Sect. XII. i. 



AERATION, &c. 



28 



j> 



S E € T 



XII 



AERATION AND PULVERIZATION OF THE SOIL. 



Air conftfts of oxygm, nitrogen i and 



Produces carbonic y nitrous y and phofphoric acids, and volatile alkali with 



water when buried in the foil. Heat and light given out from the union of carbon 



1, Pe- 



I . Soils contain inflammable matters and 

 heat 



Sow andfetfoon after the plough orfpade. 



'ts. Retains th 



^nd oxygen in a letter-wafer. 



netr ability of the foil increafedy and mixture of its ingredie 

 Enlarges the furface. 3 . Ufes of fallowing. Turnips f aid not to impoverijh the 

 foil, why, 4. Fallowing injurious to rich lands, why. 5. The great advan- 

 tages of TulVs drill hufhandry. Prefers horfe-hoeing to hand-hoeing. An im- 

 proved drill machine. 6. Advantages of tranf planting wheat, 7. Of borrowing 

 wheat infpring. 8 . Rolling wheat infpring. 



As almoft all foils not only contain carbon, and other inflammable 



itiaterials, which are capable of uniting with oxy 



and thus pro 



ducing the carbonic and other acids ; but alfo contain water, which 



by its decompofition, w 



contafl with 



fined 



produced 



ammonia or volatile alkali by the union of its hydrogen with azote ; 

 and nitre by the union of its abundant oxygen with another part of 

 the abundant, azote or nitrogen of the atmofpheric air ; 



there 



fon to conclude, that the great ufe of turning over the foil v/ith the 

 plough or fpade depends principally in the production of thefe efFe6ls 

 by the confinement of both the oxygen and the azote or nitrogen of 



the air in the interftices of the foil ; and on this account we have en- 

 titled this fe<flion the aeration of the foil rather than the oxygenation 



o 



of 



