1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



169 



well with the simtlieni iiinc (of which there 

 ;ire several species, coniinerciiilly classeil as 

 Ciir(>]iiia)iii tlie hitter's native .sand, and under 

 tlie .scorehinL; sun oftlie soutli, opens .a vista 

 in forest tree plaiitini;, whieli llio.s(^ wlio look 

 heneatli tlie surface I'annol fail to appreciate. 

 ll is Ihi' intlrj' In fultirr mallh iif iw<iniricahle 

 mwjnituilc. 



In the science of t'ore.stry trees are divided 

 into two distinctive cla.sses — one called en- 

 cnxirhiiKj, whhch perpetuate and increase 

 themselves iinder favoralile conditions; the 

 other reralbui, which disa|>iiear before the ad- 

 vance of civili/ation. To the I'ornier of these 

 the whitis like the yellow pine, evidently be- 

 longs, a vei'y important circumstance in con- 

 nection with its pro])osed culture. 



Already I have the satisfaction to announce, 

 and desire the fact be placed on recurd, that 

 my (irm, which is interested in forestry, has 

 embarked in the jilantini,' of the white pine on 

 the seaboard of Virjiinia, and thoUL^Ii the time 

 is too short to state the actual success of such 

 ]ilantations, there is every reason to expect 

 ;;ood resvdts. If the question be asked, why 

 jilaid white iiine when the yellow sprinjjs up 

 indi};enously. spontaneously, on every aban- 

 doned cornfield of that region y The answer 

 is simply, because there is no present possibil- 

 ity of a short su|i])ly of the yellow, and the 

 white is inider all <'onditions worth double the 

 money in the market, and i>roduccd on the 

 sealjoard can be transiiorted by water at im- 

 measuraiily less cost than from the far north ; 

 beside, land without undergrowth, thus ready 

 for jilanting, can he ptu'cliascd at small cost; 

 and it alTords a prospect of recuperation for 

 that section which no other industry i)resents. 

 In a (patriotic asjiect it is therefore worthy of 

 attention. Tens of thinisands of acres, hun- 

 dreds of s(|uare miles of worn out corn and 

 cotton lands lie contiguous to the .sea, whilst 

 their owners stand with folded arms waiting 

 for something to turn uj). These lands won't 

 jiay for tillage in grain, and gra.ss for pasturage 

 is not enduring. To buy fertilizers is out of 

 the (lucstion, and it is cheajier to emigrate to 

 the rich bottoms of the Mississippi, where 

 cotton is the desired staple. 



Whilst the l)road prairies of the "West and 

 the natural grass tields beyond the Mi.ssoiu-i, 

 and on the Pacilic coast invite the immigrant 

 fr(im abroad, and the native seeking .a new 

 home, the South is likely to be overlooked. 

 What then is to be done ? Ke-clothe the 

 abandoned or at least neglected lands with 

 forests, as in the days of the early English 

 settlers, and the whole scene will have changed; 

 prosperity %vill once more visit that region, 

 and with accrued cajiital, better systems of 

 tillage, and free schools established at every 

 cross- roads, sectional differences will disappear, 

 and we shall be henceforth a united people. 

 In Eurojie forest culture — the planting of 

 forests for timber — as all (iresent know, has 

 been hmg successfully jiursued ; and the prac- 

 tical processes are taught, I believe, at all the 

 agricultural schools. Long ago, however, ere 

 such colleges were established, no inconsidera- 

 ble progress had been made in that direction 

 by owners of large estates, notably in Scot- 

 land, where larch-planting was introduced in 

 173S, by the Duke of Athol, and so success- 

 fully i)rosecuted as to be familiar to you all. 

 In Germany and France similar ])rogress has 

 been made ; artificially formed forests being 

 met with on every hand, the developed pines, 

 spruces, and firs planted at uniform distances, 

 and ]iossessing symmetry of growth, the 

 branclies interlaced far over head, reminding 

 one of tlu^ pillars of some stately cathedral. 

 Now, what Idi'Sire on the jiresent occasion is 

 simply to drop a few hints which may induce 

 retlection. I aim only at so much, not to in- 

 struct, for I am myself a student. If any- 

 thing which I may say shall be found to hear 

 fruit hereafter, I shall be compensated. 

 Among other things I wish to start the imjuiry 

 whether in oiu- clas-silication of agricultural 

 instruction the time has not come to teach 

 fora'tr)/ as a science — I say science because it 

 is suscejitiblc of exact results : — whether in 

 the sub-divisiou of rural interests, the practice 



o( tree-planting should not be clearly recog- 

 nized among the present and pr<is|iective in- 

 dustries of our i)eople. Of cour.se it is not to 

 lie supposed, for an instant, that all localities are 

 favorable, alike promising (U-olit. The manu- 

 facturir when he determines to locate his 

 works seeks the jioint either where a ready 

 market may be fouml, when! the raw material 

 is readily obtained, or where fuel for steam 

 power or water power is at connuand- some 

 one in- more of these conditions are in(lis|iensa- 

 ble to success. So he wlioidants forests nnist 

 use proper discriminal ion, or he will llndeilhi-r 

 the accunuilated interest on land, or the cost 

 of reaching the market for his lumber, may 

 eat up the natural accretion of a generation's 

 growth. So, al.so, the planter nni.st stuily the 

 ada)itation of special trees to bis .soil, ex|iosure 

 to climate changes, time which he can alfonl 

 to await returns, and other circumstances inci- 

 dent 1(1 the enterprise. He in\ist study and 

 carefully study, too, the methods iiroceediire ; 

 the gathering of the seed and its preservation 

 until sown, the proper time and method of 

 sowing, whether it be in seed beds under sun 

 screens, the youTig plants to be subsequently 

 transplanted into nurseries preparatory to be- 

 ing permanently plaided out, or as in the 

 ca.se of oaks, walnuts, chestnuts, and trees of 

 similar character, the seed be planted in the 

 field, or mountain, to remain undisturbed. In 

 all these processes there is so nuich skill recpii- 

 site, technical skill ouly attainal)le by practice 

 and ob.servation, that it will at once occin- to 

 the reflecting farmer or cotton pl.-inter, that he 

 is l)robably unprepared to embark in the enter- 

 prise. Having been convinced of that tiict lie 

 has already taken the first step towards suc- 

 cess ; the next will be, if he decides to plant, 

 to employ the service of an cqicrl—n class of 

 men in tlus branch of industry not readily ob- 

 tainable in this country. Wliat then is to be 

 done V Do not start till lii^ is ready to .send 

 his son to an agricultural school where he 

 may be taught the whole a b c to z, the alpha 

 to omega, of forestry. Whilst studying that 

 he will acquire knowledge of natural science, 

 and other information invaluable in rural life. 

 I am aware that agricultural schools under 

 the patronage of State governments have not 

 been uniformly successful ; indeed, it is only 

 candid to admit that they have in some cases, 

 that of our own State of Peim.sylvania includ- 

 ed, been sad failures ; but should we not profit 

 by our experience in these jiarticulars, and 

 henceforth, like the skillful mariner, avoid the 

 shoals ? There are, however, oiiportimities 

 extant for instruction, and it is our province 

 to provide others without delay ; failing such 

 under .special circumstances, the entering a 

 youth fora term as a pupil in a well-conducted 

 Nursery may accomplish all that is contem- 

 lilated. In such an establishment he could, in 

 two years at most, be initialed into the art 

 and mystery of rearing trees from seed, the 

 processes of culture, tjieir care, preservation 

 and trans])lanting ; and if he were of an in- 

 vestigating, in(iuiring mind, he would actiuiri' 

 visions of nature which have never entered 

 into the vievv of multitudes who take rank as 

 successful farmers. 



In England it has long been the practice of 

 the commercial and manufacturing classes in 

 search of greater security for their ac(piisitions 

 than trade presented, and, iierhaps. also in 

 some cases to take rank as country gentlemen, 

 to place sons with well-educated, accomplished 

 farmers, to be ' instructed in the practical 

 details of husbandry, ]ireparatory to taking 

 charge of landed estates in their own inter- 

 est. May not that plan point out a method 

 of teaching forestry ; where competent men 

 may give instruction in that especial branch, 

 as well as in other imrsuits of rural life — 

 schools under the refining influences of home. 



In days now gone by forever, it was the 

 practice of Southern planters to .send one of 

 their sons to the medical school at the Penn- 

 .sylvania University or .leffcrsou College. 

 Here they passed two winters in attcn<Ianee 

 on the lectures, returning home with diplomas 

 in their pockets, not in most cases to practice 

 medicine as a profession, but prepared to iiiiii- 



istcr to the wants of the plantation hands, and 

 household .servants. It might he diflicult to 

 estimate the inlluenc(! on the intellectual 

 character of an isolated rural conununity 

 where one of the.se young men found his 

 abode, imperfect as his education may have- 

 been, compared with the great field of knowl- 

 edge unexpl<U'e<l. Now, in reconnnendiTig 

 farmers with the lU'cessary means to senci 

 their sons as students to nurserymen, it is not 

 with any expectation tliey adopt the nm.sery 

 busini .ss ,as the pursuit of life, but simply to 

 qualify them for the mor<' profitable enloyment 

 of their jiafi'mal acres, to exiiand their views 

 l)eyond ihe boundaries of the homestead, to 

 occupy the high position which isan American 

 farmer's birthright. 



I trust this convent ion may be the fore- 

 lunner of others, that a complete organization 

 will be established, that subjecls for essays to 

 be read at subsequi'ut meetings may be deter- 

 mined u])on in advance, and that its influence 

 be extended at home and eonf'ereiic(; be had 

 with kindred associaf ioiisabroad. I beg leave 

 to lay upon the table of yriur chairman my 

 credentials as a member of the Seottisli Arho- 

 ricultural Society, iuid that .Society's repre- 

 .sentalive at the Centennial Exi)OSilion. 



DEFICIENT INGREDIENTS OF SOILS. 



The following well coiisidered remarks are 

 from a cin'ular lately issued by the Agricul- 

 tural Expi'riment Station of Middletowu, 

 Connecticut : 



The primary duty of the chemist is to make 

 analyses and experiments an<l refrain fi-om 

 offeiing practical advice' initil bis theories have 

 a substantial basis of known facts. At tlie 

 •same time it may not be out of the way to of- 

 fer a few suggestions for the throughtful con- 

 sideration of Connecticut farmers. 



In saying that no jilant can grow, no crop 

 can flourish without an available supply in the 

 soil of a suHici<'nt ([uantity of each one of a 

 certain list of substances needful for its food, 

 and that the essential use of commercial ferti- 

 lizers is to suinily food which plants need 

 and soils fail to furnish, we are simply re- 

 peating universally admittecl facts. It is 

 lierfectly plain, then, that that those com- 

 mercial fertilizers will be most economical 

 which, in one way or another, supply these 

 lacking materials in the needed proportions 

 and the best forms, at the lowest cost. 



We have, therefore, two most im])ortant 

 problems to solve. First, what materials do 

 our soils lack ? second, by what api)licatious 

 of fertilizers or other means will their ueed 

 best be supplied ? 



To answer either of these (luestion fully and 

 definitely, is very difiicult ; thetir.st because of 

 the difference in soils, and both because we do 

 not know, and do find it slow work to discover 

 definiti'ly, the ways in which atmosphere and 

 soils and fertilizers supply food, and plants 

 use it. 



It is sufliciently well settled that nitrogen, 

 ]ihos]ilioric acid, potash, sulphuric acid, lime 

 and magnesia are the oidy ingredients of i)lant 

 food which need to be supjilied in fertilizers. 

 The other materials, as iron, silica and 

 chlorine, which jilants remove from the soil, 

 are, in so far as they are necessary for plant- 

 food, furnished in abundance by every ordi- 

 nary soil. 



Generally speaking, we may accept the 

 opinion conunouly held, that magnesia may 

 sometimes be lacking, th.'it sulphuric acid and 

 lime arc moie, and lurogen. phosphoric acid 

 and potash, most ajit to be deficient in our 

 ordinary soils. In one .M)il, one. in another 

 several or all of these may be wanting. 



It was once thought that the chemical an- 

 alj'sis of a soil would easily reveal its deficien- 

 cies in idant-food. I5ut later experience has 

 shown this is at liest a costly and defei-live 

 source of inforinatifin. DifTerent sanqiles of 

 soil from the same field may vary widely in 

 composition, and what is a still greater clifli- 

 culity, chemical tests which make known the 

 presence of a given ingredient in the .soil, do 

 not show whether it is in such a form that the 

 plant can use it. And there are many pro- 



