3g6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 27 
THE SOIL. 
Part I. 
What It Is—How to Use It. 
What is the soil ? What was its origin? 
Of what is it made ? How can we use it 
to the best advantage ? These ought to 
be thoughtful and interesting questions 
to human beings when we think for a 
moment how much we owe to this outer 
surface of the earth’s crust on which we 
live. All our material wants are sup¬ 
plied from the soil. Food, wearing ap¬ 
parel, drink, shelter, heat—everything 
that sustains mortal life—comes out ot 
the soil. It is a great thought when you 
really come to get at it once, and it 
ought to give the farmer more interest 
in his farm and his work to consider the 
history of the little patch of earth that 
continues, year after year, to yield him 
support. We, therefore, purpose to take 
a few weeks to tell something of the 
science of geology as it applies to agri¬ 
culture. We have studied something 
of the food of plants, now let us see 
where and how the plants eat, and how 
the farmer can help to put the food 
where they can eat it. We will, there¬ 
fore, leave the matter of seed until next 
fall, when seeds ought to be selected, 
and take up the question of soils and 
culture. 
First, in a general way, we may say 
that what we call soil, is rock, ground 
more or less fine, mixed with organic 
matter—the remains of plants which have 
grown and decayed in this powdered 
rock. The more one studies the history 
of this earth, the more will he be im¬ 
pressed with the marvelous regularity 
and unchanging force of the natural 
laws that govern the universe. Instead 
of disproving anything in religion, 
science only proves it to be truer than 
ever, because the deeper these things 
are investigated, the truer does the fact 
shine out that these fixed and wonderful 
laws of natux*e must have been origi¬ 
nated and guided by some Divine hand, 
whose stupendous results only illustrate 
the feebleness and poverty of human re¬ 
sources. All that man has ever done in 
science is to learn the history of results 
planned by One far greater and wiser. 
All he ever will do is to learn more of 
these old secrets, and make new appli¬ 
cations of principles that are millions of 
years old. 
We make this statement, because there 
are many good people who fear that the 
teachings of science, and more partic¬ 
ularly of geology, are contrary to the 
teachings of the Bible, and opposed to 
the principles of religion. It seems to 
us that this is not a wise view to take. 
The marks made by the various changes 
of the earth’s formation, are too plainly 
written on the rocks and hills for us to 
reject their testimony. The more they 
are studied and examined, the clearer 
must become the thought that some 
Divine and all wise power controlled and 
originated the mighty forces that have 
made this earth a pleasant heritage, and 
a “ goodly place.” Let us approach the 
subject, therefore, with that spirit, and 
briefly review what geology tells us of 
the earth’s history. 
Real geological history goes back only 
as far as the organized rocks. The way 
in which these rocks were originally 
formed, is theory and may be briefly 
stated as follows: As originally made, 
the earth was simply a revolving mass— 
misty and cloud-like—thrown off from 
the sun and revolving about it. Gradu¬ 
ally this mass cooled and condensed 
until it passed through several distinct 
stages. It became a glowing, liquid ball 
of fire, still revolving and slowly cool¬ 
ing on the outside, until a cool and solid 
crust formed around it. Then came an¬ 
other period characterized nby violent 
bux*sting of this crust by the heated mass 
within—this mass pouring out over the 
thin crust, and cooling upon it. Then 
came another period in which the outer 
crust was cooled to a greater thick¬ 
ness, so that the outpourings from the 
inside came through volcanoes or severe 
earthquakes. As this outer crust cooled 
more and more, the vapors around the 
earth condensed and settled upon it as 
water. Slowly through the ages that 
followed, these waters receded into cer¬ 
tain places on the surface, and dry land 
appeared. Mountains were formed by 
the mighty force within the earth wrink¬ 
ling and twisting up the outer crust into 
ridges and depressions. As the waters 
receded to the low places, they deposited 
the settlings which made rock and soil. 
Hills and valleys were formed—water¬ 
courses were established. Great ice 
glaciers crawled over the land, grinding 
and crushing the rocks, plowing out 
valleys for the streams to run in, and 
inixmg and shifting the rocks that were 
designed to form the soil of our day. 
You will observe how all these won¬ 
derful changes are founded on recog¬ 
nized laws of Nature. The cooling of 
the molten iron into slag to-day, shows 
how this outer crust of the fiery earth 
cooled and solidified ages ago. To-day 
we grind this slag into powder to use as 
a fertilizer. Through all these ages, 
Nature’s forces have been at work grind¬ 
ing this ancient slag into soil for our 
use. The same laws that to-day cause 
gases to expand with heat, or to ex¬ 
plode when put into certain combina¬ 
tions, ages ago caused the forces inside 
the earth to wrinkle up the mountains 
and the hills, and to belch dust and lava 
out of volcanoes. So the familiar re¬ 
sults of vapors condensing into liquid on 
cooling, of water running down hill and 
washing soil along with it, and of the 
heavier particles in water falling to the 
bottom to form a sediment, may all be 
seen in this wonderful geological history 
of the earth. There is no new thing 
about it. All we can do is to read the 
wonderful story told by the rocks and 
hills, and make use of the mighty lessons 
of the past in our work of to-day. 
Starting, then, with the general idea 
that all soils are powdered rock with 
more or less vegetable matter mixed 
with it, our object in these articles will 
be to try to see how this rock was 
ground up, how the vegetable matter 
helps the soil when the plant spreads 
out its roots, what becomes of plant food 
when plowed or harrowed in, and how 
the life-giving water may be best con¬ 
served by proper mechanical treatment 
of the soil. While this may be too late 
to be of much service in preparing the 
seed-bed, we hope to start some thought 
about the treatment best suited to the 
plant’s working days. 
at 10 cents per pound; pelts bring 35 to 50 cents 
each; the offal is worth the work, to feed to hogs. 
“ I have the only flock in the township, and no 
more are fed here. I do not want to buy or sell. I 
have the best thing on earth, and intend to keep 
it. Each week a lamb will dress out 40 to 50 
pounds, and bring about $4.50 to $5, delivered, 
and as I take along flour and feed, on which 
I make from 10 to 40 cents per hundred, my 
profits are good. Besides, X have a demand 
for all market vegetables I can raise, also 
all beef and pork. I pay a regular license, and 
handle smoked meats, also. 
“ Our lane from the pasture comes to the corral, 
and we simply turn the sheep into the cow yard 
and allow them to go with the cows. At noon 
they come up and get in the shade. I had only to 
add two wires to my three-wire fence to keep the 
sheep in—cost about $35. I can afford to pay 25 
per cent on money to pay for Shropshire sheep, 
and then make lots of money. 
“Six cows and five horses go with the sheep, 
and they have about 60 acres of pasture. I feed 
the sheep and cows on Mammoth clover in winter, 
and they eat only heads and leaves, and knock off 
the dust. The rest is raked up from the sheep 
rack and cow manger, and is fed to the horses, 
which will leave corn to eat it, and it never harms 
them, no matter how much they eat. 
R. N.-Y.—Some of you Yankees might learn a 
good lesson from that ! 
(Continued on next page). 
%Ui£ccliancous SuumiMm,. 
WE^ 
Away 
-) A (- 
^-5AnPLG 
-^.PACKAGE 
(4 to 7 doses) 
—OF— 
Dr. Pierce’s-^*^ 
Pleasant Pellets 
To any one sending name and address to 
us on a postal card. 
(^ ncc Used, They arc Always la Favor. 
Hence , our object in sending them out 
broadcast 
They absolutely cure Sick Headache, Eil- 
iousness, C onstipation, Coated Tongu e, Poor 
Appetite, D yspe psia and kindred derange¬ 
ments of the Stomach, Liver and Bov/els. 
Don't accept some substitute said to be 
"just as good.” 
The substitute costs the dealer less. 
It costs you ABOUT the same. 
HIS profit is in the "just as good." 
WHERE IS YOURS? 
Address for Free Sample, 
World’s Dispensary Medical Association, 
No. 663 Mala St, BUFFALO, N. Y. 
Live Stock Matters. 
FORKFULS OF FACTS. 
“Homeopathic Chaff.”— Much has been said 
about chaff in cows’ eyes. I am not a physician, 
but let me give a remedy. You may call it homeo¬ 
pathic if you please. It is usually an oats chaff 
in the cow’s eye, and may be taken out with a 
wheat chaff. Take a wheat beard (after remov¬ 
ing the large end or chaff) between the thumb 
and finger, and place it on the chaff in the cow’s 
eye, drawing it out very easily, nearly every time 
and without pain to the cow. Try it just once, 
and you will have no use for either sugar or salt. 
Bound Brook, N. J. H. J. g. 
A Sheep Talk. —One of our subscribers, Mr. C. 
J. Norton, of Kansas, tells the Kansas Farmer 
what he does with his 60 sheep. He says : “ I 
kill one or two every Friday night, and peddle the 
fresh mutton in our little town, supplying a select 
line of customers. Sell all in roasts, nine cents 
for hind quarter, eight cents for fore quarter, 
seven cents for ribs, 10 cents for heart, liver, 
tongue and soup bones; average five ppunds of 
tallow to each, which does not exceed the demand 
BEitiEi buying a new harness 
Send 2 cent stamp for 80 
page Illustrated Catalogue 
of Custom 11 and-made Oak 
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direct to consumers at 
wholesale prices. Why not 
buy from first hands and 
save the middleman’s 
profit A buggy harness 
for $7; a team harness tor 
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as well as though here in person. 
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GREAT REMEDY! 
curesA 
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rfpjSF 3 (Fufl particulars 
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SOLE MANUFACTURERS. § 
Can be applied by 
any one on steep or 
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LOW PRICE! 
DURABLE! 
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If you are going to 
build or have leaky 
shingle or tin root s, 
send for sample 
and circular. 
A. F. SWAN, 
38 Dey Street. N. Y 
AROOF 
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KFree. Ntles Ibon A Steel Roofing Co., Niles, O. )• 
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KEEPERS iljiu cTp? oi 
[CLEANINCS IN BEE CULTURE. 
1 A Handsomely Illustrated OCCCIIDDI ICC 
I Magazine, and Catalog, oi DLL OUllLICt) 
1 JFREK. THE A. I. ROOT CO., Medina, O. 
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