246 



FARMERS' REGISTER— GEOLOGY. 



plouf^hed in as before. A third crop soon aj)pear- 

 ed, which of course was destroyed, when the land 

 was again ploughed for sowing about the middle 

 of September. This piece of land was a parallel 

 strip running from the river, and containing two 

 acres. Two bushels of rye were sowed. The crop 

 presented a remarkably promising ap{)earance, and 

 yielded seventy-four and a half bushels. 



In 1830, the land appropriated to rye included 

 nearly all the lighter part of the soil, and owing to 

 a pressure of business was not attended to as we 

 could have wished. "It was ploughed in the early 

 part of the summer. But harrowing to destroy 

 the weeds was substituted for the second plough- 

 ing. This, and the unusual blight which affected 

 all the grain in this part of the country, led us to 

 anticipate a small crop. It yielded, however, fif- 

 teen bushels to the acre. 



The land on which the crop of rye was raised 

 the present season had for the three or four previous 

 years been planted with Indian corn : and owing 

 to the extent of our tillage land, we have not been 

 able to apply more than four or five loads of ma- 

 nure to the acre this season. The charlick was 

 suffered to attain its growth as usual ; and on the 

 18th and 19th of June, it was carefully ploughed 

 in. The second crop was ploughed in on the 6th 

 and 7th of August. On the 14lh and 15th of Sep- 

 tember it w^is sowed in the usual manner, namely, 

 a small strip of land was ploughed, and the seed 

 sown immediately upon the furrow, and then har- 

 rowed in. Then another strip of land was plough- 

 ed, and so on until the whole was completed. One 

 bushel per acre was sowed as usual. The seed was 

 originally obtained from a farmer in this vicinity, 

 and I suppose is similar to that which is generally 

 used. We have never prepared our seed in any 

 manner, but have directed our attention solely to 

 the preparation of the land; and to this we attri- 

 bute our success. Owing to the unusual severity 

 of the winter, the crop was considerably winter 

 killed, but recovered very soon in the spring, ex- 

 cepting in the mid-furrows. There, as the land 

 lies very level, the water settled, and so complete- 

 ly destroyed the rye that they continued bare the 

 whole season. This would of course cause some 

 diminution in the crop: perhaps a bushel or two. 

 The rye was reaped at the usual season, and, as 

 the weather was favorable, inmiediutely put into 

 the barn. The land contained one acre and thir- 

 teen rods, and yielded /«r/i/ six bushels and three 

 pecks. J/ remarkably fine sample. 



In entering a claim for your premium, I would 

 ask your attention particularly to the process of 

 cultivation. It is I believe entirely new, and ca 

 pable of general application. 



Sowing the seed inmiediately after the plough 

 ■we consider very advantageous to the crop. The 

 soil being then moist, causes the seed to spring 

 immediately, and gives a forwardness and vigor to 

 the plants which they ever after retain. 



The process of ploughing in three crops of weeds 

 before the seed is sown, very much enriches the 

 soil. It would be altogether unnecessary to at- 

 tempt to refute the notion, that by such a process 

 nothing more is applied to the soil than was before 

 derived from it. If one could not discover by the 

 light which chemistry has shed upon the subject 

 of agriculture, sufficient reasons for the contrary 

 conclusion, observation, one would think, would be 

 iufficient to conv ince any intelligent man of the fact. 



And here I would suggest, that I do not consi- 

 der the experiment, as we have conducted it, quite 

 complete. To render it more so, in the first place, 

 in ploughing in the weeds, I would not turn a fur- 

 row alter the dew had evaporated. I have no doubt 

 but that a large portion of that fertilizing quality 

 in the sod, which Qduring the summer months) is 

 continually exhalea from the earth, is by the dew 

 brought again within our reach, and it would be 

 wise to avail ourselves of the opportunity of again 

 burying it in the soil. And in the second place, I 

 would by all means use a heavy roll after each 

 ploughing. It would fill all the cavities left by 

 the plough, and by pressing the soil more close- 

 ly to the weeds, at once hasten their decomposition 

 and very much retard the evaporation from the soil. 



But the land is not only very much enriched by 

 this process. There is, I conceive, no method by 

 w hich it can be so effectually cleaned. Three times 

 during the season a fresh surface is presented to the 

 atmosphere, and each time, as the decaying vege- 

 table matter increases in the soil, so is the exci- 

 ting cause augmented to make a more vigorous 

 effort. We have in this manner gone over nearly 

 all our land which is infested with charlick, and 

 the diminution of the weeds is quite sufficient to 

 warrant the expectation, that in a few years it may 

 be comparatively eradicated. 



Very re.=ipectfully, joiiiv keely. 



The undersigned having assisted in measuring 

 the rye, an accownt of which is given above, here- 

 by certify that the quantity is as there stated, name- 

 ly, forty six bushels and three pecks. 



JOHN KEELY, 

 THOBIASE. KEELY, 

 SAMUEL THOMPSON. 



Haverhill, Aug. 1, 1832. 

 I have this day measured a lot of land belonging 

 to Mr. Keely, on which is a crop of rye, and find 

 it to contain one acre and thirteen rods. 



c. -WHITE, Surveyor. 

 At a meeting of the Trustees of the Essex Ag- 

 ricultural Society, January 1, 1833, the foregoing 

 statement having been read and examined, 



Voted, That the first premium offered for the cul- 

 tivation of rye be awarded to Mr. Keely. 



Attest, J. w. PROCTOR, Secretary. 



Application of Geology ; 



AS THE BASIS OF THE SCIENCE OF AGRICUL- 

 TURE. By Professor A. Eaton. 



SOILS. 



An error of importance had prevailed among 

 geologists, on the subject of the origin of soils, un- 

 til a classification of detritus was established. Cu-^ 

 vier's theory of the earth did much towards the pre- 

 sent improved state of that department of geological 

 knowledge. But Schoulcratt suggested the first 

 thought ever published, on a classification, which is 

 in accordance with the present views of geologists 

 on that subject ; though his nomenclature was 

 different.* Near the same time Conybeare, Buck- 

 land, and others, gave a character to it, which will 

 endure. 



It seems to be demonstrated, that anti-deluvial 

 detritus (called the tertiary formation) is a depo 

 site, as independent and distinct, as secondary rocks. 

 It cannot be traced immediately to any adjoining 

 rocks. Consequently its character cannot be ex- 



* See my Index to the Cieology ol' the Northern States, 'id eel. 

 ISJO. 



