“to improve the soil and the mind . 5 
New Series. ALBANY, JUNE, 1850. Vol. VII.— No. 6. 
Improvement of tlje Soil. 
Management of Sandy Lands. 
Some soils are too light, and others too heavy for 
profitable cultivation; and it was long ago held to 
be one of the cardinal principles in farming, to 
“ make light land heavier and heavy land lighter . 55 
The difficulties attending the successful cultiva¬ 
tion of a sandy soil, arise chiefly from the want of 
coherence in its particles at the surface. From this 
cause it parts too easily with moisture, and with the 
gaseous portion of manures. Seeds placed in such 
soils may fail to germinate, or may be blown from 
their beds by winds, and the young plants are liable 
to be destroyed from the same cause. It is true, 
that when plants are once fairly started in sandy 
soil, they will often sustain themselves during 
drouth, better than in a soil of compact texture; be¬ 
cause the mechanical relations of the soil in the for¬ 
mer case, favor the ascent of moisture from below, 
and also allow the ready extension of roots to a 
great depth. Hence, as before indicated, the prin¬ 
cipal defect to be corrected in a sandy soil, is the 
looseness of its surface. To insure the germination 
of seeds, and to secure the young plants in their 
places, the soil must be made firm enough to resist 
the action of winds. 
One of the best substances to apply to a sandy 
soil, is clay. Common clay, although composed 
chiefly of sand or silex, owes its adhesiveness to an¬ 
other substance it contains, called alumina; and 
hence, by the application of clay, we increase the 
adhesive principle. It is fortunate that most sandy 
tracts are underlaid with clay, at a greater or less 
depth, and in many instances it may be obtained and 
applied at a cost which would render it a profitable 
means of improvement. A coating of stiff clay, 
two or three inches thick, will convert almost any 
sandy soil into a good loam. 
Prof. Norton, in his address at Northampton, 
(1849,) observes“ The want of alumina is not 
easily supplied, except in situations where clay can 
be procured. When it can be had, a load of it is 
frequently of more value than a load of manure, be¬ 
cause it has not only an immediate effect, but also 
permanently improves the land. I know of one 
farmer near Hartford, who has carted clay by his 
return teams from that city, a distance of nearly 
nine miles. He assured me that it paid him well, 
and that a full load of stiff clay was worth, on his 
soil, two loads of manure. * * • This addition of 
clay is not alone useful as bringing new and valua¬ 
ble ingredients to the soil; perhaps its principal va¬ 
lue consists in the power it gives the soil to retain 
moisture, and the manures which are applied to it. 
Thus it is the means of lasting improvement. 55 
W. C. Goldthwait, Esq., in an address delivered 
at Springfield, Mass., last fall, observed :—“ If land 
is too porous for want of clay, then supply what is 
wanting. Nature has fortunately so disposed the 
different kinds of earth, that no part of our territo¬ 
ry is very remote from a deposite of the best clay. 
This costs nothing but the labor of removal, and 
though in most cases it will not act as a manure, 
yet it will render the effect of all manure more last¬ 
ing, and render the soil more moist and more fit for 
future cultivation. * * * * I have tried some ex¬ 
periments of this kind, putting on about eighty 
cords to the acre, or say three inches in depth. * * 
* * Some may prefer a lighter dressing, but in 
farming as well as elsewhere, ‘work once well done 
is twice done. 5 The effects of this course of treat¬ 
ment are exceedingly durable. Fields within my 
knowledge that were so treated a long time ago, 
have exhibited the beneficial effects after a lapse of 
twenty-five years. It should be remarked that much 
care is necessary to see that the clay is thoroughly 
.mixed with the soil, or much of it will prove little 
better than blocks of stone. Exposure to the frost 
before plowing in, is one of the most efficient means 
of accomplishing this. Water expands in freezing; 
hence moist earth expands under the influence of 
frost, and becomes disintegrated. The use of the 
harrow, after the clay has frozen and dried, will be 
exceedingly efficient. 55 
It is, no doubt, true that the beneficial action of 
clay on sandy soils, consists chiefly in its rendering 
them more tenacious; but some clays abound in the 
elements which produce fertility and supply the food 
of plants. They become, under the effects of drain¬ 
age, and proper exposure to air and frost, very pro¬ 
ductive, especially in grass. This is strikingly the 
case with clays in the Connecticut Valley; and the 
stiff blue clay of Albany, when its tenacity is suffi¬ 
ciently overcome, forms a rich soil. Prof. Emmons 
analysed this clay, and gives the following as its 
composition: 
Water of absorption,. 4.25 
Organic matter,.'.. 1.17 
Sulphate of lime,. 1.00 
Silicates,. 69.02 
Peroxide of iron and alumina,. 17.24 
Potash,.... 0.14 
Carbonate of lime,. 4.00 
Magnesia,. 3.00 
•98.82 
Prof. E. remarks—“It appears from numerous 
examinations which we have made, that clays con¬ 
tain more or less vegetable matter; they all blacken 
previous to ignition, and give off the odor of burn¬ 
ing vegetables. 55 The above analysis shows a fail- 
proportion of lime in the states of carbonate and 
sulphate—as well as potash and magnesia. It- 
shows in fact, a richer soil, except in vegetable mat¬ 
ter, than most of those ordinarily called good. So 
that we not only increase the tenacity of sandy soil 
by adding such clay to it, but we, at the same time 
