334 



DeposUe, of Moisture &n pulve'^ix,€d 'Earth. 



Vol. 11° 



For the Farmei's^ Cabinet. I 



Bepositc of moisture oi'i: pulverized eartK. , 



Those who have accustomed themselves to | 

 regard the grov.'t!) of trees and plants must 

 have observed the powerful agency of a free, 

 open and deeply pulverized soil in promoting 

 their healthy, vigorous growth and expan- 

 sion. This was so much regarded by Tull, 

 the celebrated agriculturist, that he at one 

 time embraced the opinion, tiiat nearly all 

 that was necessary to insure the return of a 

 luxuriant crop, was to preserve the earth in 

 a thoroughly pulverized state toa great depth, 

 liis success in carrying out this theory was 

 great, but there were other circumstances 

 constantly aiding in the production of his re- 

 sults, which he did not perhaps duly estimate; 

 for science in his day had not unfolded the 

 mysteries connected with the nutrition of the 

 vegetable world; but the benefits derived to 

 agriculture and horticulture from his experi- 

 ments inthoroughly pulverizing the soil to a 

 great depth can scarcely be appreciated at 

 their full value by the cultivators of the soil. 

 It is of vast importance to us to know, not 

 only that certain causes produce given effects, 

 but also to know how, and why those effects 

 are produced. Many rest satisfied with know- 

 ing results, and trouble themselves not with 

 tire examination into the various causes which 

 have conspired to produce thenr. 



,Every intelligent farmer is fully convinced 

 ^hat frequent stirring the soil of his corn 

 'ield, essentially promotes the grov/th of the 

 plants, and enables them to witht;tand the ab- 

 sence of rain for a long time during our sum- 

 mer droughts, without much, if any, injury to 

 the crop. The reason of this is not apparent 

 to every one without some reflection, tor 1 

 have heard it blindly asserted by tlie inexpe- 

 rienced, that turning the soil over and over in 

 very dry warm weather would more thorough- 

 ly dry the v/hole mass; but this is evidently 

 not the fact, for daily experience proves that 

 frequent, and thorough stirring of the earth, 

 enables it to absorb, preserve and retain a 

 much greater quantity of moisture than it 

 otherwise v.-ould. 



The atmosphere at all times, and particu- 

 larly during the heat of summer has suspend- 

 ed in it a very large quantity of moisture in a 

 state of minute division. Davy says it is 

 equal to 1-14 of the volume of the air, and 

 1-21 of its weight. Now the soil being finely 

 pulverized and kept loose and open, the air 

 with its accompanying moisture, pervades the 

 infinity of interstices between the particles of 

 the earth, anddepositesits moisture which is 

 absorbed by the dry earth, and kept in store 

 till the absorbing fibres of the roots seize upon 

 it for the nourishment of the plant. This pro- 

 cess is constantly going on, and particularly 

 so during tlie abseiice of the sun's rays, and 



keeps the plants, \\'here the soil is properly 

 pulverized and frequently moved, in a healthy 

 flourishing condition under circumstances 

 which appear very unfavorable to their 

 growth. But in order to insure so copious a 

 deposition of moisture from the atmosphere 

 as to be beneficial in any considerable degree, 

 the soil must be kept in a state of minute 

 subdivision, for it then presents a much more 

 extensive absorbing surface to the action of 

 the air, and theaggregateamountof the open 

 spaces or interstices between the earthy par- 

 ticles is vastly increased by it. A cubic foot 

 of earth presents a surface of six superficial 

 feet, but if it were broken into small particles 

 not larger than a grain of sand, the aggregate 

 amount of the superficies of all those particles 

 would be many millions of feet exposed to 

 the action of the air, and absorbing moisture 

 from it. All substances, when pulverized, are 

 increased in bulk by it, and this increase is pro- 

 portionate to the minuteness of the subdivi- 

 sions. A ton of plaster of paris may be ground 

 so as to measure 18, 20 or 25 bushels. The 

 finer it is ground the more bushels it mea- 

 sures, but the weight of a bushel is less, if it 

 is finely pulverised. This is occasioned by 

 the interstices being increased, because more 

 numerous, in consequence of the increased 

 number of particles being less compactly ar- 

 ranged. 



Plants must have their food in a state of 

 solution, and for the preparation of it, mois- 

 ture is indispensible to dissolve it, and in dry 

 weather they must either suffer for want of 

 nourishment; moisture must be applied by 

 artificial means, which would be impossible 

 on a large scale ; or the soil, must be kept in 

 such a state of subdivision as to permit the 

 atmosphere to come in contact with the 

 greatest possible amount of surface of the 

 particles nf the soil, to make its depositesof 

 the fertilizing moisture ; which it will never 

 fail to accomplish, provided the farmer per- 

 forms his duty by keeping the ground suffi- 

 ciently open to enable it to have free ingress 

 and egress. 



It has often been noticed that a piece of 

 ground which has been suffered to become 

 consolidated, is perfectly dry, and the plants 

 in a state of starvation; while a contiguous 

 plot which has been duly pulverizvxl, and fre- 

 quently stirred, has been found to be suffi- 

 ciently moist throughout to preserve the 

 plants growing in it, in a high state of health 

 and vigor. Our good tiirmers, and all of our 

 successful gardeners in the neighborhood of 

 Philadelphia, are fully aware of the benefits 

 derived from keeping the soil loose and finely 

 pulverized, particularly in dry weather; ex- 

 perience has taught them this, and they are 

 diligently teaching it to those they have about 

 them ; but I thought it might not be amiss ta 



