1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



331 



round his head, and as he bends forward towards 

 his prey, his horse straining every nerve." — Head's 

 Jiougk Nutes, 4"c. 



Nature of prairie soils, so far as ascertained by 

 chemical tests. 



After I had ascertained the truth of the novel 

 and strange fact that scarcely any soils in Virgin- 

 ia, or of the other Atlantic slates, of which I had 

 opportunity to examine specimens, contained any 

 calcareous matter (carbonate of lime,*) it became 

 a new subject of surprise to learn from articles 

 which have been published in this journal (pp. 276 

 277, Vol. I.) that many of the prairie lands of Ala- 

 bama were highly calcareous according to the ob- 

 servations of those who judged merely from ap- 

 pearances. Combining this fact with my own 

 personal experience that old cleared lands, even 

 slightly calcareous, were much more easily kept 

 clear of young bushes, than naturally poor and 

 acid soils — and with what I had read of the na- 

 kedness of chalk downs in England — and the ge- 

 neral difficulty of rearing trees in calcareous parts 

 of Europe — all served to build up the opinion 

 which I now aim to establish, that the abundance 

 of calcareous earth in prairie soils was the princi- 

 pal, and is a sufficient cause of the absence of 

 trees. Still there had never been an analysis 

 made of any such soil, to my knowledge, and 

 there was no other kind of evidence (however 

 slight) of such quality of any prairie soils, except 

 of a part of Alabama: and reports of the constit- 

 uent parts of soils, judged solely by the eye, or by 

 the mere close neighborhood of calcareous rocks, 

 I know from experience, deserved but little credit 

 or respect. In 1834, I first obtained some such 

 proofs from a few specimens of prairie and wood- 

 land soils from Marengo county, Alabama, and 

 one from Mississippi. The prairie soils were all 

 calcareous, containing from 8 to 59 per cent, of 

 carbonate of lime: and these were the first speci- 

 mens of highly calcareous soils that I had ever 

 examined, except from shelly spots on the banks 

 of our tide- water rivers. The woodland soils, like 

 ourhmestone andotherrich 7ie(rfra/soilsf contained 

 no carbonate of lime. Since then, other specimens 

 have been received and examined from various 

 parts of Alabama — and also the reports of analy- 

 ses of others, made by Dr. Cooper and Dr. Gibbes 

 of South Carolina, have been received, and have 

 been published in this journal. J Most of these 

 soils are highly calcareous. But also some speci- 

 mens of prairie soils contain not a particle <f car- 

 bonate of lime. This apparent contradiction will 

 be considered hereafter. 



It is proper to observe here that I do not extend 

 the term prairie to any land bearing trees, unless 

 of new growth, or land known to have formerly 

 been without them. But the distinctness of this 

 term is much impaired by its being now applied 

 in Alabama, (and perhaps elsewhere) to soils 

 having the same peculiar texture, appearance, and 

 sensible qualities, though covered with trees. 

 Thus "wooded prairies" are spoken of in the 

 pieces formerly published in this journal, and re- 

 ferred to in this piece. 



21 



'Essay on Calcareous Manures, 2nd Ed. page 17 to 



fEssay on Calcareous Manures, 2nd Ed. p. 20, 21. 

 tSee pages 715 vol. II, and 272 vol. III. 



In addition to new facts of the same kind, for 

 the convenience of the reader, an abridged state- 

 ment will here be given of the calcareous ingre- 

 dients of all the prairie soils which I have former- 

 ly examined, or which have been analyzed by 

 other persons, and the results communicated for 

 publication to the Farmers' Register: and also of 

 other neighboring soils, sometimes improperly 

 called ''prairies, though covered with grow- 

 ing trees. It is proper to observe, that my own 

 examinations were confined to lime in one form of 

 combination only — the carbonate — and that the si- 

 licious, aluminous, and vegetable ingredients, 

 when mentioned, were judged of by the senses, 

 and not by accurate chemical tests. My own tri- 

 als and results will be given first. 



Specimens of soils from Marengo county, Ala- 

 bama, furnished and selected by Richard Cocke, 

 Esq. (Described more fully at page 22, of Essay 

 on Calcareous Manures, 2nd Ed.) 



No. 1. Prairie soil of the most productive kind 

 in Alabama — a black clay, with scarcely any sand, 

 yet so fiir lrom being stitij becomes too light by be- 

 ing tilled. Bears luxuriant crops of corn, oats, 

 and cotton — but the last, after a few years, be- 

 comes subject to rust. Contained S per cent, of 

 carbonate of lime. All this kind of soil lies on a 

 substratum of "rotten limestone," (specimens 

 of which contained from 72 to 82 per cent, of car- 

 bonate of lime,) and which rises sometimes to the 

 surface, forming the "bald prairies." 



No. 2. Bald prairie soil — "comparatively poor — 

 neither trees nor bushes grow there, and only 

 grass and weeds before cultivation — corn does not 

 grow well — small grain better — cotton crops soon 

 become subject to rust." Contained 59 per cent, 

 of carbonate of lime. The general substratum of 

 rotten limestone, in texture and appearance, as 

 well as in chemical character, approaches the 

 chalk of Europe more than any other earth known 

 in the United States. 



No. 3. Very rich cane brake land — a kind of 

 prairie of a wetter nature, from the winter rains not 

 running off lreely, and the tenacious soil not per- 

 mitting the superfluous water to sink through — 

 contained 1G per cent. 



No. 4. From the valley cane land — very wet 

 through winter, but always dry in summer — after 

 being ditched dry enough, and brings fine cotton, 

 &c. Contained no carbonate of lime. 



No. 5. From what is called the best "post oak 

 land," on which trees of that kind stand from two 

 to four feet in diameter — but little underwood, and 

 no cane — nearly as rich as the best cane land. No 

 carbonate of lime. 



No. 6. "Palmetto land," having that plant as 

 well as a heavy and luxuriant growth of large 

 trees. A cold and wet soil before being brought 

 into tilth, but afterwards soft and easy to till, and 

 produces corn and cotton finely. The cane on it 

 generally small. Soil from 4 to 10 feet deep. No 

 carbonate of lime. 



Selected by Dr. W. J. Dupuy — 



No. 7. Soil from the Choctaw Prairie in Missis- 

 sippi, an extensive body of fertile land. Contain- 

 ed 13 per cent, of carbonate of lime. 



Selected and sent by Dr. R. Withers, of 

 Greene county, Alabama — 



No. 8. From Kemper county, Miss, part of a 

 "considerable body of similar land, extending into 



