Hoeing Crops—Their Resources for water., 
78 
Hoeing crops —Their resources for water in drought. 
Corn, potatoes and other crops will require particular 
attention during this and the early part of the next 
month. There is great advantage in frequently stir¬ 
ring the ground, even if there be no weeds to extir- 
ate, and especially if the ground be dry. Whoever 
as observed the difference in a time of drought, be¬ 
tween crops that are neglected, and those where the 
ground is frequently stirred with the hoe, or plough, 
or cultivator, will not have failed to appreciate the 
great utility of this practice. By a careful attention 
to this, the diligent farmer often pushes his crops far 
enough ahead, to shade the ground and effectually 
protect it from the great influence of the sun’s rays, 
by which he secures a fine crop; while the neglect of 
early hoeing keeps the crops backward, it may be, 
till the influence of the sun is sufficiently powerful to 
wither and destroy the crop for the season. 
There are two ways in which water is furnished to 
the growing vegetation by this operation. The first 
is, by producing the unevenness which is the result of 
stirring the surface, the radiation or escape of heat 
from the ground which is imbibed during the day, goes 
on with great rapidity as soon as the direct rays of the 
sun are withdrawn; and the air, which is highly 
charged with moisture, in consequence of having its 
temperature lowered immediately in contact with the 
surface, deposites large quantities of dew upon the 
ground, which is absorbed by the vegetables. This 
operation is illustrated on every farmer’s table during 
the hot weather, whenever a pitcher containing cold 
water is placed in a warm room. The air, which is 
full of aqueous vapor, coming in contact with the 
vessel, parts with a portion of its heat which passes 
into the cold body, and agreeable to the invariable 
laws of chemistry, it parts with a portion of the wa¬ 
ter suspended in it also. Thousands of people wit¬ 
ness thus operation every day throughout the summer, 
and yet never learn where the moisture comes from, 
which is collected in large standing drops, and often 
runs down in streams from the sides. These people 
never studied the principles of chemistry, or they 
would have known that in what is termed the driest 
weather, the air is really most full of water, held in a 
state of invisible vapor. We have all convincing 
proof of this, whenever the temperature of the air is 
lowerd by the action of electricity, and the gathering 
thunder clouds make their appearance on a sultry 
summer’s day, and anon pour down volumes of liquid 
air. While snugly ensconced under a shed, and rivers 
of water were pouring over the eaves, and the pelting 
storm seemed as if it would come through the solid 
roof, did the reflecting farmer ever ask, Whence came 
this deluge 1 A few minutes before, the heavens were 
unclouded and transparent as glass, and the naked 
eye could reach through space beyond the fixed stars— 
now he can hardly see a dozen rods. Whence came 
this world of waters 1 The wind has scarcely stirred 
the quivering aspen, and therefore could not bring on 
its loaded wings, this burden from the sea. A single 
remark explains the whole of this striking scene. 
The air when hottest, is most full of water, being 
capable of holding the greatest quantity when its tem¬ 
perature is highest; electricity has reduced the heat 
of the air, and instantaneously the lower temperature 
compels the air to disgorge a portion of the water it 
has held, and down it comes in torrents. 
Now, precisely this operation is carried on when 
the dew falls, except that the heat is abstracted from 
the air not by electricity, but by radiation passing up¬ 
wards through space, and into the ground when its 
temperature lower than the air, and at the precise 
instant the temperature of the air falls, it begins to 
deposit a portion of its moisture, thus supplying the 
vegetation with water by its roots through the ground, 
and by its roots and leaves, which, in consequence of 
their rapid radiation of heat, and becoming cold, con¬ 
dense considerable quantities of dew upon them.— 
These operations are augmented just in the proportion 
to the roughness of the surface and the dark color of 
the vegetation and ground; illustrating in this, two 
other principles in chemistry; 1st, that radiation is 
greatest in black, and least of all in white ; and 2d, 
it is also proportionate to the roughness of the surface. 
A black kettle covered with soot -will imbibe and part 
with heat in an incredibly less space of time, than 
will a polished white vessel similarly exposed. 
We see from the above explanation, how beneficial 
it is to the farmer, to have his land well blackened 
with manure, to meet the contingencies of drought, 
and how his rank, dark vegetation drinks in the mois¬ 
ture from the air that surrounds it, while the yellow 
puny vegetables are incapable, perhaps, of absorbing 
it in sufficient quantities to save even their existence. 
But the second way that hoeing the soil affords wa¬ 
ter to growing crops, is by the direct formation of wa¬ 
ter in the ground. This is done frequently in great 
abundance, when the soil is well charged with hydro¬ 
gen by the neanures, or geine, contained in it. By 
moving the surface and bringing portions of the soil 
to the air, a combination with the oxygen of the latter 
is effected, and water is the result, which is thus di¬ 
rectly furnished to the roots of the plants. The amount 
of water conveyed by these two methods to an acre 
of growing crops during very hot weather, is almost 
incredible. But this need not be deemed un worthy of 
credit by the most prejudiced and least informed, 
when he can prove to himself by ocular demonstra¬ 
tion, that by burning a certain invisible air or gas, he can 
produce water. Of this he can satisfy himself, by pla¬ 
cing a few pieces of iron or zinc in a large glass jar, 
containing water and a small quantity of oil of vitriol. 
This vessel is to be closely covered and a tube insert¬ 
ed, of the size of a small quill from the wing of a 
bird. You will at once perceive a commotion in the 
liquid, occasioned by the combination of the oxygen 
of the water with the metal, for which it has a great 
affinity, and the bubbles are the hydrogen gas escap¬ 
ing upward, after its disengagement from the oxygen. 
This gas is inflammable, and as it issues through the 
the tube, by applying a lighted taper to it, it immedi¬ 
ately takes fire. This is simply a re-combination of 
oxygen from the atmosphere, with the hydrogen, again 
forming water; which is shown by holding a glass 
tumbler over the flame at a little distance, when the 
water will collect in globules or large drops. Now if 
any of our uninitiated readers will take the trouble to 
try this experiment, he will find what we say is true, 
from which he may infer that what we have before 
said, though we have not room now to prove it, is 
equally true. And as it is a matter intimately con¬ 
nected with the success of his crops, we earnestly re¬ 
commend him to apply these principles to practice. 
We may probably elucidate this subject more fully 
hereafter. 
We will only add in conclusion, that corn, potatoes 
and other crops requiring the hoe, should not be hilled , 
unless the ground is liable to excessive moisture, 
which it ought not to be for any tillage crop; and then 
a large broad hill should be made, to allow the roots 
to form above the too wet ground. In all other eases, 
experience shows that crops will yield much better 
without hilling than with. Care ought also to be ta¬ 
ken, to avoid cutting off the roots in hoeing, as just 
so many arms or feelers for the supply of nutriment 
to the plant are cut off, that require time and food 
from the parent plant to renew, before it can enjoy the 
full benefit of that aid, of which it has thus been de¬ 
prived. R. 
