No. 216.] 739 



"by the amiable James Madison, in an agricultural society of which 

 he became President, after leaving the chair of the Union. He said 

 that it was a memorable circumstance, that in the most ancient for- 

 ests, in level places all over the globe, soil is found to be but one 

 foot deep, just the proper working depth for the spade and plough. 

 That it would seem therefore, that this one foot of soil is a fixed 

 laboratory, in which all the elements of vegetation are concocted, and 

 that no more is required evidently, for vegetation. I speak from 

 memory, but the remark of Mr. Madison was to me new, and I have 

 not met with it any where else. Following this idea of Mr. Madi- 

 son, let us consider how truly it corresponds with the peculiar depths 

 at which seeds will vegetate. Experiment has shown that wheat 

 will not germinate at nine inches depth, nor seed hardly at one foot. 

 Seeds, then, must be within the limits of this superficial laboratory 

 or remain dormant, as many are known to do at various depths, for 

 ages. 



Judge Van Wyck. Manures both ascend and descend. By which 

 process is the loss greatest? That must depend on the nature of the 

 soil. Loose porous land admits water, containing in solution the 

 elements of manure, to descend readily to the bottom, and then find 

 its way to the valleys through the strata. Rich earth absorbs the 

 gases of manures and water too, for the uses of vegetation, and the 

 richer the earth, the less of the manure goes down. One cubic inch 

 of water will absorb four hundred and seventy-five cubic inches of 

 some gases. 



It is certain that long drought lessens the manure in our land, but 

 it is not so certain that putting the manure deep will prevent this. 

 Sir Humphrey Davy's experiment of drying soils perfectly, and then 

 marking their power of attracting and absorbing moisture, proved 

 that the richest soils attract and absorb the most. The elements 

 which descend in porous, ascend in heavy, but rich soils retain them. 



Dr. Underbill. I placed rich muck deep in my sandy soil, planted 

 orape vines over it, and seven years afterwards, on examination, I 

 could not find any signs of the muck, below where I put it, or any 

 where else 5 it must have ascended. 



Mr. Wakeman presented a letter from Professor Mapes, now in 

 Newark, N. J., from which some extracts were made. It appears 

 that the learned Professor has undertaken a series of the most valua- 

 ble experiments on his farm in Newark. Parts of his farm require- 



