THE GEXESEE FARMER 



109 



butter, lard and tallow may be changed into vapor 



also the true source of all the steam power, whether 



and ga. it is an important question in^fa;m econ;^; ^oemt^rbVThrco'b^on^f ^^^^^ "'t^ 



were formed from carbon and water? Although heat and ^n^},W \-/1!^ , -^ ^^ 



starch, oil and sugar contain no earthv matter, ve^to 3 ^t^^r^t IZ^^J ^l^ ''" t"^''"^- ^ 

 .^:^!^rL--^^=:^-----hin. WthanVege- You ^^T^n ■r''lZ'f:!4^ 



table life, carbon and water seems to be necessary. 



Finding that half the ash left on burning a potato 

 was pure potash, and that new srround, rich in leaf 

 mold, is much better than old land, from which the 

 soluble alkalies have been washed and leached, or re- 

 moved in crops, for the production of this tuber, and 

 plants nch in oil and sugar. I was induced to experi- 

 ment several years ago on the value of potash in or- 



because the earth was cold: dnd vou'ha^e seen other 

 com where the ground was warm, exhibit a deep 

 green color, and grow rapidly. Xow. what relation 

 does ^e growth of this plant bear to the tempera- 

 ture of the soil ? UntU recently, vegetable phvsiolo- 

 gists beheved, from their limited observations, that the 

 mcrease of vegetable organization was in the ratio 

 of the mcrease of temperature, under the circum- 



^Jig starch, sugar and oil In the seeds of wheat | stances named But the recent re^arche. r.f M 



tar soda may take the place of potash, or ma<mesia 

 that of lime, in the economv of vesretables. is a mat- 

 ter to be decided by future researches; Soils com- 

 paratively rich in alkalies, produce the largest orowth 

 of forest trees, particulai-ly Hickorv. Sugar Maole 

 ■thn. Oak and Beech. • ■ - f ^ 



The pot and pearl ashes made from a ten or twentv 

 acre cleanug in Western Xew York fiequentlv sell 

 for enough to pay the whole cost of felling the' tim- 

 ber, cuttmg and burnmg it, and preparing the ground 

 for a crop. I never saw any good land that was not 

 nch m potash; and how to extract it from mountains 

 Mis and valleys, for agricultural pm-poses. is a prob- 

 lem to which I have devoted some aiteation. It must 

 be done by water, and applied to land bv irricration. 

 Ail the salts of the ocean are well known fertilizers 

 dissolved m water ; and if it were practicable to irri- 

 gate a larm with sea water once a vear. guano which 

 IS denved from fish and the ocean, womd never be 

 needed. 



Such irrigation would soon render the oianitic soils 

 of Xew England not unlike those of the Ononda<ra 

 bait Group of AYestem Xew York At no ve"iT 

 remote penod sea water wiU be evaporated in tropi- 

 cal climates to obtam immense quantities of compound 



of the increase of temperature in the soil If a 'com 

 plant adds three grains to its weight in 48 horn? with 

 the earth m which it grows 15 degrees above fteezinft 

 it will add twelve grains to its weight in the saiM 

 length of time, if the temperature" of the soil be 

 raised to 30 degrees above freezing. These facts 

 show you the great importance of investioatino- the 

 temperatm-e of soik Bv aUowing our agricultural 

 plants to extend their roots into cold earth that needs 

 under-draining, we diminish our crops of orain Encr. 

 hsh grasses, roots and fiiiits. one-half ,^ and eant 

 nothing. Water that drains from soils, and that 

 which collects in low grounds and swjimps, is valuable 

 for u-ngation. It sometimes contains acid salts, or 

 vegetable acids injurious to crops : but bv addin«' a 

 httle lime to such water before it is appHed to ot^ 

 land, these acids are corrected, and the calcareous 

 water may be regarded as a weak solution of manure. 

 By draining and iiTigar"on vou mav impan a de- 

 gree of life and growth to vegetation 'not attainable 

 m any other way. Where it is neeessarv, water must 

 be hfted by pumps worked bv horse power or steam. 

 Occasionally water power may be had ; and I have 

 seen wind wheels diive pumps verv successfully. 

 i^-.„^^A * ■ r^. — ■?. — — \"v "■" ^"'"^'"^""''^ I -^°o"i^"D- has done much for aoriculturp bv ^nnl 

 required to impart fertibtv to islands and con- stn^ctincr canals and ri51wnv-- hrt t^. ^^ 7 T 



w^ertn^ ,lf f ^ six v-five thousand tons of; now kept in the United States would soon be repS 

 ^u^-^ Th? f tlie surlace of a lake two miles i by improved races that would yield^ averJo^ of 



Sn^T^pprecia'le.f^^^^ ^""^ ^-^ ^^^ ^^ ql^tS of 



en'ne n?^no f "'^''™, ^'-'" J^'* ''^^ '^'•''^ f"^^*i '^^^ consumed. The dairv cow which elaborJtS 



tttonintiiof^?-'? power each could barely raL^H the most milk, butter mid cheese from ^v <^e1 

 •?4 h2r Veat 'di- iV'' :f "°^ '^^■^'"* in I amount of gnv^^ roots or grain. L.the one^Lf d^ 

 ^urce^ all thp Jr '''^' ^?'' '^ ' " *^°'^ ^^""^ *^« ^^'^^^^^ premium; not the cow which pro^ 



^orce of aU the water power in the woi . • ' duces the mW milk in a ;eek or month, re^^^JS 



