420 



NEW ExNGLAND FARMER, 



From QoodstWs Farmer. 

 EXPLANATION OP AGRICULTURAL TERMS. 



f ( 'ontinuedfrom .V,., I: 1 of this I'../. A". E. Far.) 

 62. Tiller — is a term used to signify the branch- 

 ing out of a single grain as of rye, oats, or wheat, 

 into several stalks. Where the individual kernels 

 of any grain throw up many stalks, it is said to 

 tiller well. Each shoot tin-own out in tillering 

 may be removed and treated as a distinct plant. — 

 A remarkable instance of this is related in the 

 fifty-eighth volume of the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions. OF some wheat sown in June, one of the 

 plants was taken up in August, and separated into 

 eighteen parts, and replanted ; these plants again 

 taken up, divided in the month of September and 

 October, and planted out separately to stand the 

 winter, which division produced sixty-seven plants. 

 They were again taken up in March ami April, 

 and • produced live hundred plants; from whic' 



grew twenty-one thousand 



one hundred ami nine 



heads, yielding three pecks and three quarters, of 

 wHeat, all produced froiu one single grain. 



G:3. Ley — a term used in agriculture, to siimin 

 land m a 'state of sward or grass. We frequentl) 

 read of wheat being sown on a clover ley, by which 

 we are to understand land, in clover, directly after 

 mowing being turned up, and sown in wheat on 

 the hack of the furrows. 



64. Meadow — grass land for mowing. In this 

 country the word is£eldom used to signify upland 

 mowing hut that which is low and moist, and sel- 

 dom or never ploughed. In other countries and 

 by some writers on agriculture in this country, it 

 is the name given to id! ground. 



6.5. Effluvia — are those small particles flowing 

 out of any substance, which produce in us the sen- 

 sation of smell. Thus most flowers send forth 

 effluvia ; and substances in a state of putrefaction 

 send forth effluvia of a very different nature. 



66. Chemistry — is the science which enables us 

 to discover the nature and the properties of all 

 natural bodies. 



67. .1 Simple Substance — is one which cannot 

 be decomposed ; or which is not produced by the 

 union of two or more substances, such as iron, 

 sulphur, &c. Sir Humphrey Davy, a celebrated 

 chemist in England, reckons forty seven known 

 substances in nature. 



68. A Compound Substance — is one which may 

 be decomposed ; or which is produced by the union 

 of two or more other substances of different na- 

 tures; Thus, gunpowder is a compound substance, 

 being composed of charcoal, 'sulphur, and saltpetre; 

 and these substances, or those which united to- 

 gether, produce a compound substance, are called 

 its constituent or compound parts. 



69. The Elements of Matter — are the simple sub- 

 stances into which all surrounding objects are ca- 

 pable of being reduced. All the substances about 

 which agriculture is employed are compounds ; 

 they consist of elements into which they are ca- 

 pable of being resolved. Of this no farmer should 

 be ignorant ; and he ought to attain at least to so 

 much chemistry as to know the nature, the proper- 

 ties., and the combination of those elements (the 

 number of which is very small,) which are con- 

 tinually working such wonders before bis eyes. 



70. Analysis — is the resolution or separating of 

 a compound substance into elements or constituent 

 parts. 



71. Caloric — is the name which modern chem- 

 ists have given to fire ; it is that extremely subtle 

 fluid which produces in us the sensation of heat. 



The sun is the grand source of caloric; it is afford- 

 ed also from combustion, anil in various other 

 ways. Thus take a small phial half full of water, 

 grasp it gently in one hand, and from another phial 

 pour a little sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol as it i> 

 sometimes called, very gradually into the water. 

 The phial will become hot, which is in conse- 

 quence of the caloric disengaged from the mixture. 

 This slihtle matter pervades the pores of all known 

 substances, most of which are capable of existing 

 in thru different slates — the solid, the fluid, and 

 the aeriform or gaseous state ; and these different 

 states depend on tin- quantity of caloric which may 

 he present in any substance at any one time. The 

 first of these termed the solid stale, depends on the 

 presence of a small quantity of caloric ; such is 

 water in the state of ice; — when the quantity of 

 caloric or matter of heat is increased to a certain 

 degree the body passes into the second or fluid 

 stale ; such is the ice or lead when melted ; and 

 by still farther increasing the quantity of caloric 

 or heat, it rises into vapor, called the aeriform or 

 gaseous slate, or simple gas. Almost all natural 

 bodies are susceptible of existing from the mere 

 expansive energy of caloric, in these three states ; 

 and the only difference among them is, that some 

 require less and others greater portions of caloric 

 to induce these changes. Water which usually 

 exists in our atmosphere as fluid, can fluctuate by 

 a very slight alteration of the thermometer, either 

 into solid ice, or into aeriform vapor. All the 

 metals exhibit the same phenomenon. If solid 

 they melt by the application of fire into a fluid 

 mass ; and if that be carried to a given pitch of 

 intensity, they fly off in fumes, and assume the 

 gaseous state. The solid earth is not exempt from 

 the dominion of this universal law. Flint and 

 sand, when put into the furnace dissolves into 

 liquid glass, and if exposed to a still more power- 

 ful heat, may dissipate in vapor and assume new 

 aerial forms. Let it therefore be remembered, as 

 an established principle in chemistry, that when 

 different portions of caloric enter into combination 

 with bodies, they pass according to the quantity, 

 into the respective states of solidity, fluidity or Kri- 

 form vapor. 



72. Gas — is any substance converted to vapor 

 by the action of caloric. In other words, it is any 

 sul stance reduced to the aeriform state by the ac- 

 tion of caloric. 1) , the aeriform state it must 

 be remembered is meant a state similar to thai 

 of air; which is neither tangible nor visible; 

 that is, it can neither be handled with the hands 

 nor seen with the eyes. It may seem strange that 

 the hard substance from which we receive so ma- 

 ny knocks and brushes, should in any way be con- 

 verted into such a state. Yet something of this is 

 seen every day. A log which would require two 

 men to lift, on being burnt is all converted into 

 gas, except a residuum of ashes so small as to be 

 collected into a measure and carried by a child. 

 So iii tlie putrefaction of an animal, the solid sub- 

 stpnee left is little more than sufficient to cover 

 the ground : the rest, except some fluid parts 

 which may have sunk into the soil, is converted 

 into gas. 



7:i. Alkalies — are substances of an acid burning 

 taste. Their most distinguishing properties are, 

 1st, They change the blue juices of vegetables, as 

 of violets or red cabbage to green. 2d, They ren- 

 der oils mixable with water, thus forming soap. 

 3d, They combine with acids, thereby forming 

 various kinds of salts. There are only three alka- 



lies ; 1st, Potash, or the vegetable Alkali; 2nd, 

 Soda or Mineral Alkali; 3d, Ammonia, or the Vol- 

 atile Alkali. The two first are also called Fixed 

 Alkalies: the latter, or Ammonia, is called the 

 Volatile Alkali, because it exists as a gas, and is 

 that substance which on opening a smelling bottle 

 so effectually searches the nose and heart. 



74. Acids — are substances of a sour taste. The 

 acids are very numerous. Their most distinguish- 

 able properties tire, 1st, That they change to red 

 those colors of vegetables which the alkalies change 

 to green ; 2d, They combine with alkalies, and 

 thereby form a great many kinds of salts. — Thus 

 the combination of muriatic acid with soda, forms 

 common stilt. Some of the acids are met with in 

 a solid state : others in a fluid state, as vinegar : 

 others in a gaseous state. Of the latter is Car- 

 bonic Acid, which requires a more particular de- 

 scription. The carbonic acid, when uncombineti 

 with any other substance, is always met with ill ■» 

 state of gas, and hence it is called Carbonic Arid 

 Gas. It is the substance which was formerly call- 

 ed fixed air. It exists in a small proportion in the 

 atmosphere. It destroys life and extinguishes the 

 light of a candle when immersed in it. It is dis- 

 engaged largely from liquors, such as beer, cider, 

 or wine, when in the act of fermentation. It is 

 this gas which produces the many unhappy acci- 

 dents in some subterraneous caverns, inclosed 

 collars containing large quantities of fermenting 

 liquors, in some deep wells, and in bed-chambers, 

 warmed by burning charcoal in pans. This acid 

 combines with a great variety of substances, all 

 which are called carbonates of lime, and the burn- 

 ing of limestone is for no other purpose, but to 

 expel the carbonic acid, which is done by heat, in 

 which operation the limestone loses marly half its 

 weight. The alkalies attract it from the atmos- 

 phere. It is present in pot and pearl ashes, from 

 which it is disengaged by the addition of a stronger 

 acid, as every one may have seen in throwing 

 pearl-ash into cider, as some people do to drink in 

 the morning. The acid in the cider in uniting 

 with the pearl-ash, displaces the carbonic acid, 

 which rises in the form of gas through ihe liquor, 

 producing much foam with a hissing noise, called 

 effervescence. 



75. Atmospheric Air — or the air which sur- 

 rounds the earth, is a mixture of two different 

 kinds of air, called Oxygen and Azote. It like- 

 wise contains a small proportion of Carbonic Acid 

 Gas, a substance already described. It is well 

 known that no animal will live, or fire burn 

 without air called oxygen, which is necessary for 

 both. It is this which supports life and combus- 

 tion ; and when there is no oxygen, an animal 

 will die, and a light will be extinguished as sud- 

 denly as where there is no air at all. All this 

 may be made plain by a very easy experiment. 

 Take a lighted candle, put it into a candlestick, 

 and set it into a pail of water so deep that the 

 light of the candle may rise three or four inches 

 above the surface of the water. Then take a deep 

 tumbler, or a wide mouthed decanter, invert it 

 and let it down over the candle till the brim 

 shall dip into the water. As the candle continues 

 burning the water will be seen rising in the de- 

 canter till it shall be about one quarter full, when 

 the candle will suddenly go out. Now the rea- 

 son of water's rising in the decanter is, because 

 the oxygen is gradually consuming by the lighted 

 caudle ; and the reason the candle goes out is, that 

 the oxygen at that instant is all gone, or has been 



