1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Ix 



we have long tried to solve. It is intimately 

 connected with geology, and in a way of which 

 we can not now speak. In the course of the 

 coming volume however, we shall have much to 

 say on the soils of this State, in connection with 

 the cha.racter of the rocks and drift out of which 

 these soils have been formed. 



The reason why a pound of solid manure 

 raade from timothy hay, clover, cornstalks, oat 

 or wheat straw, will not make, under any cir- 

 cumstances, a pound of wheat, is simply the fact 

 .that none of those vegetable substances contain 

 the elementary bodies in due projiortion which 

 are necessary to form this grain. Hence it is 

 .that a soil may grow fair crops of hay, oats, 

 .corn, and w^heat straw, and only 11 bushels of 

 wheat per acre- Such a soil, with the aid o( 

 rain, dew, and other atmospheric agencies, may, 

 .and usually does contain, as we have already sta- 

 led, nine-tenths of all the things found in seed 

 wheat. In 100 lbs. of this grain there are Sy'p^ 

 lbs. of incombustible earthy matter. In 100 lbs. 

 of this, there are 95 lbs. of the phosphates of 

 potash, of magnesia and of lime, in the propor- 

 tions, according to Boussingault, page 366, of 

 47 phosphoric acid ; potash 29.5; magnesia 15.9; 

 lime 2.9. It has 1 per cent, of sulphuric acid, 

 and 1.3 of silica. It is the phosporice acid which 

 is lacking. Of this substance an acre of wheat 

 must have 12 lbs. to give 20 bushels of seed, 

 beside 5 1 lbs. in the straw. So that one must 

 have about 11 lbs. to obtain 11 bushels, while 

 17 J lbs. will give 20 bushels. Potash is also 

 generally deficient in most soils. Jrlence when 

 lands are first cleared, they yield more and bet- 

 ter grain than after their alkaline earths have 

 been carried away in crops; or have been leached 

 out of the surface soil by excessive tillage. The 

 source from whence the farmer can supply him- 

 self with phosphoric acid at the least expense, 

 we must leave for the subject of another article. 

 At present, we must notice one other ingredient 

 in kernels of wheat, of which there is a defici- 

 ency in most soils, to make a great crop of this 

 ^esA-forming seed. 



In its simplest form, this substance is called 

 nitrogen, or azote. It is the essential element in 

 common hartshorn, or liquid ammonia. In 100 

 lbs. of marketable wheat, there are from 11 to 

 12 lbs. of watei", which may be evaporated by 

 heating the seed in a vacuum. In 100 lbs. of 

 dry grain there are 2.29 lbs. of azote. The ele- 

 jnents of dry wheat are : 



Carbon," 46.10 



Hydrogen, - 5.80 



Oxygen, 43.40 



Azote, _ 2.29 



Ash, 2.41 



Total ,.. _ 100.00 



It will be seen that the eartliy portion and 

 azote togetlier, form a fraction less than 5 per 

 cent. Give to the growing plants 4 per cent, of 

 carbon in vegetable mold, and your wheat crop 



will have the ten per cent of the lacking ingre- 

 dients, of which we spoke. From a variety of 

 circumstances, which we cannot now enumerate, 

 we regard the application of ammonia or azote, 

 and of the other organic elements of wheat, as 

 of less importance than the supply of the earthy 

 elements of both the ?traw and seed of this grain. 

 When we have demonstrated, as we soon shall, 

 that with 10 lbs. of the rigid ihings^we can make 

 100 lbs. of wheat, corn and other plants — deri- 

 ving 90 per cent, from the atmosphere — shall we 

 not tiave proved that "very lew acres are really 

 needed on which to change air and water into 

 bread 1 



Remember that, in 100 lbs. of wheat straw, 

 there are but 7 lbs. of matter which does not ex- 

 ist in the atmosphere ; and in 100 lbs. of wheat, 

 there are but 2.29 lbs. of incombustible earth. 

 The 43.40 lbs of oxygen, and 5.80 lbs. of hydro, 

 gen, making together ^Qj\''q lbs. in 100 of dry 

 wheat, are nothing more nor less than so much 

 7oaier in a solid form. The 46^^^ lbs. of carbon 

 is the precise thing that makes the black char- 

 coal where wheat, coffee or any other vegetable 

 substance is chared or burned, under particular 

 circumstances. Now mark, that the burning of 

 volcanoes and other fires deep in tlie earth; tlie 

 combustion of wood and coal on its surface ; the 

 fermenting and rotting of vegetable and animal 

 matter the world over; and the ceaseless respi- 

 ration of all animals, are constantly throwing 

 into the ever moving atmosphere an immeasu- 

 rable quantity of carhon in the shape of carbonic 

 acid. Plants, by the chemical action of light, 

 heat, electricity and moisture, are able to decom- 

 pose this gas ; and with the elements of wate 

 alone, to form starch, gum, woody fibre and oi 

 or fat. The presence of earthy minerals ir 

 plants, are, however, quite indispensable to trans- 

 form water and carbon into starch in wheat, po- 

 tatoes and other vegetables. And especially are 

 the phosphates required to change water, carbon 

 and nitrogen into gluten and legumin, or the 

 things in clover, wheat and peas, that make lean 

 meat, bread, and cheese. 



To CoRRESPONEENTS. — Several communica- 

 tions intended for this number are unavoidably 

 laid over till the next. 



Dr. Harris of Harvard University, is inform- 

 ed that we shall be happy to aid him in procuring 

 the insects, and their larvcp, so soon as jjractica- 

 ble. Extracts from his valuable work, and \\u 

 letter, will appear in the February number. 



Carrots. — Mr. C. F. Crosman, of Brighton, 

 has raised the past season 410 bushels of Carrot.H 

 on one-fourth of an acre. This is at the rate of 

 1640 bushels per acre. Mr. C. has also grown 

 something like 1000 bushels of beets on one acre 

 of land. He is extensively engaged in the seed 

 growing business, producing several thousand 

 dollars worth, annually. 



