^415, 461, 417, 418, 419] mechanical manures. 223 



Pontotoc Ridge lands, including the "Buncombes" of Tippah : the yellow loam 

 lands of tho two ranges of c mnties bordering upon the Mississippi bottom ; 

 roost of the lands of that mighty bottom it-elf ; those of the Southern River 

 Counties, and finally, the hammocks of the Sea-coist, furnish examples familiar 

 to all. The extremes of heavy and light, or clayey and sandv soils, are on the 

 whole much more prevalent in the eastern, tlftm in the western half of the State. 



415. When soils are defective in regard to either of the two classes of condi- 

 tions just mentioned, we must correct them by artificial me ins. These may 

 consist either in the operations of draining, tillage, subsoilingand the like, which 

 we have already discussed ; or in the application to the land of substances 

 corrective of the defect in question ; which may, in a very general sense, be 

 comprehended under the term of Manukes. 



B. MANURES. 



416. Classification, of Manures. -—Of these, we have two different classes : 

 Mechanical manures, or such as correct the physical constitution (lightness or 

 heaviness) of the soil ; and Chemical manures, or such as are intended to cor- 

 rect the chemical constitution of soils.— Of the latter again, we must distingu'sh 

 two kinds, essentially different both in their nature, and their intrinsic value, 

 viz: Stimulant manures, or such as merely tender available the nutritive ele- 

 ments previous/ tj contained in the soil, and aid in their rapid transfer to vegetable 

 organism; and mantrresj?ropcr or Nutritive manures, which add to the soil one 

 or all of the ingredients required by the plant for absorption into its fabric. 



417. Important and well defined as these distinctions are theoretically, it .is, 

 neveitheless, but rarely the case, that in practice we apply materials' exdu'sively 

 with a view to one only of these three effects. On the contrary, it 'ought, to be 

 our aim to combine all three together, whenever we can. But it is non^ the less 

 important to know and distinctly understand, which of the ends is chi'jty served 

 when we use the several materials offered to us in practice, and more .than 

 this, of which of them our land is most in need. These are the questions which 

 it belongs to an Agricultural Survey to answer. 



1. MECHANICAL MA\'URE~. 



418. With reference to the first class, the mechmical manures, liftle need be 

 gaid inasmuch as it will but rarely -'pay " to haul mere arid sand, to improve 

 day land, or sterile clay to improve sandy land. It is not infrequently the 

 ca-e however, that by a little management, we can make nature perform the 

 work 'or us, by so regulating the drainage, that it will tend to intermingle the 

 opposite extremes of soil Such is the case with large tracts of bottom land, 

 wh-ch may be much improved in their physical conditions by properly diffusing 

 over their surface the washings of the bordering hills. Heavy, cold bottom 

 soils like those of parts of Pontotoc, Chickasaw, Calhoun, Choctaw, Ocktibbeha 

 and Kemper, are very much improved by intermixture with the sand irom the 

 hills • provided only, that these sands be not allowed to accumulate in one spot 

 or channel, but be to some extent evenly distributed over the surface, by occa- 

 sionally changing and distributing the channels ol deposition; after which, tillage 

 will complete the mixing. . _ ,. , 



419. Striking examples of the benefit accruing from this source, may be 

 observed in the° small strips of tertiary prairie, occurring in Scott, Smith, Jas- 

 per and Wayne counties (IT 198, if), and lordeied by sandy hills, which in 

 themselves are by no means fertile. Here, the prairie soil, as usual, is very 

 heavy and "sobbv," and though in favorable seasons it will yield heavy ciops, 

 unfavorable circumstances will easily cause a total failure. This evil, however, 

 is found to be corrected, and a safe crop insured, wherever the washings from 

 the hillsides have intermingled, in a moderate proportion, with the heavy prairie 



