430 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Farmers often complain of long protracted dronghts in summer, 

 much to my surprise, as I glory in dry weather, because it restores 

 the constituents of succeeding crops, and renovates the soil, by 

 increasing the mineral matters that have been dissipated by grow- 

 ing grain, and occasional rain, and were it not for droughts, a 

 barren waste would in time result. God thus counteracts man's 

 thriftlessness, by evaporating moisture from the earth's surface, and 

 thus inducing lower stratums of water to rise by capillary attrac- 

 tion, which carry iu solution soda, potash, lime, magnesia, &c. to 

 the earth's surface, when evaporation carries off the water, and 

 leaves these valuable substances for man's crops. I discovered 

 this fact by having a sample of soil analyzed in the spring, when 

 a mere trace of these matters were found, in the fall following 

 after a very severe drought, a portion of soil from the same spot 

 was analyzed again, and contained them all in very appreciable 

 quantities, showing that they had been freed from their silecious 

 coatings by atmospheric influences. 



I am constrained further, after numerous experiments, and in 

 direct opposition to the advice of all mankind, to affirm positively 

 that too frequent plowing, is a great disadvantage to soil, and I 

 now only practice it when absolutely necessary, from the fact 

 that the humus in the soil, when exposed to constant stirring, 

 (old TalPs practice,) to atmospheric influences, decomposes and 

 wastes. This substance humus is vegetable matter in process of 

 decay; it is insoluble in water alone, and if kept dry will last for 

 centmies, but when moistened, it immediately converts the oxy- 

 gen of the atmosphere into carbonic acid gas, which with ammo- 

 nia contains elements that support both animal and vegetable life, 

 and this remains unchanged in the earth until the rq/ots of plants 

 begin to grow in it and absorb the gas, which in the process of 

 growth they again return in part; thus a soil well stocked with 

 vegetable matter, or humus, endures agricultural processes for a 

 long period, when not often exposed by the plow to atmospheric 

 influences, and is capable of growing all the innumerable vegeta- 

 ble productions of nature, Avhich after having performed their 

 part as designed by the Creator, resumes the form from which 

 they sprung ; showing that the end of one vegetable generation 

 after death becomes the source of existence to another. 



A soil should never be idle. Plant your crops, keep the land 

 free from weeds, and depend mainly upon the inorganic com- 

 pounds elaborated by nature for their success. You may rest as- 

 sured that more attention should be paid to the inorganic con- 

 stituents of crops than has been. As for example, I prepared an 



