430 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



plouf^li and exposed lo ilie immediate influence of 

 the air." 



Einhofhas ascenained lh?t geine, in acid soils, 

 is combined wiih plicsplioric and acetic acids; 

 and De Puntin, it is said, has also I'ound it com- 

 bined with the mahc acid. These authorities are 

 abundantly sufRcient to prove that gfme is (bund 

 in a state of coml)inaiion with a variety of acids. 

 Some o( these combinations are found not lo be 

 prejudicial to veijeiation of the mopt uselijl kind, 

 hut, in some of its combinations, it rnay only suit 

 ihe growth of veiretables of an acid character, as 

 you have shown in your Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures. I have baid that the extract of veireta- 

 bie matter, combined with water in ihe eanh, will 

 remain behind, when the water is carried off by 

 evaporation and absorption. The question then 

 presents itself, can there be no loss of vegetable 

 extract, or geine, except that which goes to sup- 

 ply the sustenance of growing vegetation ? If 

 there can be none, ii would I'ullow that, in a state 

 of nature, where the natural <rrowih is such as to 

 give back to the soil more than is drawn from it 

 lor its nourishment, and where the land is suf- 

 ficiently level to prevent a loss of soil by washiiio- 

 rains, tJiere would be a constantly increasing ac- 

 cumulation o\' geine and other vegetable viatters, so 

 that the enriching process would be ac/ ^t^/m/mto. 

 But I apprehend we cannot rely upon the eneri'y 

 ol" even nnr best constituted soils lo do thus much 

 lor us. There is probably a limit lo the capacity 

 of ail soils in this respect. When this is supplied, 

 the loss, in a stale of nature, m supplyinjr nutri- 

 ment .to the growing vegetation, and otherwise, 

 is equal to the gain. 



Dr. Peters, of Kentucky, in a verv valuable ar- 

 ticle, published in ihe Kentucky Farmer of the 

 17ih of April, 1841, speakiiiLj of vegetable mould 

 and its soluoiliiy, says. " If this mould be washed 

 with water, that fluid will dissolve a portion of it, 

 and if the insoluble residue, after washing, called 

 carbonaceous earth, by Beizelius, be exposed 

 again to the air and moisluie, for some time, it 

 will be Ibund again to yield soluble matter lo wa- 

 ter. This it continues to do until it is entirely 

 washed away; but during the process of this 

 change, it is also continually, alilion(/h slowly, 

 absorbing oxygen (rom the air, which combines 

 with its elements, and passes oH'againin carbonic 

 acid and water. In this manner it iiradually dis- 

 appears in soluble matters and irases and vapors." 



If these views are correct, as I think they are, 

 they stroncly corroborate your opinion, that •' ihe 

 richest and the poorest .soils each exerts strontrlv 

 a Ibrce to retain as much leriility as nature gave 

 them— and that, when worn and reduced, each 

 may easily be restored to its original stale, but 

 cannot be raised higher, with either durability or 

 profit, by putrescent manures, whether applied 

 by the bounty of nature, or the industry of man." 



There is a point, then, beyond which soils can- 

 not be permanently enriched, wiihout an improve- 

 ment of their constitutional organization, which 

 may be done by supplying those ingredients of a 

 good soil which are deficient, such as clay, where 

 sand is too predominant, and carbonate of lime, 

 where that is deficient, &c. 



But without a change in the constituiional or- 

 ganization of the soil, we cannot hope to carry its 

 \cn\\\[y, permanently, beyond what il had acquired 

 in a '.'laie of nature. Soils which have been re- 



duced by cultivation, where ihey have not been 

 injured by washing rains, may be easily renovated. 

 This must be done by ayain suiiplyiniZ them with 

 ihose (ertilizing ingredients of which they have 

 been de[)rived by bad husbandry. This may be 

 accomplished, in part, by ihe application of ma- 

 nures ; but it i.a to the atmosphere we must look 

 as ihe great storehouse whence we are lo draw 

 the necessary supply of vecretable Itiod. To this 

 end, those ureen crops should be freely cultivated, 

 which d;'rive most of their lood from the atmo- 

 sphere. In soils adapted to it, red clover is the 

 most suitable lor this purpose. It is by lar^he 

 most convenient, and the cheapest method of re- 

 novatinff exhausted soils. It noi only supplies a 

 iireat deal of vet'etable matter lo soils that have 

 been much redneed, but it is admirably calculated 

 to pulverize, and reduce its component parts to a 

 finely divided state, and thus lo produce a condi- 

 lion favorable lo a coml)inalion with those ele- 

 mentary principles which are furnished by the at- 

 mospheie ; and also greatly increases its capacity 

 for absorbing moisture. Care should be taken 

 alsu to suffer as lew weeds to ripen their seeiis as 

 |)ossible. These, previous to the time o: ri[)en- 

 inff their seeds, derive nearly the whole of their 

 nutriment from the atmosfihere. Bv destroyinir 

 them belore they seed, nearly their whole product 

 of vegetable matter is a net cjain to the soil. Ex- 

 hausting grain crops should be sparingly cultivat- 

 ed till the soil is completely renovated, and then 

 should bear only such a proportion to the green 

 ciops as the soil will bear without deterioration." 

 It should be a fixed principle never lo sufl'er ihe 

 soil 10 deteriorate, for as il costs? as much lo culii- 

 vate a soil, producing only half or two-thirds of a 

 crop, as il it [iroduced a full crop, il is perfectly 

 clear that il is ihe interest of the cultivator to keep 

 his land always in good heart. Besides, it is less 

 diflicult lo keep land in a state of lerliliiy than to 

 renovate ii alter it has been exhausted by careless 

 husbandry. But il is time to bring mv desultory 

 speculations to a close. A. Beatty. 



ADDRESS TO THE HENRICO AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY, BY THE PRESIDENT, THE REV. 

 JESSE H. TURNER. DELIVERED MAY 26, 



1841. 

 (Published by request of the Executive Committee.) 



Perhaps I ought, in courtesy, to return my 

 grateful acknowledgments (or the distinguished 

 honor of having been appointed to make Ihe address 

 on the present occasion. Bui really, gentlemen, 

 I must in candor say, that 1 regard it (all things 

 considered) rather as a task than as an honor. 

 Ilj however, you can use me to be of any benefit 

 to this infant institution, I hereby tender may ser- 

 vices to be em|>loyed in any manner you may 

 (hink proper, provided you do not set me to 

 writing essays. I cannot write ; for unforiunately 

 1 labor under an insuperable inability, both men- 

 tal and physical, in this respect. 



Having premised this, I will observe that, in 

 the course of my reading, I have met with a 

 picture so beautiful and at the .<ame lime so ap 

 propriale lo the present scene, that I cannot, 

 wiihout violence to my li'elings, reli-ain lioni in 

 iroducing it here, li i;: in ihce word.?— " Thnt 



