J. E. TESCHEMACHER'S ADDRESS. C07 



subsoils, the depth and qualities of his surface soils. On this 

 last I shall dwell at some length, as it is a point of chief impor- 

 tance in a farm. 'I'his examination of course includes that of 

 the extent and probable solid contents of his peat bogs, or any 

 other isolated deposits either of sand or clay, and of the quan- 

 tity of decomposed vegetable matter in his wood land from the 

 annual decay of leaves, &c. 



Now by this examination of soils I do not mean a chemical 

 analysis, although if properly made this would be very useful, 

 but a close inspection of the mechanical capacities of the soil, 

 and chiefly of those most important ones of absorbing and re- 

 taining the most valuable parts of the manure with which it is 

 annually dressed, for on the knowledge of this quality will de- 

 pend much of the success of any system of farming adopted. 

 We plough manure into the land, down come floods of rain by 

 which the most valuable parts thereof are rendered liquid, and 

 it is only in this liquid, dissolved and moist state that they can 

 enter into the structure of plants. It is therefore absolutely of 

 the greatest consequence, if the crops are to be fed and nour- 

 ished in a time v/hen rain is scarce, that there should be some 

 substance in the soil, capable of absorbing and retaining these 

 valuable liquids in store, and of preventing them from being 

 washed and drained or evaporated away. I believe I need not 

 insist on this view, before gentlemen in this section of the 

 country, where the soil generally is so light and stony. But 

 the consideration and thorough understanding of the mechan- 

 ical properties of all soils, from the pure sand, which allows 

 every liquid to filter through unaltered, to the stifl" clay, which 

 allows no liquid at all to pass through, are of the greatest con- 

 sequence to the farmer. 



Fill three filter jars, (common green bottles without a bot- 

 tom, reversed, will answer, first placing a piece of thin cloth 

 over the hole of the neck,) within an inch of the top with soils 

 containing first about one-sixth pulverized clay, and five-sixths 

 clean sand, well mixed ; second, about one-third charcoal and 

 two-thirds clean sand, also well mixed ; third, all clean sand ; 

 then fill up all three with drainings from the dung heap. The 

 » liquor through the pure sand will come out nearly as it went 



