•vol.. XVllI. NO. 38. 



Ai^fi HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



271 



are almost entirely wasted. NijrI.t snil is often, fi,.ement of skill and care. The influence of half a !n,in<lsrThe"action of manures should particularly 

 rown away, and yet .t ,s one _o_fthe"ios^ efficient ^ m.shel of gypsum spread upon an acre of land has | invite attention. Experin.ents in cultivation should 



manures. With all our advantages, we brih<r ' beer, known to render it fertile. It seemed a mere 

 idian corn from Africa, and the country of tijo drop in the bucket, yet it produced a surprisino- 

 lie furnishes us with pease and beans. I difference in the crop. Gypsnm has not the same 



The population of China is immense arrtl suf,por<-.- j effect on all soils. If the soil abounds in the in- 

 1 wholly from the soil. The allowanco fo'r a gredients which are applied, they are thrown away, 

 iina man is indeed small, as three dollar.^ per year ; If a soil, for example, contains 1.5 per cent of phos- 

 ill serve to keep soul and body togeth'jr ; but ' phate of lime, it does not require the application of 

 ■en to earn this, every person does and ir,ust work. I bone manure. So of lime where lime abounds.— 

 mong this people agriculture is carried to <n e.x- | The soil of the banks of the Nile, probably the most 

 lordinary degree of perfection.. Wi'^h us too large fertile in the world, contains only 2.8 percent, of 

 portion of our people are devoted \o trade ; and the [ limo. The saline manures, such as carbonates, sul- 

 rsuits of rural industry ar-i de^^erted for the haz- phates, phosphates, &c. are absorbed by the plants. 



ds of speculation and C-omn-,ercial life. As we 

 oss our breeds of cat>.1e that we may improve our 

 )ck, it would be fortunate if we could so cross 

 r farmers and merchants that the habits of e.\act- 

 ss in keeping accounts and the enterprise and 

 irit of progress which distinguish the mercantile 

 isses, could be in some measure transferred or 

 fused into our farmers. 



On the second evening, as on account of the in- 

 smency of the weather on the former evening, 

 3 attendance was comparatively thin, Dr Jack- 

 n recapitulated parts of his former remarks, and 

 ntinued and enlarged upon the subject of soils 

 d manures. We shall refer only to those remarks 

 lich were not given in the preceding sketch ; or 

 lich seem necessary to illustrate what was said 

 fore. 



Great advantages seem to result from the mere 

 ichanical mixture of soils, as for example, of sand 

 th clay or clay, with sand. This seems to affect 

 ;ir electro-motive power and induces absorption 

 the plant. Besides the combined acids which 

 St in soils, there is often much free acid, which 

 luires to be taken up or neutralized. There is 

 ch siliceous matter in all soils. The oxides of 

 ferent minerals abound in soils. These have 

 ferent electric powers, which require to be iinder- 

 od and regarded. Many soils which have been 

 ught to contain no vegetable matter, have been 

 nd upon examination to contain eightysix tons 

 vegetable matter to an acre. Fields of barren 

 ,d have been rendered productive by the applica- 

 1 of alkaline substances. These soils have been 

 ed, and portions of vegetable matter have been 

 loved by two successive crops. In some soils 

 re is a large amount of vegetable matter in an 

 Dluble state. In this case it must by some ap- 

 ;ation be rendered soluble, and this can easily 

 done. 



fhe geological formation of soils is of much im- 

 tance. A soil with a loose substratum mnst 

 : much by infiltration.* The farmer will find 

 at advantages from the chemical analysis of his 

 s. A gross analysis will imt show the differen- 

 which exist. It must be conducted with a re- 



rhe Dr here gave another pointed reference to the 

 ure state of the well water of Boston, which was felt 

 an electric shock in the abdominal muscles of the 

 esentatives from the country; (the Boston gentieinen 

 loo far gone in this matter to feel at all,) and made 

 n think at once of resigning their seals or reniovini' 

 seat of government. There are salts of lime enough 

 le water of Boston wells drank every year, to make 

 itatues as large as Lot's wife ! and as to the other im- 

 ties which exist in it, according to tbe Dr 's account, 

 ■ are not tn be named. No apotliecary's mi.\ture sur- 

 esit; and we know of nothing for which it is suited 

 for whiskey or brandy punch ! 



They act as stimulito vegetation ; and change the 

 soil so as to render it fertile. Saline manures do 

 not act always in the same way. They act princi- 

 pally on the foliage. They excite action in the 

 plant, and carbonic acid gas is absorbed. The de- 

 composition of vegetable substances gives out car- 

 bonic acid gas, which is immediately seized upon 

 by the plants. Large amounts of ammoniacal gas 

 are obtained from the putrefaction of animal sub- 

 stances. This is a valuable manure. The car- 

 bonate of ammonia, to obtain it pure from the shops, 

 would bo too expensive for a manure. We must 

 make it in onr dung heaps. 



The nature of manures is just beginning to be 

 understood. The attention paid to it, when sci- 

 ence was imperfect, led to few valuable results.— 

 Two new acids were discovered by Berzelius in 

 ISS.y — the crenic and apocrenic. They were dis- 

 covered in the Porlar w.,-;i in Sweden. They are 

 found in all soils. They are among the constitu- 

 ents of peat. They are probably universal. These 

 acids must be neutralized. _ 



The opinions of farmers are often only Wind 

 prejudices, though there are bright and honorable 

 exceptions to this remark. Facts which are uni- 

 versally admitted must have a foundation. These 

 acids are found in humus or geine — are found also 

 in our waters — in all Soils — sometimes in union 

 with bases — sometimes in a free state. In respect 

 to these scientific investigations, we have as yet 

 only skimmed the surface. More, however, has 

 been effected within the last three years than ever 

 before since the history of man. 



Geological and agricultural surveys are credita- 

 ble to the State. The facts which they collect and 



embody, may be rendered of the highest service 



A State geologist might bo fully occupied in the 

 analysis of soils. Agriculture, thus made the sub- 

 ject of scientific inquiry, would cease to be a drud- 

 gery and attain its proper rank among the first em- 

 ployments of man. Agricultural books are many 

 ofthem full of absurdities, because the nature of 

 the elements of which they treat is so little under- 

 stood. Many have heard of the experiment of the 

 man who shut up a hen and fed her exclusively up- 

 on wheat. It was a matter of insoluble mystery 

 how, under such circumstances, ahe could obtain 

 lime enough to form the shells of the eggs which 

 she laid, which in tiuth contained a weight of lime 

 greater than the weight of her body. It was not 

 known that the wheat itself on which she was fed, 

 furnished the lime which she required. Chemistry 

 shows that lime enters into the composition of 

 wheat. 



Every farmer has not a taste for science ; but 

 some have, and this taste should be cultivated and 

 encouraged. Subjects connected with aoriculture 



be made on soils whoso composition is known ; and 

 products should be exactly noted and compared 

 with each other. 



De Candolle, a distinguished Swiss philosopher, 

 wiio has given particular attention to vegetable 

 physiology, has treated of the action of poisons up- 

 on plants. There are substances which are poi- 

 sonous to plants as there are those which are de- 

 structive of animal life. Mir vomica and some 

 otlier substances poisonous to animals, are poison- 

 ous to plants. Substances which taken into the 

 stomach of a man may be serviceable to health, if 

 received into his lungs might be fatal. So sub- 

 stances whicli if applied to tlje roots of plants 

 might prove destructive, if imbibed in a gaseous 

 form by the leaves, may stimulate and advance their 

 growth. In simple carbonic acid gas, plants would 

 die; but received in quantities larger than exists 

 in our atmosphere, it proves favorable to them. Car- 

 bonic acid gas, which in certain quantities is nu- 

 tritious to plants, is destructive to animal life. 



The quantity of vegetable matter in soils and 

 other different substances, presents a ciirious inqui- 

 ry. Silex is the same as rock crystal, obtained 

 after solution. Alumine is the same as clay; but 

 clay is not fouad pure, and usually contains more 

 than fifty per cent, of sUex. Oxides of iron, man- 

 ganese and lime are foiind. Lime is usually found 

 in the form of a carboisfte. Peroxide of iron, iron 

 rust, is found. Silex, aUimine, lime and iron, com- 

 bined in various proportions, constitute soils. Ve- 

 getable matter containing tbe crenic and apocrenic 

 acid is found. Geine is not a simple proximate 

 principle but contains these two acids. [The Dr 

 illustrated this matter by an exhibition of the cre- 

 nate and apocrer.ate of copper,. obtained from geine.] 

 The analysis of a clay soil in this vicinity is as 

 follows: 



Vyater^ 



"Vegetable matter, 

 Silex and alumine, 

 Carbongte of lime,- 

 Oxide of iron. 

 Loss. 



Of another is as follows: 

 Dark clay. 

 Water, 



Vegetable matter, 

 Silex and alumine. 

 Carbonate of lime. 



300. 



14. 



72.6 

 5.4 



100. 



To give some idea of the quantity of vegetable 

 matter contained in an acre of ground, we may 

 make the following calculations : 



Example of calculation of the weight of a soil and 

 of its tnantire. 



Let the specific gravity of a soil be L277 water 



being 1. : then one cubic foot of water weighing 

 1000 ounces, a cubic foot of the soil would weii.h 

 1277 ounces or 79,187 lbs. 



An acre of land contains 4-3,560 square feet area, 

 and if we estimate the cubic foot of soil as weigh- 

 ing 79,186 lbs. or half a cubic foot at 39 1-3 fbs. 

 nearly, supposing we wish to calculate the weight 

 of an acre of the soil for the depth of six inches, (the 



are well adapted for country lyceums. Here facts i usual depth of tillage,) we have the followinir sum • 

 would be obtained from practical and. observing ! 43,560x39 1-2=1,719,620 lbs., or 859 tons "nearlyj 



