576 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



twenty-four per cent, of its own weight, and 

 peaty bogs from sixty to seventy per cent, is 

 not uncommon. It was once thought that the 

 richness of a soil was plainly indicated by the 

 proportion of organic matter it contained ; but 

 careful analyses of seven specimens of the best 

 wheat soil of Scotland, and yielding about 

 alike, being made, they were found to range 

 from three to ten per cent. The poorest peaty 

 bogs, also, contain the greatest amount of or- 

 ganic matter, while they are notoriously un- 

 productive. 



The organic matter in the soil is due, for the 

 greater part, to the vegetable remains of for- < 

 mer crops. The prairie soils are rich in or- 3 

 ganic matter derived from the annual decay of 

 the grass fur centuries. The soil of the for- 

 ests is enriched by the fallen leavers. 



The manner in which soils are formed can- 

 not be doubted by any one who has observed 

 the appearance of large rocky masses, the bare 

 surface of their smoother and harder parts, 

 and the growth of mosses and small plants on 

 the more softened portions. The soil in valleys 

 surrounded by rocky mountains shows very 

 evidently that they originated in the disintegra- 

 tion and decomposition of the solid rocks in 

 their neighbourhood. One of the principal 

 agencies in effecting a gradual disintegration 

 of solid rocks in the oxygen of the atmos- 

 phere. " Oxygen possesses a great affinity 

 for many mineral substances, and has, conse- 

 quently a ]iowerful tendency to form new com- 

 pounds. Those compounds, or oxydes, being 

 always more voluminous, looser, and less com- 

 pact, are the primary cause of the bursting of 

 many rocks, particulaily those containing much 

 iron. In the course of the formation of thes^ 

 oxydes, the com})act texture of the rock is 

 broken up, and the whole mass of the rock 

 gradually crumbles down." 



Another and powerful agency in the forma- 

 tion of soils is the carbonic acid of the atmos- 

 phere carried down by rain. Limestone is 

 easily attacked by rain water, as the carbonic 

 acid which the water contains dissolves the 

 carbonate of lime. "On feldspar, granite, and 

 other minerals consisting of silicate of alumina 

 and an alkaline silicate, carbonic acid, and 

 water exercise a highly important action. Un- 

 der their influence these minerals are decom- 

 posed into alkaline silicates, which in their 

 turn give rise to silica and carboJiate of potash 

 or soda, and into silicate of alumina, or pure 

 clay.^' 



The lower orders of plants and animals take 

 a very active part in the formation of soil Iron) 

 solid rocks. The seeds of lichens and mosses 

 floating in the air attach themselves to the sur- 

 face of rocks which have become partially de- 

 composed by the action of the air and rain, as 

 before described, and finding here sufficient 

 food, grow, thus keeping the surface of the 

 rock moist for a longer time after rain, and 

 giving the water a better opportunity to exer- 



cise its dissolving powers. Insects feed on 

 the moss; and both insects and plants die and 

 decay. A thin layer of more fertile soil is thua 

 formed, which is soon taken possession of by a 

 higher order of plants and animals ; which in 

 their turn die, leaving a better estate to the 

 succeeding generation. 



Mechanical causes, too, operate upon rocks. 

 The wind, thawing and freezing, and the prin- 

 ciple of gravitation, effect th6m more or less. 



Boiling Potatoes. 



Is there, among vegetables for every-day 

 consumption, anything to compare to a well- 

 cooked, mealy potato ? and is there anything 

 poorer than an ill-boiled, watery potato? And 

 yet how seldom do you see, even among good 

 livers, a first-rate dish of potatoes! A well- 

 cooked, boiled potato is the happiest looking 

 inamimate thing in creation. When they come 

 to the table smoking hot, with their "jackets" 

 on, all bursting with the good inside, it is a 

 sight to make a dyspeptic good-natured, and 

 never will fail to turn a sullen face into wreath- 

 ing smiles. Then let me say a few words about 

 cooking this vegetable, and tell the way in 

 which 1 have been most successful. 



To boil potatoes, let them lie in cold water 

 six hours, at least, before boiling, (twelve hours 

 for very old potatoes is not too long.) Then 

 ])ut them into boiling water a little salted, and 

 the water should be kept at moderate boil till 

 they are done, which should be tested with a 

 fork; then poor off the water and let them 

 stand in the pot till dry. Great care should.be 

 taken not to let them boil a moment after they 

 are done, as it will render them watery. 



An excellent plan to make old potatoes mealy 

 is to turn them into a cloth and rapidly shake 

 them about, or take them one at a time in a 

 cloth and slightly press them. 



The larger potatoes should be put into the 

 pot before the smaller ones, that they may be 

 equally done. 



It requires from forty to fifty minutes to boil 

 old potatoes. New ones will take about half 

 that time. — Homestead. 



To Preserve Dried Fruit from Moths. 



A fruit-grower gives, says the Louisville Jour- 

 nal, the fol!o\^ing receipe for preventing dried 

 fruit being damaged by moths: 



Put the dried apples or peaches into a tin 

 vessel with a perforated bottom ; cover closely 

 with flannel ; place the vessel into a boiler or 

 kettle containing two or three quarts of boiling 

 water, having some sticks across the water to 

 prevent the tin touching it; boil briskly, and 

 the fruit will soon be thoroughly heated with- 

 out loss of flavour. Spread it out ; the heat 

 will soon evaporate the inoisture. 



