THE WHEAT CULTUKIST. 



169 



pass through a chemist's hands, and he pronounces them 

 carbon. But what will they accomplish towards build- 

 ing up the animal frame ? 



We feed our children with sugar, and the carbonaceous 

 material in it nourishes them. The carbon in suet sup- 

 plies large quantities of nourishment to carnivorous 

 animals. But charcoal and the diamond, whether 

 baked, or boiled, or fried, or broiled, or consumed with- 

 out any preparation, will no more nourish the animal 

 frame than salt water will quench thirst. 



These illustrations will suffice to show what the 

 soil requires in order to render it fertile and productive. 

 In order to be productive, the soil must be well supplied 

 with available plant food. This is one of the funda- 

 mental principles of vegetable physiology. If a soil be 

 wanting in plant food, the first important thing to be 

 done on the part of the husbandman, is to supply the 

 deficiency. But if a soil contain plant food in abundance, 

 and if the food be not availahle^ the duty of the hus- 

 bandman will be to adopt such a system of manage- 

 ment as will unlock the sealed-up treasures, and thus 

 enable the growing plants to appropriate the material 

 beneath the surface to the production of necessary 

 human food. 



The question then returns with renewed emphasis — 

 what does the soil req-iiire to render it fertile and 

 productive f 



Aside from the mechanical condition of the soil — 

 which comprehends thorough pulverization — there must 

 be a bountiful supply of nitrogenous matter and phos- 

 phoric acid in an available condition, where the numer- 

 ous rootlets of growing plants can take up such sub- 

 stances. 



