1838.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



55 



lutioiis,) nor because the theatre was the House of Dele- 

 gates. Yet an unhappy consequence of those glorious 

 events has been to establish in the Virginia legislature 

 a fashion of discussing and adopting series of resolu- 

 tions at almost every session, on mere abstract ques- 

 tions, and in that way to waste the time of the assem- 

 bly, and the treasure ol the state— and to overlook and 

 neglect all great practical interests. Yet all these fee- 

 ble and ridiculous attempts to assume the port and dig- 

 nity of the great original examplars, have resulted in 

 notliing — unless to raise to some notoriety and tempo- 

 rary importance, and perhaps to higher political station, 

 some of the busy movers and supporters of such "reso- 

 lutions." The general result has been to degrade the 

 character of our legislation, and to render it as ridicu- 

 lous abroad, as it is inefficient at home. 



These expressions of censure are directed to the gen- 

 eral legislative course described, and not to any partic- 

 ular acts, or opinions, or to men who have sustained 

 either. Our own individual and private opinions have 

 in most cases, concurred with the various resolutions 

 that have been at various times adopted in the legisla- 

 ture of Virginia — and in some of them, we had an 

 humble participation, and lent to the measure a zealous 

 and hearty support. But w-ithout regard to the purport 

 of such resolutions, we protest against the entire course 

 pursued with regard to them, and call on every true 

 friend of the interests of Virginia, to declare war against 

 all such discussions of unsubstantial abstractions — and 

 to demand that the true practical interests of Virginia 

 shall not continue always to be neglected, merely to 

 indulge political aspirants and office-seekers in ex- 

 hibiting their to supposed talents, and theirclaims to the 

 rewards for which they offer resolutions, and make 

 speeches thereon. The people, those who make le- 

 gislators, must take this matter in hand, and insist 

 that something shall be done for agriculture, instead of 

 there being an almost regular waste of some weeks of 

 every session, in discussing abstract resolutions — by 

 which, what ought to be a dignified legislature, is con- 

 verted into a mere debating society; and hundreds of 

 thousands of dollars are spent, merely that Mr. A. or 

 Mr. B. may show that he would cut a good figure in 

 Congress, if the people of his district could be so im- 

 pressed with his merits as to send him there. 



Nevertheless — let the friends of agricultural interests 

 not cease to exert every effort to promote the diffusion 

 of agricultural knowledge, and that too by means of le- 

 gislative aid. Let every one who is impressed with 

 the value of the object, exert his influence at home to 

 advance it, and the voice of the next Agricultural Con- 

 vention may be heard, and its prayers not be so totally 

 negrlected as those of the last. 



From Chai)tal's Chemistry applied to Agriculture. 



GENERAL VIEWS OF THE ATMOSPHERE, CON- 

 SIDERED IN ITS EFFECTS UPON VEGETA- 

 TION. 



In order to judo;e of the influence which the at- 

 mosphere exercises over vegetation, it is necessa- 

 ry to be acquainted with the peculiar and charac- 



teristic properties of each of the elements of which 

 it is composed, and to study their action upon ter- 

 restrial bodies. 



The gases, azote and oxygen, are the two fluids, 

 of which tiie atmosphere is essentially composed; 

 they are found in unilbrm proportions, even in the 

 highest regions from wliicii they have been 

 brought. M. Gay-Lussac has established this 

 fact, by a comparative analysis of the air taken 

 Ironi the height of twenty-three thousand feet, 

 and of that which is upon the surface of the 

 earth. 



There are certain other fluids, which are uni- 

 formly Ibund in the atmosphere, but in very varia- 

 ble ]}roportions; the principal of these are carbon- 

 ic acid, water, the electric and magnetic fluids, 

 light, and heat. The two last mentioned, exercise 

 a very marked influence, not only on vegetation, 

 but on all the phenomena which terrestrial bodies 

 present to our notice; and though they do not en- 

 ter essentially into the composition of the atmos- 

 phere, iheir action is so closely united with that of 

 its principal constituents, as to be nearly insepara- 

 ble from them. In order that the action of the at- 

 mosphere may be better understood. I propose to 

 to treat separately of all the fluids it contains, and 

 afterwards to show the phenomena which the ap- 

 plication of them to agriculture exhibits. 



Of the Ponderable Fluids contained in the Atmos- 

 phere. 



The ponderable fluids contained in the atmos- 

 phere are azote, oxygen, carbonic acid, and wa- 

 ter. 



1. Azote constitutes nearly four fifths of the at- 

 mospheric composition, and yet, by a singular ca- 

 price of nature, it exercises less influence on the 

 substances of the three kingdoms, than any one 

 of the other principles contained in the atmos- 

 phere. This gas is found in small quantities in 

 some of the products of vegetables, and abun- 

 dantly in those of animals. The presence of 

 azote in some of the products of vegetation is to 

 be accounted for by its presence in the water, 

 which plants imbibe Irom the atmosphere, and 

 in those manures by which plants are nourished, 

 and of which it forms one of the principal consti- 

 tuents. 



In animals, in which azote is more abundant 

 than in plants, the food by which they are nour- 

 ished, and the air which is inhaled by respiration, 

 concur equally to account for its presence. 

 The experiments of Messrs. de Humboldt and 

 Provenc^al upon fish, Spallanzani upon reptiles, 

 and those of Messrs. Davy, Pfafl", Enderson, Ed- 

 wards, Dulong, &c. upon man, leave no doubt 

 as to be absorption of azote during respiration; 

 but this absorption is unequal and irregular, vary- 

 ing according to circumstances; this gas difl'ering 

 from oxygen in this particular, at least in its ef- 

 fects upon animal and vegetable economy. The 

 action of azote is, so far as it is known, of such 

 trivial importance, that we are at a loss to account 

 for the proportion which nature has assigned it in 

 the composition of the atmosphere. It is sup- 

 posed by some, that all the gases, all the vapors, 

 and all the exhalations which arise from the sur- 

 face of the earth, form in the atmosphere an im- 

 mense magazine of azote, which is returned 

 thence as it is needed, either for the support of an- 



