1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



337 



BENEFIT OF DROUGHTS. 



It may be a consolation to those who have felt 

 the influences of long and protracted dry weather, 

 to know that droughts are one of the natural 

 causes to restore the constituents of the crops, 

 and renovate cultivated soils. The diminution 

 of the mineral matter of cultivated soils takes 

 place from two causes. 



First. The quantity of mineral matter carried 

 off in crops and not returned to the soil in ma- 

 nure. 



Second. The mineral matter carried off by rain 

 water to the sea by means of fresh water streams. 



These two causes, always in operation and 

 counteracted by nothing, would in time render 

 the earth a barren waste, in which no verdure 

 would quicken, no solitary plant take root. A 

 rational system of agriculture would obliterate 

 the first cause of sterility, by always restoring to 

 the soil an equivalent for that which is taken off 

 by'the crops, but as this is not done in all cases, 

 Providence has provided a way of its own to 

 counteract the tkriftlessness of men, by institu- 

 ting droughts at periods, to bring up, from the 

 deep parts of the earth, food on which plants 

 might feed when rains should again fall. The 

 manner in which droughts exercise their bene- 

 ficial influence is as follows : during dry weather, 

 a continual evaporation of v.-ater takes place from 

 the surface of the earth, which if not supplied 

 by any from the surface creates a vacuum, (so far 

 as the water is concerned,) which is at once filled 

 by the water rising up from the subsoil of the 

 land ; the water from the subsoil is replaced from 

 the next below, and in this manner the circula- 

 tion of water in the earth is the reverse of that 

 which takes place in wet weather. This progress 

 to the surface of the water in the earth manifests 

 itself most strikingly in the drying up of springs 

 and rivers, and of streams which are supported 

 by springs. It is not, however, only tlie water 

 which is brought to the surface of the earth, hut 

 also all that tcJiich the icatcr holds in solution. 

 These substances are salts of lime and magnesia, 

 of potash and soda, and indeed, whatever the 

 subsoil of deep strata of the earth may contain. 

 The water, on reaching the soil, is evaporated, 

 and leaves behind the mineral salts which I will 

 here enumerate, viz : lime, as air slacked lime ; 

 magnesia, as air slacked magnesia; phosphate of 

 lime, or bone earth; sulphate of lime, or plaster 

 of paris ; carbonate of potash and soda, with si- 

 licate of potash and soda, and also chloride of so- 

 dium or common salt: all indispensable to the 

 growth and production of plants which are used 

 for food. Rain water, as it falls from the clouds, 

 would dissolve but a very small proportion of 

 some of these substances ; but when it becomes 

 soaked into the earth, it there becomes strongly 

 imbuded with carbonic acid from the decomposi- 

 tion of vegetable matter in the soil, and thus ac- 

 quires the property of readily dissolving minerals 

 on which it before could have very little influence. 

 I was first led to the consideration of the above 

 matter from a perusal of a lecture of Professor 

 Johnston, on this subject, and on a re-examina- 

 tion of some soils which were analyzed some 

 years since, there was perceptible a larger quan- 

 tity of a particular mineral substance than was 

 first found. And as none had been applied in the 



meantime, the thing was difficult of explanation, 

 until I remembered the late long protracted 

 drought. I then also remembered that in sever- 

 al of the provinces in South America, soda was 

 obtained from the bottoms of ponds, which Avere 

 dried in the dry, and again filled in the rainy sea- 

 son. As the above explanation depended on the 

 principles of natural philosophy, experiments 

 were at once instituted to prove the truth. Into 

 a glass cylinder was placed a small quantity of 

 chloride of barium in solution ; this was then 

 filled wilh dry soil, and for sometime exposed to 

 the dkect rays of the sun on the surface. The 

 soil on the surface of the cylinder was now treated 

 with sulphuric acid, and gave a copious precip- 

 itate of sulphate of baryta. The ex])eriment was 

 varied by substituting chloride of lime, sulphate 

 of soda, and carbonate of potash, for the chloride 

 of barium ; and on the proper resolving agents 

 being applied, in every instance the presence of 

 these substances were detected in large quanti- 

 ties on the surface of the soil in the cylinder. 

 Here then is proof positive and direct, by plain 

 experiment in chemistry, and natural philoso- 

 phy, cf the agency, the ultimate beneficial agency 

 of droughts. 



We see therefore in this, that even those things 

 which we look upon as evils, by Providence, are 

 blessings in disguise ; and that we should not 

 murmur even when dry seasons afflict us, for they 

 too, are for our good. The early and the later 

 rain may produce at once abundant crops ; but 

 dry weather is also a beneficial dispensation of 

 Providence, in bringing to the surface food for 

 future crops, which otherwise would be forever 

 useless. Seasonable weather is good for the 

 present ; but droughts renew the storehouses of 

 plants in the soil, and furnish an abundant supply 

 of nutriment for' future crops. — Geo. Teow- 

 BRIDGE, Camden, N. Y., in Ohio Valley Farmer. 



THE SEASON". 



The promise is at present strong for abundant 

 crops. The hot days which we had about the 

 middle of May brought the plants forward with 

 great rapidity, — but the cooler weather since has 

 given them a desirable check, so that they have 

 grown stocky and strong, instead of aspiring to 

 reach the skies. . 



The apple blossom has been full in this region 

 The cherry blossom only moderate, while we 

 have met only two farmers who have seen a peach 

 blossom this spring ! 



A copious rain fell here on the night of the 

 31st of May, and the ground is well wet below, 

 — so that if little or no rain should fall before 

 haying, the grass crop will be an average one. 

 Hay still commands a somewhat high price, how- 

 ever, in consequence, we suppose, of the high 

 price of grain, as it brings readily in our mark- 

 et, from $1,00 to $1,15 per hundred pounds, ac- 

 cording to its quality. 



Planting was somewhat delayed by the north- 

 east storm which occurred in the last half of 

 May ; but the crops were got in seasonably, not. 



