172 



AGRIOULTTRAL PLANTS—MANURE CONVERTED INTO MILBL 



THE ST0DY OF AGMCULTUKAL PLANTS. 



In Professor Johnston's Experimental Agricul- 

 ture, pages 22 aud 23, may be found the following 

 suggestive remarks: "That even when a soil upon 

 chemical examination yields nothing to water, or 

 even to concentrated muriatic acid, the roots of plants 

 have been found by experiment to be capable of ex- 

 tracting from it lime, soda, magnesia, and other sub- 

 stances which are necessary to their growth. This 

 is believed to be owing to the decomposing action 

 of water and carbonic acid in the soil, by which its 

 rocky particles are decomposed and resolved into 

 their constituent parts, and thus made to yield them 

 in a soluble state to the roots." 



Many observing cultivators, seeing agricultural 

 plants obtain all those minerals which form tlieir 

 ashes when burnt from a soil so thin as apparently 

 to yield no potash, lime, magnesia, or soluble flint to 

 growing crops, have thought that their roots were 

 endowed with some electric, galvanic, or magic pow- 

 er for the due extraction of their natural aliment 

 It will be seen, however, that I'rof. J. ascribes no 

 chemical or other power whatever, to the roots of 

 plants which may aid them in providing their neces- 

 sary food. When they obtain lime, soda, potash, 

 and magnesia from the silicates of these bases, which 

 are not only insoluble in pure water, but also in con- 

 centrated muriatic acid, these insoluble minerals are 

 decomposed by carbonic acid and water, forming 

 carbonates of the alkalies and alkaline earths named, 

 which are soluble in the same kind of water that de- 

 compounds the insoluble silicates. Agricultural 

 plants, in the opinion of scientific men who have in- 

 vestigated their powers and functions with great care, 

 can not effect any chemical changes in the soil, ex- 

 cept as their roots, stems and leaves may decay and 

 thereby generate water and carbonic acid. More 

 weight of renovating plants, to form a rich vegetable 

 mold, should be given to soils that lack carbonate of 

 lime, magnesia, and the alkalies, with a view to act 

 on the insoluble silicates of these bases than would 

 otherwise be required. In other words, the amount 

 of vegetable matter really needed in a soil depends 

 in a great degree on the condition and character of 

 its earthy minerals. Lands rich in sulphates, phos- 

 phates and carbonates of lime, potash and magnesia, 

 often yield large crops of wheat, with no more than 

 one or two per cent, of organic matter ; while soils 

 whose phosphoric and sulphuric acids are combined 

 with iron and alumina, and whose alkalies and alka- 

 line earths are chemically united with flint (silicic 

 acid) need from seven to ten per cent of organic 



matter to render them moderately productive. These 

 facts explain and reconcile in some degree the mine- 

 ral theory of JjIebio with the humus theory of Mul- 

 der. Both are right under certain circumstances 

 favorable to the peculiar notions of each, and both 

 are wrong when the condition of the soil is adverse to 

 the peculiar notions of either. 



Agricultural plants in the form of manure deserve 

 far closer study than farmers are in the habit of giv- 

 ing them. Manure is one of the essentials on most 

 farms, and how to produce it in abundance is a ques- 

 tion that involves the consideration of all plants 

 adapted to the purpose. Corn-plants, clover, and 

 tm-uips are capable of making cheap and valuable 

 manure, when fed to domestic animals. There are 

 many other plants adapted to the economical pro- 

 duction of food for stock, and the raw material of 

 luxuriant crops. Peas draw largely on the resources 

 of the atmosphere for their nourishment, and thereby 

 enrich the soil, if their organized elements be added 

 to it. Peas, beans, clover, aud other legumes are 

 rich in nitrogen, and yield niuch ammonia when they 

 rot. Experience has proved ammonia to be the most 

 valuable fertilizer known to agriculture; and those 

 plants and seeds, roots and tubers which yield the 

 most of this substance are most valuable food for 

 man and beast 



LiairiD MAinmE converted into TvrTT.-g 



The London Agricultural Gazette of March 12th 

 contains a lengthened editorial, which concludes ir 

 these words : " The fact, for so it is, that Mr. Telfei. 

 keeps forty-eight cattle on seven acres of Italian rye 

 grass during five and a half months of a year — tha: 

 from seven Scotch acres, five and a half-twelfths o 

 the whole annual produce of his dairy are in thi 

 way derived — that five and a half-twelfths of tht 

 30,660 gallons of milk which he obtains, ^I'e and t 

 halj-lu'elfths of the two thousand pounds and up 

 wards for which that quantity of milk would sell ii 

 London, were obtained by these bulky dressings o 

 dilute liquid manure from seven Scotch acres of lam 

 — does, we think, ju.stify the expectation that som 

 method of turning our sewerage to a profitable ac 

 count, will yet be found." 



The growing scarcity of good milk in Amerieai 

 cities and villages, — its importance in every family, ^{ 

 well as it3 value to those engaged in the rnanufactur- 

 of butter an(J cheese, render its economical prodac 

 tion a matter of general interest Cows may \t 

 kept to any desirable extent, if their owners have th 

 skill and means required to grow grass enough b 



