40 



^l)e Jarmcr's 'iHontl)li) Visitor. 



cultural ineeting at Rochester last tall. On tlint 

 occasion, twenty-four ploiiglis, of the very best 

 constriiciion, were |)ut to the lest, .iiid this Gene- 

 va tehee! ploiiyh No. 9, uiis found to turn a fin row 

 twelve inches wirie and si.x inches deep, in a 

 Btron-r swiud, at an averauc draught equ.il to two 

 lumdred and ninety-eii;ht pounda weiL'ht, while 

 the Geneva plough, No. 'J, of precisely the .«aiiie 

 size and shape, with {he usual hmd-slide, and 

 without the friciion-vsheel, required, for the .ramc 

 work, an average draught enu'd to three Imndred 

 and ninety-seven pounds, showing a saving X(f 

 team power of ahout one third in favor of the new 

 wheel-plough. This is a very important .saiing. 

 The plough works admirably well in all soils and 

 all conditions of the ground. Tl>8 wheel, ;ind 

 the manner in which it is connected, are exceed- 

 ingly sim|)le, and the whole implement moves 

 with great steadiness and firmness in its work, 

 and is more easily managc<l and haiidle<l than 

 the ordinary plough. Wc think the inventor and 

 patentee, is fully warranted in saving that this im- 

 provement will make a new era i«the history of 

 Ids great implement of tillage." 



A slalemertt erhibitiiig the value of domestic produce 

 and mamifadures exported, and the countries to 

 which the same icere exported, mmuaUy,J'rom 18"31 

 to 184'2, inclusive. 



COO3COCOCCC0WO3O3 0300COCCCOC3COKICOCOCOO3CO 

 if^ .U ^ OD Oi C« C/3 L: W M Oi W Oi 13 lO (3 ri' (S t« t5 IS r3 



^ 



^OT Oi tc p CO c^ ■— o o t: '2 (O Ti -* o fi 4^-o — c3-S o: 



JS H "r. ft ?= S S ts ,-i =-; 2 ffi ^ <5 V? ^- c- c 



»-; -- 03 Oi ^3 ^ en .#»■ Cjt CO CTi KS CTi — ci? J.? r.n r^ JZ ^ r.-.. ;i-M 



-J oa Oi ts c^ -J '■J — -J cr. w Ci o ) =■ ■=* - - - - ^ 



^< I'w I'w 1.^ n 



o — — to ; 



CO — — c^tjD-Jcco-->tj(^tj'(.a »atr<(>*j-!j 

 "if "T C'w''-o"co'o'^i:'coV> pVi^co o"ta H'v^Oi 

 orocnw+*K;wco^cooM>-^l ^so^5Ioo 



rfi 53 ta CT. 10 O 

 O O.-* 03 *- O 

 Cl CC CO ..1^ ^ 



fs -.r -3 CO o: o 



to CTJ .— Ji C » 



T.L.SMITH, Rotifer. 

 TKE4snRV Department, 



Oe^tet-'f Office. .Von. 15. 1843 



Frciin thu Loniinii Ag. G.iictle. 



On the Application of Chemistry to A^riuul. 



tiirc upou ratioutil principles. 



Every human heing is directly or indirectly de- 

 pendent upon the ve.getahle world fur the Ibod 

 necessary to sn|>port lile. 



The universality uf this important fact places 

 Agricullure among the highest of useful ^ciell- 

 ces, and the iidiuence it exercise.s over the wel- 

 Ijire and happiness of mankind is the result of its 

 paramount necessity. 



In a primitive slate of nature, a hountitiil and 

 all-wise Providence has abundantly supplied ev- 

 ery living tiling with the means of suhsistence. 

 Civilization and its attendant hi.\iuies, asid the 

 rapid increase of population, have created more 

 wants among mankind ; and heiice the m cessi- 

 ty lor itu-reusiug our means o( ohtaining food — 

 among which thea|)[dication of Chejiiistry to .Ag- 

 riculture has in modern days excited cousideia- 

 hle attention. 



By Agricultural Chemistry is meant — Firstly, 

 The Chemical analysis^f. soils ; by which the el- 

 uments lion: which plants derive their means of 

 growth and supporting life may be, so far as the 

 soil is coucerned, cletnly defined and tiuder- 

 stood. 



Secomily, The chemical conetitulibn of plants ; 

 by which correct notions of the adaptation of 

 the soil to the plant may bo ibuiided. 



Thirdly, The clicuiicMl examination of ma- 

 nures, or the ibod of plants; by which a correct 

 system oi' their application to the known condi- 

 tion of the soil and the known constitution of the 

 plant may he established, and also the hest means 

 of retaining or ittcreasiug their fertilizing princi- 

 t>les. 



In the following papers 1 propose to examine 

 these three heails separately, jiointing out, in the 

 most intelligible m.'uiuer 1 can, the means by 

 which the liirmer can s'ii cessfiiily apply chem- 

 ical nriiieiples to the practi.:e of .Agriculture. 



PART ]. — OF THE CHEMICAL A.NALYSIS OF SOILS. 



There can be no doubt that a knowledge of the 

 chemical constituents of soils isatu-ost iuiportaiu 

 preliminary inquiry in the science of Agricul- 

 ture. Tiie comuioii division of soils into "light,"' 

 " heavy," •■siiiuly," &c., — a division based upon 

 the practical knowledge of the liirmer — is sulJi- 

 cient for ordinary purpo,<es, but a more exact 

 and intimate exiuninaljoli is necessary for the ap- 

 plication ol' Chemistry. 'I'here are degrees in 

 each of these divisions which must necessarily 

 escajic tlie most acute ohservation, and analysis 

 can aloiie aftord the iiit'ormation necessary to 

 found a .system of scientiiic Agriculture. 



I have reason to believe that one of the most 

 serious obstacles to the farmer in entering upon 

 this inquiry is that which is presented to him in 

 the outset, in the ditticulties he encounters in 

 gaining a correct chemical knowledge of his 

 soils. I hope to show that this dilHcnlty is more 

 imaginary than real, and that much very valuable 

 information may be obtained withoutjuiy knowl- 

 edge of Chemistry whatever, by the mere e.xer- 

 cise of ordinary tactanda little extraordinary pa- 

 tience and perseverance. 



Sir Humphrey Davy, more than 30 years ago, 

 in his admirable work upon .AgricMdtniJil Chem- 

 istry, pointed out how this could be done. With- 

 in the last few years, what is called Organic 

 Chemistry, or the analysis of vegetable or aninjal 

 structure, has made rapid strides in the march of 

 improvement; and hence the more easy appli- 

 cation oi' chemical science to that of Agriculture. 

 But it is erroneous to suppose that it is necessary 

 for the farmer to have un intimate ac(|uainlance 

 with Chemistry ; and nnu h difficulty has Jieen 

 raised in making him believe the results of sci- 

 ence, from an impression of this kind. The 

 knowledge he requires is the ineaus of applying 

 the discoveries of others to the improvement of 

 his system of farming. The chemist cm explain 

 to the farmer, that certain plants require certain 

 food, and although the statement of the chemist 

 is founded upon his knowledge of the ultimate 

 elementary structure of both, it does not follow 

 that it should be necessary for the farmer to un- 

 dertake the analysis of Wheat or stable inanure. 

 He may be taught how to fix ammonia without 

 entering into abstru.se detail or discussing diffi- 

 cult problems in a science of acknowledged dif- 

 ficulty. 



The inquiries of the chemist render a perfect 

 knowledge of ths sciencfi necessary ; but while 



he is instituting lengthened analyses in his Inli 

 oratory, and deducing important truths from thene 

 in his.stinly, it id as well that the lariuer should 

 be testing the co.'reclness of his inferences by 

 subjecting them to the test of careful, uf sound, 

 and useful experiments. 



All soils are divisib'e by n very i«in7ple process 

 into i!>reu iniucipal parts. 



The lirst contains coarse gravel and sand (gen- 

 erally composed of flint mitl clialk)a>id tnidecom- 

 posed vegetable fibre. 



The second of fine sand, called by chemists, 

 si lex. 



The third of a tine powder, called by Sir H. 

 Davy, " impalpable matter," and which general- 

 ly consists of the followiii.; sutisi.inces, in varia 

 ble proporlion. 



Firstly. AluininoUB earth ; the principle which 

 gives to clay its peculiar character, and upon 

 whicli its value in making earthen-ware de- 

 pends. 



Secondly. Deciyed vegetable matter, which is 

 known by the term humus. This principle gen- 

 erates an acid termed humic acid, by its union 

 with o.xygeu ; and this acid ag.iin unites with 

 lime and oilier earths, forming what are termed 

 humatey. 



The.se hiiniatcs are very iiisolnljle, but they per- 

 form an important purpose in vegetation, by liieir 

 decomposition setting free the carbon of the hii- 

 inu.s, which is one of the elements in the food of 

 plant.-^. 



Thirdly. Silica, which is an earthy suh.stance, 

 formed by the union of an elementary principle, 

 called Silicon, with o.xygeu. In its pure form it 

 is known as quartz rock. Tlie dilf^freuce be- 

 tween the silica of the impalpable matter and the 

 silex, or sand, above mentioned, is simply that 

 the one is crystallised in the form of minute grain 

 or sand, and the other is what is termed .uijor- 

 phons, or uncrystallised. 



The same substance frequently occurs in Chem- 

 istry under difFerent forin.s, t'or the o!)viou3 rea- 

 son (as in the above case) of being more easily 

 np()ropri;ited by the roots in the organization of 

 the fabric of the plant. United with the alkali 

 and potash, silica forms the substance npo:i 

 which the stiffiiess and bril'tleness of the stalks of 

 Corn and other grasses depend. It is from the 

 union of these materials, al.'^o, that the well-known 

 substance — gla.ss, is manufactured. 



Fourthly. Various salts ; of which carbonate 

 of lime (chalk,) carbonate of inagnesi,% miiriato 

 of soila (common salt.i carbonate of potash or so- 

 da, and sulphate of lime (gypsum,) are the most 

 frequent. 



These ingredients are all of them more or less 

 discovered in plants, in which they perlbrm im- 

 portant purposes in the nutrition of animals that 

 feed upon them. Thii.-< chalk is nin-essary to 

 form hone ; soda and potash, bile ; muriate of so- 

 da, milk. 



Filihlv. Most soils contain animal matter 

 which nourishes the plant; and 



Sixthly. A variable |iro|)0rtion of the oxide of 

 iron, which is an es.seniial element in the blood 

 of animals. 



Now the ferlihty ofall soils depends upon the 

 due proportion which they contain of the above 

 principles. It is the object of .Agrienltnral Chem- 

 istry to point out where any of them is deficient; 

 and it is the oirject of the scientific farmer to rem- 

 edy this deficiency, and to maintain the cmrect 

 proportion of each by suitable and judicious ap- 

 plications in the form of manures. 



To imdeistand this, it is quite clear he must 

 have some knowledge of the chemical constitu- 

 tion of manine as well as of plants. Tlieso sub- 

 jects we shall consider hereafter. 



It is also neces.sary that the farmer should have 

 a snudard by which the fertility of a soil, in its 

 natural state, may be considered as a maximnni 

 in the due proportions of the above elements ; 

 and, secondly, that he should be able, by a sim- 

 ple process, to ascertain these proportions for 

 himself 



Now, with regard to a standard of fertility, I 

 confess v^e shall have some preliminary difficul- 

 ty, because it can only be decided by ex|>eriments, 

 and of these we have not at present sufficient to 

 form positive conclusions. But if the point bo 

 once conceded as important, it will be soon e.s- 

 tablished ; for if truth is the object of experiment, 

 1 cannot for a moment doubt we shall have ma- 

 ny volunteers in her onrvice. All, however, thnt 



