THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



27 



will supply them 



with the mineral 



„. «»nt, " ll,cu „„,«h common salt, »■■" 



%^ U t '^e P ta b sh than all other 



— 6rt, contain more SUC ceed after a 



' »d thus «e see that tn j WO od-ashes, 



, V X f " sh Taia'a go d «ea. of potash, or at 



U«er generally coot. in « g° h in p ot ash, soda, 



J^ffpousb. B»? e '^orio acids, on which 



Z3 *»"L a f - „' up ly of good dung, which 



~i .ulphuric »"" '"„',„ f good dung, wan... 

 &ir«s a plentiW ^/ s ° ub f tances than mos 

 '.^er amount of the a i s0 improved 



d * «b£l <: are „f»rl (as shown by every 

 * -L.Hueous manure ui V. t , e m0 re clear, 



&!*&•*■*•? mppIt Rape abundantly with 

 ** *■ t D»»8 •* "'o much in need of, but even 



»• u P i „t i« «o much in neeu i», «»« -._ 

 , which this plant- so m substances> V1Z ., by 

 be effected by some mme w me b 



rf £ nitric or »»»"o « d in sandy soils, 

 =£tU. Beech-trees w U ■ f « ^ for tMi 



SS PS« f :rtree conTainl «* P° tash ' ^ 

 . tkc former tree tu are requirea 



■** * ti^ff* tt very little of these 

 SSf^^ 5 wh 1,S l F u ntTv will succeed in sandy soils, 

 5**". 4Qd C °^ lll D l,s these mineral substances 





Z3» • -^X°S % tb localities whose 

 dwtjiftndthu •btUow-roo ted p M 



"A? 1 !^ ? £ Th^ Ka the Burr, are also rich 

 TOt, CoMoot, the Thi-tie. goi and 



I. potuh, but their ^^^Vhe subsoil contains 



■ Wh C)succeed only in soils superabundantly rich in 

 ! ail we find in them a greater amount of 

 STA 1 » other plants. The Rush (Junc^ 

 £n ahrtyi in a soil rich in potash and manganese, and 

 tT. proof fits requiring much of these substances for 

 U nourishment, that they enter largely into its cbem cal 

 imposition. The chemical analysis of the Lupine has 

 «,iiBced me that it contains much iron and phosphoric 

 ^d tnd I find also that it succeeds best in localities 

 who* subsoil is rich in these mineral substances. If we 

 manure t sour moorland with a mixture of sulphate of 

 potisb, gypsum, phosphate of lime, and magnesia, common 

 nit tod fine quartz gravel— (substances which do not 

 neutralise the acidity of the soil), we shall find that 

 the plants afterwards" grown on it will prosper, and this 

 proves that these are the mineral substances which 

 nourish the plants, and we shall also find these substances 

 entering into their chemical composition. If mineral sub- 

 Dees acted merely as solvents of the humus, or merely 

 . stimulants of the vegetative process, they would be 

 equally useful to all plants ; but the contrary is the fact ; 

 gypsum, for instance, will improve Leguminous plants, 

 whilst nitric salts will have no effect at all on them. The 

 aboTe examples, and many others which I could cite, 

 prove, I think, most evidently, that besides carbon, 



. ironen, _, o _ , o _„, 



are required for the growth of plants. 



The following general remarks are yet to be added, re- 

 lating to the manuring with mineral substances. Every 

 ■wertl substance which is contained in a plant is neces- 

 «*ry u a manure for that plant, in so far, namely, as it is 

 not contained in the soil in a sufficient quantity. No 



not contained in the soil in a sufficient quantity, 

 mineral substance, however, is required by plai 



— ~ ^cTSeT^iic^ion of Chemistry to Agriculture 

 hTs in modern days excited considerable attention. . 



By Agricultural Chemistry is meant-Firstly, The 

 Chemical analysis of soils J by which the elements from 

 ,ch plants derive their means of growth and supporting 

 life may be, so far as the soil is concerned, clearly defined 



aa LTonal S y t0 The chemical constitution of plants ; by 

 wh & notions of the adaptation of the soil to the 



nlant mav be founded. , 



Thirdly. The chemical examination of manures, or the 

 food of Plants ; by which a correct system of their appli- 

 cation to^the known condition of the soil and the known 

 constitution of the plant may be established, and also the 

 best means of retaining or increasing their fertilising 



F Wto following papers I propose to examine these 

 three heads separately, pointing out, in the most intelli- 

 riWe manner I can, the means by which the farmer can 

 Successfully apply chemical principles to the practice of 



Agriculture. „„ e „ TT . 



Puvr I.— Of the Chemical Analysis of Soils. 



There can be no doubt that a knowledge of the chemical 

 constituents of soils is a most important preliminary 

 inqu y in the science of Agriculture. The common divi- 

 sion of soils into "light," "heavy," "sandy, &c.-a 

 division based upon the practical knowledge of the farme 

 -is sufficient for ordinary purposes but a more exact and 

 iutimate examination is necessary for the application of 

 Chemistry. There are degrees in each of these divisions 

 which must necessarily escape the most acute observation, 

 Tnd analysis can alone afford the information necessary to 

 found a system of scientific Agriculture. 



I have reason to believe that one of the most serious 

 obstacles to the farmer in entering upon this inquiry is 

 that which is presented to him in the outset, in the diffi- 

 culties he encounters in gaining a correct , chemical know- 

 ledge of his soils. I hope to show that this difficulty a 

 morn imaginary than real, and that much very va uable 

 formation may be obtained without any knowledge of 

 Chemistry whatever, by the mere exercise of ordinary 

 tact and a' little extraordinary patience and Perseverance 



Sir Humphrey Davy more than 30 years ago, in his 

 admirable work upon Agricultural Chemistry, pointed 

 outTow this could be done. Within the last few years, 

 what is called Organic Chemistry, or the analysis of vege- 

 table or animal structure, has made rapid strides in the 

 march of improvement ; and hence the more easy appl - 

 cation of chemical science to that of Agriculture. Lot 

 it is erroneous to suppose that it is necessary for the 

 farmer to have an intimate acquaintance with Chemistry ; 

 and much difficulty has been raised m making him 

 believe the results of science, from repression oMbu 



kind. Tl 



ing the discoveries 



system of farming. «.«- .- • , , , 



farmer, that certain plants require certain food, and 

 although the statement of the chemist is funded upon 

 his knowledge of the ultimate elementary structuie of 

 both!" does not follow that it should be necessary for 

 the farmer to undertake the analysis of W heat or stable 



(chalk), carbonate of magnesia, muriate of soda (common 

 salt), carbonate of potash or soda, and sulphate of lime 

 (gypsum), are the most frequent. 



These ingredients are all of them more or less dis- 

 covered in plants, in which they perform important 

 purposes in the nutrition of animals that feed upon them. 

 Thus chalk is necessary to form bone; soda and pot- 

 ash, bile ; muriate of soda, milk. 



Fifthly. Most soils contain animal matter which 

 nourishes the plant ; and 



Sixthly. A variable proportion of the oxide ol iron, 

 which is an essential element in the blood of animals.— 

 C. It. Bree, Stowmarket. 



(To be continued.) 



eewpomnt 



taken 



"■r' 1 '* d ° n °t require, nay, cannot bear, a large 

 qsuuty of some mineral substances. If, for instance, a 

 J-em substance is very easily soluble in water, 10 or 



mmii r T m ° re of k thm is necessary will produce 

 "•satisfactory result, as the plants will then be com- 



tferhuui • , UtUl lue y are m need or - Un the 



wkh Z?; T£ era , 1 substance s which are soluble in water 



fWtefqltiff J u may ' Witll0ut dan S er > be used in 

 Wore I » • Vi the * P roduce the d «"ed effect. If, 

 fiotllTaa'a L , mineral sub stances shall act bene- 



"••Srr 6 ;? 6 degreeof their sol « bilit y « w^er 

 ■*■£-*. a« t« } ^ n ,° tice 0f « If ' moreover, mineral 

 *• aoU he not ...r" 8 ! • ', U 18 also alwa J 8 necessary that 

 ^otouh to ?r 3,eQ V nhumic aciJ ' because the latter 

 • ttbrt «ce8 imn t K i * transferrin S medium of mineral 



**** SobtiintF S u bUt h 1S ftlS0 fr0m 4t that 



****) U alwm J 6 ?• b f 0n ' Which ( as far as ™S ht * 

 ) always the chief component of plants. 



(To be continued. 



SuSiTitpi 011 0F CHEMISTRY TO 

 WH UPON RATIONAL 



wj ur mairectiy dependent 

 the food necessary to sup- 



apai 

 Port 



l *n bei 



Jj^created 



in «easW Z S manki,ld ' and hen ee the 

 g our mea ns of obtaining food- 



manure He raay be taught how to fix ammonia with- 

 out entering inJ abstruse detail or discuss ng difficult 

 problems in a science of acknowledged difficulty. 

 P The inquiries of the chemist render a per fee know- 

 ledge of the science necessary ; but while he is instituting 



engthened analyses in his laboratory, and deducing im- 

 portant truths from them in his study, it is as well that 

 P he farmer should be testing the correctness of hs infer- 

 ences by subjecting them to the test of careful, of sound, 



and useful experiments. . . 



All soils are divisible by a very simple process into 



'"TheTsf 'cICns coarse gravel and sand (generally 

 composed of flint and chalk), and undecomposed vege- 



tS The fi second of fine sand, called by chemists, *»«• 



The third of a fine powder, called by Sir H. Davy, 

 » impalpable metier," and which generally consists of 

 the following substances, in variable proportion. . 



Firstly. Aluminous earth ; the principle ^«*P*" ° 

 clay its peculiar character, and upon which its Tetae in 



making earthenware depends. ■ 



Secondly. Decayed vegetable matter, wh.ch is known 

 by the term humus. This principle generates an acid 

 termed humic acid, by its union with oxygen; and t his 

 acid again unites with lime and other earths, forming 



what are termed humates. „j^_ a „ 



These humates are very insoluble, but they peifom ^ 



important purpose in vegetation, by their ^P^?" 

 setting free the carbon of the humus, wh.ch is one of the 



elements in the food of plants. f „,„„j 



Thirdly. Silica, which is an earthy sxxbstarace, formeel 

 by the union of an elementary principle, ceUed ^SUcon, 

 with oxveen. In its pure form it is known as quartz 

 ro k. ^difference between the silica of the ,mpalpab e 

 matter and the silex, or sand, above mentioned, simp y 

 that the one is crystallised in the form of mini. te ^ gram 

 or sand, and the other is what is termed amorphous, or 



Un The St same d substance frequently occurs in Chemistry 

 under different forms, for the obvious reason (as n the 

 above case) of being more easily JlW'* te * b * ™ 

 roots in the organisation of the fabric of the plant 

 United with the alkali and potash.silica form, the substance 

 upon which the stiffness and brittleness of theiUM 

 Corn and other grasses depend. ie from the union 



of these materials, also, that the well-known substance- 

 class, is manufactured. - 1; 



Fourthly. Various salts | of wh.ch carbonate of lime 



Home Correspondence. 



Leases.— Give to the farmer who has sufficient capital 

 a certain term of interest in the soil which he cultivates, 

 and then he will not only be justified m laying out his 

 capital in its improvement, but he will exert all his energy 

 in increasing its' productiveness so as to insure the greatest 

 return to him for his outlay. The length of term to be 

 given should be dependent upon the extent of the im- 

 provements which the land requires Yt hen land is i let 

 for building on, a term of 60, 80, or 90 years is granted 

 to indemnify the speculator for the expenses of bricks and 

 mortar, and the risk he is subject to ; just so should it be 

 with the farmer. When there are expensive improve- 

 ments and risk to be sustained; if the land u wet and 

 has to be thoroughly drained, &c. ; if the nature of the 

 soil requires to be altered so as permanently to improve 

 its texture ; if roads have to be made ; if additional build- 

 ings for the necessary accommodation of stock to consume 

 the increased produce require to be erected ; if foreign 

 manures be required, and a new and more perfect mode 

 of culture be necessary, such a length of lease, according 

 to the peculiar circumstances of the farm, should be 

 granted, as will induce an enterprising tenant to emberk. 

 Sis capital in the permane:itimprovement of the stock.-J.J. 

 Mode of Planting Wheat. -I quite agree with the 

 statement Mr. Morton gave in your last, of the advantage 

 to the Wheat crop of thin and regular »»ing. Wentt 

 that are put into the ground at equal distances produce a 

 more uniform and a greater crop than when they are 

 planted irregularly. Wheat will yield »°« »f dnUrfAea 

 f sown broad- cast, and more when dibbled than , ,[ 

 drilled. No kind of seed which the farmer uses should 

 be planted more than two inches deep. Perhup. .on. inch 

 is better than two, when the soil is stiff and i cUyey. The 

 lighter the soil is, the deeper we may plant our seed.— 



T ' AgrUultural Ed^ation.-Tnere has been for several 

 year? a general opinion expressed that a pledge of the 

 Liences should be combined with agr.cul "«. »nd that 

 the practical farmer, by possessing a ™"ffijg™* 

 of all the sciences, bearing either directly « "du^cHy on 

 his business, would be a much more effective agr.cu turist 

 both for himself and for the community at large , that, 

 bringing a greater amount of knowledge to bear on all 

 operltio'ns, 8 he would obtain a greater return .from hie 

 canital employed. It is also generally lamented that the 

 me' ns of ac P quiing scientific agricultural knowledge are „ 

 more generally within the reach of every man who mteads 

 to giro himself up to an agricultural lite. ""'£*•£ 

 however think that they themselves can give their sons 

 all the" Agricultural education that is necessary to make 

 them abk to earn a livelihood ; and, therefore, though 

 hi™ have the means of acquiring a knowledge of the 

 scieLes'which tend to illustrate « *. phenomena ^dub ^ 



sciences wnicu icuu u, .„—..-.- — r „ rn h>,hle tint 



by nature in their business, it u more than mobabta ithat 

 no* one in a thousand of the farmers' sons of the present 

 Zy would be sent to receive the scientific ms tru etion ^f 

 coit them but a mere trifle. People must fi y .fed ft«r 

 wants before they can be anxious to go out ot their beaten 

 track to get them supplied.-^ Farmer r *«»• j 



Varieties of Wheat.— The relative value of the several 

 JESTS Wheat, as well as of all other p tatawhn* 

 the farmer cultivates, ought to be carefully "tended to. 

 There is no doubt but vegetables, like animals, will only 

 and Always reproduce their varieties, and therefore _ the 

 farmer should be as careful in selecting his seed Wheat, 



Rivets is <aid to be most natural to moist cayey land , 

 £ dtardles: v,heat to dry light hnd. The whUe ^et, 



ot Wheat form and "^^^^ 

 on ve- y drv, warm, sandy soils, than tne rea o 

 varieties. The red and brown varieties seem better fitted 

 Jor tenacious clayey soil th*n the white varieties are.^ 



Pr ^ l Jm%.-™s Table shows the ^.Ug j 

 firft second, and third flour produced from \\ heat ot 

 var ous weitlits per bushel, also the quantity of bran and 

 wa^ 3 The g n«nLr, of parcels and «*£ Mj-J- 

 also given. This is a return from Mr. M 1 ^!™ 1 ' 

 Cup^Fifeshire, m_July,_18 i MJwjiroduc^ 1839 . 



I No. of ^1 FL0UR * 



Si bush. 



per j 

 bush 



Fine. 2nds. I 3rds. Total. 



Brav 



^'aste 



Total. 



f 



Cost 



making 



^TDram T./^.-The cost in Li ? colQS ^ rc ° a 

 d^ain-tiles iSJ inches long, 4J inches wide, and 



