaken for no other purpose than 

 to e,\pcl by he,-it this gas, and reduce the base to 

 a caustic, powder, in which state il has a slioiig 

 lenileiicy to absorb first moisture, and then the 

 carbonic acid of which it had .been deprived. — 

 Lime blends the qualities of clay and sand, occn- 

 pyinj; a middle place between the two. In ils 

 caustic state it is a powerful promoter of putre- 

 faction, or decomposer of animal ami vegelable 

 matter, to which circumstance is owing, to a cer- 

 tain extent, its eflicacy iis a m.inure. I>iiiie also 

 hel|)s to fix the carbonic acid which is generated 

 by the fermentation of putrescent manures in the 

 soil, or which floats in the air on the surface of 

 the earth, and il freely imparts this gas, in union 

 wiili water, for the iionrishmenl of plants. Lime 

 is therefore an exceedingly valuable ingredient to 

 the larmer; and, accordingly, wherever agricul- 

 tiiie is carried on with sjiirit, it is eagerly sought 

 after. 



Ma^'iicsia is it primitive earth found in some 

 soils, bill ill a much smaller proportion than thii 

 above three. Its properties are nearly analogous 

 to those of lime, but of doubtful value, and it is 

 certainty injiiiious when mingled in large tpian- 

 tic'S with the olhiM' earths. 



On analyzing the various soils ami siihsoils, 

 tht^y have been found to resolve themselves into 

 one or more of the foregoing primitive earths; 

 and their bariemiess or fertility has in no small 

 degree depended on the mixing and assorting of 



these ingredients. Some soils are csdled loams ; 

 a loam, however, is by no means a ditlinct body, 

 but is a combinalion of clay, sainl or calcareous 

 matter. Some loams are denominated clayej, 

 from the excess of argillaceous matter ; others, 

 o]>e!i and light, from the preponderance of sand. 

 In fact, these two original ingiedicnlsseem capa- 

 ble of being compounded in such an infinite va- 

 riety of ways, as to give occasion to that diversi- 

 fied texture of soils met with in all countries and 

 all situations. 



Besides these, four primitive earths, which con- 

 stitute equally the soil and subsoil, tlie upper of 

 these, or mould, contains the piilrid relics of or- 

 ganized suli.-.iaiices that have grown or decayed 

 upon il, or have been conveyed thither in the pro- 

 gress of cultivation. The decomposition of these 

 is the proximate cause of fertility; and the rich- 

 ness of soils bears refi.rence to the relative quan- 

 tities. The residual earili remaining after the 

 process of dissolution, is extremely light in weight, 

 and always ol' a blackish color. Il is owing to 

 this that a garden, which has been under long 

 contiiined culture, a))proaclies to a black shade, 

 progressively deepening aci-oriling to the .-ibun- 

 dance of this matter. In addition, nearly all soils 

 are found to contain certain various chemical com- 

 pounds, mineral salts, and metallic o.\id.<, some 

 of which are beiielicial, others harmless, and a 

 lew iiijiiiious, to vegetation, and which either 

 pre-existed in the strata from which the surface 

 has been formed, or have been carried to it by 

 subteiranean springs or by factitious causes. 



The luilure of soils is somelimes indicaied by 

 the kind of vegetables which they apjiear spon- 

 taneously to produce. This, however, is not a 

 •safe test of the nature of soils, or rather of what 

 can be pi educed liom them in a sl;ile of tillage; 

 hir the seetls of wee<ls which grow upon iinciil- 

 livated ground may have flfialed to Ihi ni from a 

 distance on the winds, and vegetated where lliey 

 have chanced to fall. All that can tisnally be ex- 

 pected from this kind of investigation i.s, wheilier 

 the field be moist or dry — as, for instance, rushes 

 will invariably indicate supeiabiindanl moislnre 

 and a necessity for draining. The <[uaiitity of 

 herbage Or plants produced in a state of nature 

 will also serve as a test of the soil and its capaci- 

 ty for prodiiclioii. A surface which exhibits thin 

 scanty lieibas:e is a sure indication of poverty of 

 soil, or a defect of moisture mi the climate. 



It has been justly observed by an emiiienl prac- 

 tical airicultinisl, that loo much can hardly be 

 p.iid for a giiod soil, ami that even a low rent will 

 not make a bad farm profitable. The labor of 

 cultivating a rich and a poor "soil is nearly the 

 same, wbili; the latter requires more mamire, and 

 consequently is more expensive than the former, 

 and lh<! returns bear no jiroporlion in value. It 

 is a wise ma\iiii in husbaiulry, of whatever na- 

 ture the soil may be, that, like the cattle by w liicli 

 it is cultivated, it should always be kept in good 

 condition, to tmable it to do the work it is expect- 

 ed to perform. 



In making a choice of land for farijiiiig, let it 

 he a rule to prefer a gently sloping surface, or 

 level, to a hilly and irregular surface. The <li8- 

 advantaiio <il'ilie latter is very great, in(le|iei;deiit 

 of other disadvantages; and, if taken, it should 

 be at a proportionately low rental. If possible, 

 select laud that lies with an easy slope to the 

 south; though, if well sheltered, the inclination 

 in other diieciions is of little consequence. If 

 the land require drainage, or be exp.osed to heavy 

 rains, observe if there be sufricienl iuelinalion to 

 carry ofl' the waler. If there be no lower point 

 to which the water may be conveniently drawn; 

 avoid the risk of taking the land, for this delect 

 in its characK r will prove a fieijueiit source of 

 trouble and loss. 



Land on the banks of n running slream is like- 

 ly to be more sabibrioiis for crops than that wbicli 

 is near sluggish brooks or dull sedgy hikes. Fr<un 

 dull inert waters there arise, in certain conditions 

 of the atmosphere, heavy pernicious vapors, 

 which frUal along the suifiice of the adjacent 

 ground, and tend to blight and oiherwise injure 

 the crops. These waters, also, are a fertile hot- 

 bed of insecl.s. Running waters purify the air, 

 and are id'grcat advantage for cattle. See, how- 

 ever, that the land is not' liabli' to be flooded in 

 winierfora CiUitingency of that nature should 

 cause a dlminuliou ill value. 



All lands arc more or less infested with weeds, 

 w liich arc of |io value either for ornnraent or use. 



