MERICAN A&GRICULTUR1ST. 373 
care, and the constant labor of the husband¬ 
man, are required to uphold the little free¬ 
holds thus formed out of natural sterility ; 
for, if his attention be intermitted for any 
considerable time, the violence of the tem¬ 
pests speedily destroy what it cost so 
much labor to produce. The heavy rains 
and swollen torrents sweep away the soil; 
the terraces are broken down ; everything 
returns rapidly to its former state ; and of so 
much labored construction there soon re¬ 
mains, only shapeless vestiges, covered with 
the wild-briers of the mountains. 
Edinburg Journal of Agriculture. 
FROM WHAT SOURCES DO PLANTS DERIVE 
THEIR FOOD. 
Liebig asserted distinctly that “ no conclu¬ 
sion can have a better foundation than this, 
that it is the ammonia of the atmosphere 
which furnishes nitrogen to plants.” If the 
chemical readers of this Journal carefully 
peruse the article by Dr. Anderson, com¬ 
mencing at page 806, No. 45, July, they will 
find not only a comprehensive report of “The 
Progress of Scientific Agriculture ” during a 
a period of about forty years, but also a sat¬ 
isfactory reply to the question above pro¬ 
posed, as will now appear from the few lines 
here extracted from page 308 : “ It is only 
as regards the source of nitrogen that any 
difference of opinion has existed ; and while 
all chemists admit that uncombined nitrogen 
can not be absorbed and assimilated by plants, 
it has been, although it can scarcely now be 
considered as any longer a matter of dis¬ 
pute, whether the supplies of that element 
are derived exclusively from ammonia, or 
partly from that substance and partly from 
nitric acid. A curious misapprehension ap¬ 
pears to exist as to the views at present en¬ 
tertained by chemists on this point; and it 
has been recently asserted that they denied, 
or at least still doubted, the possibility of 
any part of the nitrogen of plants being de¬ 
rived from the latter source. It is well 
known that this was the opinion entertained 
by Liebig, and it is probably still held by 
some of the strict “ retainers ” of the Gies¬ 
sen school. Be this as it may, Boussingault, 
fifteen years since, when referring to the 
abundant production of nitric acid by the 
violent thunder-storms of tropical climates, 
distinctly points out its importance as afford¬ 
ing a supply of that element to plants ; and 
the great body of agricultural chemists have 
long admitted that it must be one of the 
sources of nitrogen. The evidence in sup¬ 
port of this view appears to me to be perfect¬ 
ly conclusive." 
The above pointed reference to nitric acid 
enables me to enter upon a detail of the ex¬ 
periments wnich were made here during 
several weeks of the spring, with a view to 
test, and if possible justify the opinion of 
Mr. Pusey, as detailed in his article lately 
published in the Royal Agricultural Journal, 
Part II., vol. xiv., pages 376-7. 
Actual experiments. —At the middle of last 
April, 1854—the weather having then been 
quite dry since the 20th of March, with the 
exception of 0.5 inch of rain on the 13th of 
April— three turfs of grass, about 6 inches 
square, were planted in line about 1 foot in 
front of the laurel hedge of my garden, and 
facing the north. The turfs were not taken 
from any green pasture, but were cut off 
some detatched pieces of sod that had, long 
before, been raised in marking out allot¬ 
ments on a portion of lane purchased by a 
freehold society; hence the soil was dry, 
and the grass withered. Some of the rough 
earth was pared off level, and each square 
laid upon the loosened soil, and gently press¬ 
ed down upon it, leaving a space of about 18 
inches between the turfs. No manure what¬ 
ever was used ; and by the proximity of a 
strong laurel hedge the soil could not be 
deemed otherwise than poor. These con¬ 
ditions should not be lost sight of. At first 
water only was poured over and around the 
turfs, till some degree of verdure was re¬ 
stored ; but on the 20th, the three turfs, 
which I number 1, 2, 8, were thus treated : 
No. 1 with a solution of nitrate oj soda in 
4 fluid ounces of water. This nitrate was 
prepared ad libitum, by neutralizing 40 min¬ 
ims of pure nitric acid with carbonate of 
soda, previously diluting the acid with a por¬ 
tion of the water. 
No. 2 received 30 grains of refined salt¬ 
petre ( Nitrum purificatum), dissolved in 4 
fluid ounces of water; this was the middle 
turf; and 
No. 3—the turf at the west extremity— 
received 30 grains of strong nitric acid, dilu¬ 
ted by the like quantity (4 ounces) of water. 
To obviate doubt, it should be stated that 
the squares were placed in line, pointing east 
and west, and that the 18-inch spaces of 
vacant ground between them, (observing the 
precaution of pouring the fluids over the sur¬ 
face of the herbage only), prevented the pos¬ 
sibility of any intermixture. The dry 
weather spoken of continued till the 31st, on 
which day the mean temperature was quoted 
at 11° 6 cents above the usual average of 
the same date. Rain, however, fell on the 
22d, and more followed in the four last days 
of the month, producing a "great decline of 
temperature. 
May 1.—The squares Nos. 1 and 2 were 
again similarly treated ; but for the square 3, 
thirteen falling drops of nitric acid only were 
added to the 4 ounces of water. At this day 
the herbage upon all the turfs had become 
green and thriving. 
May 13.—To this date the temperature 
had been reduced several degrees below the 
mean average, and rain fell to the extent of 
1 inch 73 cents ; the verdure, therefore was 
much favored; yet it was seen that the grass 
of No. 2, watered by saltpetre, was infe¬ 
rior to that upon 1 and 3. Now, again, the 
solutions Avere employed for the last time. 
Thus No. 1 received 20 grains of nitrate of 
soda; No. 2, 20 grains of nitre ; and No. 3, 
9 falling drops of nitric acid—all diluted with 
4 fluid ounces of rain water, that was pure, 
bright, and free from taint. One remark is 
required before we proceed to final results. 
Gardeners and intelligent observers have 
proved that saline matters, in passing into 
and through good loamy soil, are fixed and 
become permanently retained thereby. On 
this fact Mr. Way, Professor of Chemistry, 
has Avritten an excellent treatise. I myself 
had, more than ten years past, detected the 
same retentive power over fetid liquid ma¬ 
nures. We infer, therefore, as an undoubted 
fact, that any manuring and saline liquids 
poured upon land (grass-land particularly, as 
in the present instance), are so fixed as to ef¬ 
fectually resist the poAver of rain to carry 
them aAvay. With lime the case is different 
and peculiar : but that does not come under 
present discussion. 
May 22.—The experiments had, at this 
date, been carried on during more than five 
weeks. The grass of Nos. I and 3 was very 
strong, the seed-stems being 6 or 8 inches 
high; but that of No. 2 was longer in 
grOAVth, less verdant, and more weedy. I 
therefore removed the daisy and small dan¬ 
delion plants from that turf, cut over the 
grass, and substituted for the solution of 
nitre one consisting of sulphate of ammonia, 
in 4 ounces of water. No speedy effects 
Avere observed ; but after the abundant rain 
which fell between June 28 and July 8, the 
grass upon it became strong, yet still inferior 
to that Avhich, even at the end of May, had 
been produced by Nos. 1 and 3. 
Whatever may be the value of experi¬ 
ments conducted upon a scale so minute,, it 
.it.. — it , " 1 . .. " 
cannot be doubted that the results, progres¬ 
sive and final, correspond with those of the 
more important series described by Mr. Pusey 
in the Royal Agricultural Journal, before al¬ 
luded to. In proof of which assertion, I 
quote the following passages which refer to 
the three tables given at page 376 : “ Having 
thus discovered that nitric acid did act, 1 
made two further trials, which included the 
alkalies separately, soda and potash ; and 
also included ammonia, to serve as a further 
test. In both trials the nitric acid acted de¬ 
cidedly. The alkalies, neither of them, pro¬ 
duced even a trace of effect either on the 
color or on the growth of the grass.” Again, 
page 377—“ The question being whether the 
saltpetre,” ( nitrate of soda, cubic-nitre is 
meant), “ the alkalies, or the acid, contain 
the active principle, avc have found the alka¬ 
lies absolutely inoperative, Avliile the acid 
has acted like saltpetre itself, and like am¬ 
monia. The action was palpable, unfailing 
and indeed very powerful. On many other 
parts of the grass-plot, sprinklings of the di¬ 
luted acid Avere poured, and Avere everywhere 
folloAved by a dark luxuriant vegetation. We 
may therefore assume, Avith unhesitating 
certainty, as a great law of nature, that sub¬ 
stances strengthen vegetation mainly by their 
contents of nitrogen." 
I trust that 1 have succeeded in proving 
that nitric acid, properly diluted with clear 
and sweet rain-water, did not, and Avill not, 
injure grass-land; and more than that, in¬ 
stead of injuring it, that it will induce a de¬ 
gree of verdure equal in depth and richness 
of tint to that Avhich has ever folloAved the 
due application of cubic-nitre. When the 
results Avere thus clearly ascertained, I re¬ 
moved the three turfs, and placed them, 
without any further preparation, on vacant 
spots of ground. The nitrated grass con¬ 
tinued to thrive, and contiuued to produce 
many culms 16 or 18 inches in length. It 
may be added, by way of suggestion, that, 
Avhen it is proposed to form a pasture by the 
process called inoculation, a fair opportunity 
will be afforded of proving the distintive ef¬ 
fects produced by almost every kind of 
saline and liquid manures, by merely mark¬ 
ing each turf Avith a stick, and noting the 
progress of the herbage. Thus a great deal 
of valuable knowledge might be acquired. I 
myself, on several occasions during the 
course of the experiments upon the turfs, 
applied very dilute nitric acid to herbaceous 
plants—among others to the strawberry— 
and never, in one instance, observed injury 
or discoloration. Safety, if fairly proved, is 
in a great point gained. J. T. 
Edinburg Journal of Agriculture. 
A Priceless Cow. —We have occasionally 
observed in the agricultural papers notices 
of fine milking coavs, but we think Mobile, 
in one case at least, can surpass them all. 
A gentleman in this vicinity—who is too 
modest to have his name mentioned—has a 
Devon cow, six years old, running at large 
on the commons every day, but kept up at 
night and well fed on bran, hay, vegetables, 
&c., which gave the past year sixteen hun¬ 
dred and twenty gallons of milk. The dairy, 
woman’s memorandum is as follows: 1st 
three months, average, six gallons of milk 
and 12 pounds of butter; 2d three months, 
five gallons and ten pounds; 3d three months, 
four gallons and eight pounds ; 4th three 
months, three gallons and six pounds. The 
milk at 40 cents per gallon, Avhich is the 
common price here, Avould amount to $648. 
This shoAVs the importance of having a good 
blooded cow. In the present instance, the 
cost of keeping is no more than for an ordi¬ 
nary country cow, and yet the value of milk 
for one year is nearly $650. Alabama Planter. 
Work if you would prosper. 
