THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



639 



solute want of calcareous matter. II' this is (he 

 liuM, llie clay-iiiiirl, Ibuiiii every where between 

 the layers ol rocks, vvoulii be a beneliiMal inaiiure ; 

 and liuiiii slaked lime would l)e siill more uselul, 

 aiiil would uiidoiibiedly renovate the wheat and 

 prass land?, which, on the table lands, arc to some 

 ejctent worn out. 



In a (irevjous Geolosical Report ol' Ohio, Dr. 

 jRiddell eayp, the botiotn lands near the nioudi 

 of the Biir Miami, are in gome plaees destitute of 

 carbonate of lime. The dduvial soils of the ex- 

 tensive plains of Cliampaign and Logan counlies, 

 as I learned from I'rcquenily repeated cxperimenis, 

 are usually destitute of carbonate of lime. I have 

 often noticed, by repeated observation, while tra- 

 velling north in Ohio, that the inner tracts of all 

 large plains, whether the margins are bounded 

 by hills of limestone or not, present a soil in. which 

 carbonate of lime cannot be detected. Belvveen 

 Clarksville and Sprinsfieid, the soil does not often 

 contain any appreciable amount of carbonate of 

 lime. Near Upper Sandusky I tried with acids, 

 portions of the upland soil Irorn several places, 

 but no carbonate of lime was indicated. Neiilier 

 would the black mould effervesce, when submitted 

 to the same experiment. The soil about Monroe, 

 in Huron county, does not effervesce with acids ; 

 and would probably admit ol improvement by the 

 application of calcareous maiter.* 



Farmers' of the west ! We beg of you to 

 reflect upon these facts. Is it ti-ue, that your soils 

 contain little or no lime or calcareous earth? A 

 fip's worth of nitric acid, poured upon the soil, 

 will inform yon. Is it.also true, that the presence 

 of lime, in some of its forms, is essential to the 

 proper growth and perfection of nearly every 

 vegetable known, and more especially of those 

 that are cuhivaied and used as food for man and 

 animals'? If you should not be convinced ol 

 this fact, from the brief considerations above 

 given, read the invaluable works of Davy, Chap- 

 tal, and many others, on agricultural chemistry. 

 And should you succeed in convincing yourselves 

 of these important truths as. I have done, you 

 will naturally inquire, what is to be done to reme- 

 dy this defect in our soils. In the next number, I 

 propose to aid you in your researches lor the pro- 

 per remedy, as wellas to offer some further and 

 more important I'acis and reasons upon the neces- 

 sity ol the application of calcareous earth to poor 

 and exhausted soils. 



ADBRESS TO THE AGRICrLTURAL SOCIETY 

 OF CUMBERLAND, BY THE PRESIDENT, W. 

 S. MORTON, DELIVERED StH OCTOBER, 1841. 



Published by order of the Society. 



Gentlemen: — In previous addressee I have at- 

 tempted to give you my views of the improve- 

 ment of land, and the modes by which it may 

 best be effected, of the importance of raising 

 slock, and espec-ally of attending, most particular- 

 ly, to their pedigree, to their comfort generally, 

 especially as regards shelter from bad weather, 

 and providing lliem bountiful supplies of /bod 

 adapted to their necessities, during the various 

 seasons of the year. I have also made some re- 

 marks on the rotation of crops and the culture of 



♦ See Riddell's Geological Report. 



some of their varieties. It has been your pleas- 

 uie (0 retain n)e in the olfice which now renders 

 it my duty to address you, noiwiihdianding my 

 urgent solicitations to be excused, and euicerc 

 desire to see it filled by some other individual, and 

 i)>y -convictions of the proprie'y of rotation in 

 olllce. i conlet^^s that the choice of a subject, lor 

 occasions like lhi^-, is beconimg wnh me a matter 

 of some dilliculiy. 1 have thoutihi it iniglK not 

 be incompatible with the otjecis ol our instiiulion, 

 or disagreeable to you, vveie I to withdraw from 

 the mere machineiy ol our noble science, and make 

 some remarks, at this time, on what I would call 

 the morals of agriculture. 



It has pleaseil a beneficent Providence to con- 

 duct us through another agricultural year, in the 

 enjoyment of blessings which none oiher than 

 he can bestow. In casting our views around, we 

 find abundant cause lor thankfulness, that " our 

 lot has been cast in pleasant places," and that 

 " truly we have a goodly heritage." Our causes 

 for gratitude are indeed great, and they are nu- 

 merous. We have civil, religious and physical 

 privileges, which are our boast throughout the 

 world. Our climate is uncommonly salubrious, 

 our soils freely productive, and capable of high 

 improvement. In recounting (he blessings poured 

 out on us by a kind Providence, well may we ex- 

 claim with the Psalmist, "He hath not so dealt 

 with any nation." 



But emidst all our civil and natural advantages, 

 we are obliged to see and to conless much that ia 

 wrong. Man is perhaps most restless, and most 

 prone to err, when njost blessed. Boasting him- 

 self to be the lord of God's heritage, he is aliswer- 

 able for all the error and all the wrong in its 

 management. Doomed by his Maker, soon alter 

 his creation, to eat his bread in the sweat of his 

 lace, he has ever since been exerting himself in 

 unavailing eHorts, to liberate himself (rom the 

 literal fulfilment of his curse. But in proportion 

 to the breach of this law of his nature, so does 

 he invariably fail of success, in the issue of his 

 labors. VVe generally are able to trace the cause 

 of our failures to ourselves, and to recollect that 

 the means of success were in our power, but Ibr 

 vvant of attention or of exertion were not applied. 

 Knowledge unemployed is not power — time 

 misspent is not money. 



It is lamentable to observe the many and di- 

 versified subterfuges, to which multitudes in our 

 country resort, in order to escape the endurance 

 of this ancient curse upon our race. Many re- 

 move to the fertile wilds of the west, merely to 

 escape from labor. These, like their ancient pro- 

 totypes among the children of Israel, are prone 

 to regret the flesh-pots left behind, belbre they 

 pass through the wilderness to the promised 

 land. iMany, almost as quick as thought, turn 

 merchants, vainly dreaming that the very name 

 oi' merchant will make them rich. We all know 

 how speedily men who get to be merchants, with- 

 out the requisite mental and moral training, be- 

 come broken ones. Indeed, these are becoming 

 so numerous, as a class, and public sentiment so 

 charitable towards ihem, that it is a matter of 

 some doubt, whether such retired gentlemen do 

 not thus fix their casle, and establish themselves 

 in a higher order o\' gentility, than,, with their 

 feeble energies, ihev possibly could have done 

 in any other way. By '.his remark, far be it Irom 



