No. 5. 



Philosophy for Farmers. 



159 



increased economy and effect of manure; 

 the more perfect the pulverisation of land, 

 the more immediate is its contact with, and 

 absorption of, the manures thrown into it ; 

 the descent of new particles into the subsoil 

 ia facilitated, and the whole quantity of pro- 

 ductive soil is increased, with a fund of ca- 

 pability, so to speak, always at command 

 within it. 



From discussing the mode of treating soils, 

 Mr. Just passes to that of sowing seeds. 

 "Scattering seeds," he says, "indiscrimi- 

 nately over the surface of the ground previ- 

 ously prepared for their reception, is no more 

 sowing them, than tumbling stones into 

 trenches properly dug for the foundation of 

 a building is laying those foundations." The 

 object of sowing is to secure proper germi- 

 nation of the seed. Seeds are to vegetables 

 what eggs and ova are to animals; the con- 

 dition of development of the latter is warmth 

 and protection. With seeds it is " a proper 

 degree of temperature, a sufficiency of moist- 

 ure, and a free access of air, with exclusion 

 from the direct action of light." Hence the 

 great advantage of complete pulverisation of 

 the soil, that the seeds may not be buried 

 deeply, and yet at the same time sufficiently 

 covered: for, if within the influence of light, 

 the chemical change of the farinaceous mat- 

 ter of the seed into livmg tissues is retarded; 

 on the other hand, if buried too deeply, the 

 plant is so much exhausted by its efforts to 

 reach the surface, as to impede materially 

 its future growth. A large amount of seed 

 is annually lost by falling into the hollows 

 between the furrows of ill-ploughed land. 

 " It is not to please the eye only that the 

 ploughmen of Westmoreland, Cumberland, 

 and other well-cultivated counties take so 

 much pains in drawing their deep furrows 

 as straight as a line can make them, and 

 laying them so compact, that not a crevice 

 between them can be found in fields of many 

 acres; but it is to favour this grand and fun- 

 damental principle of growth, though per- 

 haps in few instances this service may ei- 

 ther be known or appreciated by them." 

 The importance of these considerations be- 

 comes manifest, when regard is had to the 

 physiology of seeds. The greater part of 

 their substance is simple nutritive matter, 

 intended for the support of the young plant 

 until it can take care of itself But if this 

 nutritive matter is to be expended in efforts 

 to escape from unnatural circumstances, it 

 is clear that the capacity for growth will be 

 diminished. A starved seed can no more 

 grow up into a healthy plant, than a starved 

 infant into a healthy man ; and if so much 

 care be bestowed on exposing steeped barley 

 frequently to the air, to insure simultane- 



ous germination, while being converted into 

 malt, ought less care to be shown to seeds 

 while in the soil, when the food of millions 

 is dependent on their proper growth. 



The waste and misapplication of manure 

 in this country is deplorable, and have been 

 so often complained of by writers, that it 

 might seem superrogatory to insist upon it 

 farther; but there are some subjects to 

 which attention can only be successfully di- 

 rected by constant iteration and re-iteration. 

 In many parts of Germany and in Belgium, 

 the most rigid economy prevails with regard 

 to all waste animal and vegetable matter, 

 and its proper application to land. In China, 

 the same course has been pursued for ages: 

 and, according to Mr. Fortune's recent work, 

 is still maintained in full activity. The 

 measures now in contemplation for the ef- 

 fectual sewerage of towns are fraught with 

 incalculable advantage to the agriculturist; 

 but without some acquaintance with chemis- 

 try, no person can be certain that the ma- 

 nure he applies is that required by the soil, 

 and a distinction must be drawn between 

 germination and vegetation. Highly azo- 

 tized manures are favourable to the latter 

 process, but unfavourable to the former. Mr. 

 Just says, "Guano sown along with the 

 seeds of turnips prevents their germination, 

 whereas, when scattered over the soil, or 

 buried in the drills beneath the seeds, it pro- 

 motes the vegetations of the plants to a very 

 great extent afterwards. The same is the 

 case when liquid manure, from banks in 

 farm-yards, is applied to soils previously to 

 sowing the seeds. I have known turnips 

 sown on ground so treated, fail to germinate 

 entirely; and by injudicious application of 

 night-soil as a dressing for crops of barley, I 

 have seen numbers of the grain totally de- 

 stroyed by contact with it, and those which 

 escaped pushed on to such a rank vegetation 

 after this destruction, that they could nei- 

 ther fructify properly nor ripen." 



The same principle holds good with regard 

 to propagation by means of buds and tubers; 

 and here, at the risk of prolonging what is 

 felt by many to be a wearisome subject, we 

 quote Mr. Just's observations on tlie treat- 

 ment of the potatoe. " The cuttings of po- 

 tatoes," he writes, "or the whole tubers 

 which we plant, have to undergo a similar 

 change in spritting as seeds undergo in ger- 

 mination, and require similar conditions to 

 favour that change and aid germination. 

 Yet in our treatment of this most valuable 

 and accommodating of all plants given to 

 man for food, we err more against nature 

 than in all others put together. Patient of 

 every climate under the sun, we forget that 

 it can be subject to any wrong, or require 



