THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
85 
system of husbandry, permanent ^meadow oi 
plow lands are almost unknown — every field 
oroduces in turn, crops of grain, grass and roots. 
There are three classes ol crops which alter- 
nate beneficially with each other, viz ; 1st, 
grain, or corn, or dry crops, which mature their 
seed and most exhaust the fertility of the soil; 
2d, grass crops ; and 3d, root or green crops, 
embracing turneps, polatoes, beets, clover, &c. 
In old meadows and pastures, not only the better 
grasses disappear, and coarse herbage and moss- 
es come in, but the soil becomes too compact 
and hard to admit the free extension ot the roots, 
and the genial influence of the sun, dew and at- 
mosphere, which are primary agents in the pro- 
cess of vegetable nutrition Tillage corrects 
these evils. It cleans the soil of weeds, and 
converts them into sources of fertility; it breaks 
and pulverizes the soil, and fits it for the return 
of the grass crop at the close of the rotation; 
while the vegetable matters of the sward con- 
tribute to augment the grain or root crop which 
is to follow. All green crops are more or less 
fertilizing when buried in the soil ; but clover is 
preferred, as well on account of its enriching 
properties to the soil, as that it also affords hay 
and pasture. The practice of sowing clover 
seed with grain crops is adopted b}' some farm- 
ers every year. Judge Buel followed this plan, 
but he plowed his field on the following year. 
The food which this clover aflords to the com- 
ing crop, richly compensates for the cost ot the 
seed and sowing, to say nothing of the pasture it 
gives in autumn. Hence, tillage is admirably 
calculated to fit and prepare the ground for 
grass, and in return directly or indirectly fur- 
nishes an abundance of food for grain or roots. 
The fertility of a soil depends, essentially, upon 
its power to absorb water by cohesive attrac- 
tion, and this power in a great measure upon 
the state of diversion of its parts — the more di- 
vided they are, the greater is their absorbent 
power. The crop upon a hard compact soil 
will sufler from drought; but if this soil is fine- 
ly pulverized and broken, it will suffer much 
less. The first may be compared to the rock, 
which receives moisture upon its surface only, 
the latter to the sponge, which receives and 
transmits moisture to the whole mass, and which 
retains it for a long time. 
Frnm the Ameri-can Farmer. 
WHAT IS THE PROPER FOOD OF V> HEAT I 
T'his is a question much easier asked than an- 
swered; for though it has been mooted at inter- 
vals from the earliest introduction ol the wheat 
culture, it never has been satisfactorily answer- 
ed, and w'e question very much whether it ever 
will be, so as to render the solution o( it gener- 
ally available; but still we maybe able to form 
something like an approximate opinion through 
the aid of the laws of analysis. By resorting 
to these, we find what are the constituent ele- 
ments of the wheat berry, and hence the inier- 
ence is, that if we can apply substances to the 
soil containing these elements, ot a soluble 
character, that we will approach as near as is 
desirable to furnishing the appropriate food for 
the wheat plant. The next question to be con- 
sidered relates to the quantities of the several 
kinds to be applied to the acre I How far cli- 
mate may operate to facilite or retard their solu- 
tion 1 It is plain that before the rootlets can 
take up food of any kind, it must be reduc- 
ed to a liquid or gaseous form, and it is equally 
plain that this condition of the pabulum from 
which they derive their support, can only be 
brought about through the agency of heat, air 
and moisture, as while all vegetable bodies 
must undergo decomposition, so must those of 
a mineral nature he reduced by the dissolving 
Rction of water. As connected then, even with 
the proper quantities, if the proper kinds of ma- 
nures could be ascertained, the seasons and the 
climate exert most potent influences, either for 
good or for evil, in the growth of the -wheat, or 
any other kind of vegetable production ; hence 
what might prove salutary one year, would be 
otherwise another. But let us consider now 
of what wheat is composed. By the analysis of 
Sprengle, a thousand pounds, or say, IG 2-3 
bushels of wheat, leave 
Ol Potash, 
225 lbs. 
Soda, 
240 
Lime, 
096 
Magnesia, 
090 
Alumina with a trace of iron. 
026 
Silica, 
400 
Sulphuric acid, 
040 
Chlorine, 
010 
1127 
Thus then, if this analysis be accurate, and 
Sprengle’s reputation is a guaranty that it is, the 
inference is a fair one, that, as the above con- 
stituent elements are to be found in the berry of 
the wheat plant, the soil should be provided with 
each and all of the substances enumerated, eith- 
er in greater or lesser proportions, in order that 
the preparation of the food of the plant might be 
going on. In every soil alumina (clayj and 
silica (sand) are always present, and from the 
greater quantity of the latter, found by analysis, 
as a constituent element, we should infer that, 
notwithstanding wheat is said most to delight in 
clay soils, still that sand is indispensable to the 
fructification of the grain. We know that un- 
less there be a sufficiency of potash in the soil 
to dissolve the silica, and yield it to the plant, 
that, as a natural consequence, the stem will 
lack that ingredient essential to enable it to stand 
erect, and from the evidence afforded by the ana- 
lysis, we should conclude that ashes, potash and 
lime, are indispensable to the successful culture 
of wheat, and that salt would be found to be a 
valuable auxiliary; nor should we apprehend 
so much dread as is indulged in by some, if the 
lime used were of the magnesian kind. 
It may be said, that because we find these va- 
rious substances in wheat, that that is not con- 
clusive proof it derives it exclusively from the 
soil. We admit this supposition most freely, 
inasmuch as we are satisfied, that a very sensi- 
ble portion of the tood of plants is derived from 
the atmosphere, and that this portion is as well 
appropriated by the leaves as by the roots; by 
the latter process the most, when, by the organ- 
ic remains, or mineral manures used, the pow- 
ers of absorption, retention and assimilation, 
the soil have been accelerated to activity. From 
the presence of sulphuric acid, we should take 
it lor granted that plaster is almost as essential 
to wheat as it is to clover. We are aware that 
this opinion will not be considered as orthodox 
by a very large description of farmers, who will 
tell you that plaster increases the straw but de- 
creases the grain. Now we are not sure that 
this opinion of theirs is well founded. If, after 
the use of plaster, such result may have been 
produced, may it not have sprung from other 
causes than the use of plaster 1 May not the 
weather, an excess of rain, or nutritive manures 
have produced the result, and not the plaster? 
Jf t\iQ theory of the action of plaster, which 
strikes us as most rational, be the true one, its 
most essential office is to husbo.ncL and dole out 
gaseous food, according to the wants of the 
plants, rather than to stimulate them by impro- 
vident and too luxurious feeding: If this were 
not the case, we should think that the minute 
quantity required for an acre, would not answer 
the valuable and wonder- exciting purpose that 
it does. If its office, of itself, were merely stimu- 
lative, its effects would be less manifest andlcss 
lasting, nor would those effects be visible be- 
yond a single season; hence we infer, that, be- 
sides its direct agency, it exerts an indirect one, 
as a caterer, if we may so express ourself, still 
more important. Again, those who deprecate 
the use of plaster directly to the wheat crop, do 
not hesitate to use it on clover, and turning that 
in with the after-math, to grow wheat on it. 
Why, then, it plaster exerts so unfavorable an 
influence when applied as above first stated, is 
it that when sown on the clover the wheat 
escapes the assigned injury? This is a ques- 
tion as difficult of solution, as is the one with 
which we begun this article : for, as the plaster 
requires many hundred times its own body of 
ram to dissolve it, it must necessarily continue 
its action through several seasons and succes- 
sive crops. 
We have thrown out these remarks merely 
as suggestions, in the hope that the question of 
“ What is the proper food of wheat ?” may draw 
out some able correspondent, whose knowledge, 
observation and experience, may enable him to 
throw light upon the subject. 
Estimate of the Crops of 1843. — A tabular 
estimate of the crops for 1843, has been prepar- 
ed with much care under the Commissioner of 
Patents, at Washington, and from numerous 
sources of information, makes the wheat crop 
100,310,856 bushels; barley, 3,220,856 do.; oats, 
145,329,969 do.; rye, 24,280,271 do.; buckwheat, 
7,959,410 do.; Indian corn, 494,618,206; potatoes, 
105,765,133 do.; hay, 15,419,807 tons ; flax and 
hemp, 161,007 lbs.; tobacco, 185,731,554 lbs.; 
cotton, 747,666,090 lbs; rice, 80,879,145 lbs; silk, 
315,965 lbs; sugar, 66,400,310 lbs; wine, 139,240 
gallons. Pennsylvania has contributed to this 
amount 12,215,230 bushels of wheat, ten per 
cent in advance of the year previous; 150,398 
bushels of liarley; 19,826,938 of oats; 9,429,637 
ol rye; 2,408,508, of buckwheat; 15,857,431 In- 
dian corn; 9,161,409 of potatoes ; 1,899,128 of 
hay; 3,527 of flax and hemp; 441,944 tobacco ; 
26,482 silk; 878,730 sugar; 18,983 of wine. 
The only Slates which exceed Pennsylvania in 
wheat are Ohio and New York. 
The estimate of Ohio is 18,786,705 bushels; 
New York, 12,479,499 bushels. The States 
whieh qxceed Pennsylvania in the growdh of 
potatoes are Maine and New York. The 
growth of this article in the latter named state 
is enormous. It is set down at 26,555,612 bush, 
els ; Maine, 10,253,521 bushels. The State 
which produces the greatest amount of barley is 
New York, neaiiy ten times greater than Penn- 
sylvania. That which produced the greatest 
amount ol oats is New York, Pennsylvania 
next, and Ohio next. Pennsylvania has pro- 
duced thiee times more rye than any other state; 
also, the greatest amount of buckwheat. Ten- 
nessee produced the greatest amount of Indian 
corn, the estimate is 67,8.38,478 bushels. Mis- 
souri produced the greatest amount of flax and 
hemp, 30,300 lbs ; Kentucky, the largest yield 
of tbbacco, 52,322,543 lbs ; Georgia the largest 
amount ofcotton, 185,758,138 lbs;. Connecticut 
the largest amount of silk, 140,971; Louisiana 
of sugar, 37,173,590 lbs; and New York next, 
6,934,616 lbs. A comparison of the agricultural 
products of our own with other countries, from 
well authenticated tables made in 1828 gives 
the following result : 
The number ot bushels raised to each soul, 
w’as, of grain, -wmeat, barley, oats and rye in 
Great Britain, 12 bushels; Denmark, 20; Prus- 
sia 12; Austria 14; France 7; Spain 5; United 
States 18|. There has been a great advance 
since then both in Europe and this country.— 
France, in 1841, produced of the grains, 547,- 
550,443 bushels, and the United States, 533,988,- 
970 bushels. The population ot France was 
then more than thirty-one millions, and the U. 
States. over seventeen millions. Thus the pro- 
portion of grain in the United States to a person, 
compared with France was nearly two to one. 
Similar comparisons with other countries would 
be greatly in favor of our own, showing that our 
surplus is the greatest. — Philad, Ledger. 
From the Albany Cultivator. 
SOWING CORN FOR FODDER. 
We would suggest the sowing of corn broad- 
cast on rich land for winter fodder. Mr.Soth- 
am, of “ Hereford Hall,” sowed six acres last 
year, w'hich he thinks yielded nearly six tons of 
dry fodder to the acre. He has fed both cattle 
and sheep with it, (cut with a machine,) the 
past winter, and is so well pleased with it, that 
he is determined not to be without it in future. 
Others, who have tried it, speak equally in its 
favor. The quantity of seed recommended to 
be sown per acre, is from two to three bushels. 
Some experiments made by Mr. Welles, of Bos- 
ton, seem to show that it is best to cut it soon af- 
ter the shindle makes its appearance. 
