1852 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
345 
Analysis of Soils and Pulverization. 
Our readers are aware that we have always urged the 
Insufficiency of simple analysis to determine the real 
■value and productiveness of soils. Ingredients must 
ngt only be in sufficient quantity, but must be in such a 
state as to be accessible to plants during their growth. 
Nitrogen, for example, is admitted to be of the greatest 
importance to growing plants, yet every plant in the 
w r orld grows in an atmosphere consisting of four-fifths 
of this ingredient in a free state, without being in the 
least benefit ted by its presence; while the infinitessimal 
portions carried down as ammonia by the descent of rain, 
are eagerly caught and assimilated. 
A late number of Silliman’s Journal contains an analy¬ 
sis by D. A. Wells, of the soils of the best “ bottom 
land” in Ohio, strongly corroborating this view of the 
subject. One specimen examined was from a field that 
had been planted successively for eighteen years, with 
corn, and had continued to yield without diminution, 
seventy to eighty bushels per acre. Another soil ex¬ 
amined, had been cultivated fifty-one years, with forty- 
five crops of corn, and two or three of wheat, with 
scarcely diminished fertility, yielding now eighty bushels 
of corn per acre. And yet, D. A. Wells informs us, 
that these soils, u yielding with little or no culture, from 
seventy to eighty bushels per acre, are no better, so far 
as their mineral composition is concerned, than many 
of the Massachusetts soils which have a reputation for 
sterility .” The question immediately arises, to what 
do they owe their extraordinary productiveness? Doubt¬ 
less in a considerable degree, to their large portion of 
organic constituents, but mainly, in the opinion of D. A. 
Wells, to th e fineness of their particles. In commenc¬ 
ing their examination, it was found that sieves ordinarily 
used would not answer; those were therefore procured, 
which were made of the finest gauze, the largest meshes 
of which by accurate measurement did not exceed one- 
sixtieth of an inch in diameter. One hundred parts of 
several specimens of soil passed through this sieve, left a 
coarse residue of from one-and-a-half to seven parts, and 
this residue was partly vegetable fibres and undecom¬ 
posed organic matter. “ This remarkable comminution 
of particles gives at once a clue to the secret of their 
great fertility. With this fineness an increased power is 
given to a soil for the absorption, retention, and con- 
dension of moisture, carbonic acid, and ammonia, an 
opportunity for the free permeation of atmospheric air, 
a facility to the rootlets of plants for extension, and con¬ 
sequently increased facility for receiving and appropriat¬ 
ing nourishment.” This is proved in a remarkable man¬ 
ner, by the double and often tripple crops obtained from 
thoroughly draining a wet soil, without the least altera¬ 
tion in its composition; and also by the utter uselessness 
of coarse manure badly mixed with the earth in a dry 
season. 
——-^ ♦ - 
A Successful Cultivator.— -Col. Wilder stated in 
his address before the New Hampshire Agricultural So¬ 
ciety, that a gentleman who makes the cultivation of the 
strawberry his special business, raised on five-eights of an 
acre, more than three thousand boxes. These he sold 
by contract for the season at twenty-five cents per box, 
or about twelve hundred dollars per acre. 
Agricultural Resources of the Great West. 
About a twelve month since, we journeyed through Il¬ 
linois and Iowa, to form an acquaintance with the agricul¬ 
tural resources of the Mississippi Valley; and embodied 
the opinions then formed, of the capacity of the country 
for agricultural purposes, into a series of practical papers, 
which appeared regularly through the columns of the 
Cultivator. Up to the present period, nothing has been 
presented to our observation which would in the slight¬ 
est degree influence a retraction of the high eulogies then 
given, in favor of this valley becoming the granary of this 
continent, and even of Europe, if necessity require it; 
and, indeed, every day’s experience only strengthens the 
opinion that our first impressions failed in doing justice 
to the vast interesting field for investigation that at all 
points of the compass was spread before us. Having 
now selected a prairie home, and being actively engaged 
in the practical pursuits of the /arm, some additional 
weight to the opinions given, maybe expected, over 
those that were made at a period when we were simply 
journeying through the country, for the purpose of form¬ 
ing an acquaintance with its natural and artificial resour¬ 
ces. To somewhat relieve a monotony in style, which too 
often pervades matter of fact essays, such as the discus¬ 
sion of nearly all practical subjects are apt to induce, the 
interesting points forming the subject matter of a few re¬ 
marks, will be given under their respective appropriate 
heads. 
Wheat — the cause of its failure and the remedies. The 
western farmers rarely plow their land more than once 
for wheat, and oats and wheat stubble are found the most 
convenient rotation? Summer fallows are rarely made, 
and when this old fashioned system is practiced, the work 
is generally done in the most slovenly manner. Occa 
sionally wheat is sown among corn, and sometimes aftei 
the corn is removed from the ground, a single plowing ia 
given, and the wheat is then sown, and harrowed roughly 
in. But little or no attention is given to the drainage of 
the land; well formed ridges are rarely made; no pains 
are taken to drain the soil by the use of the plow, and 
underdraining, even on the most retentive soils, is never 
practiced. Indeed'the great aim of the farmers appears 
to be to sow a great quantity of land with any given 
crop, without stopping to investigate their abililty of pro¬ 
perly preparing the ground for the requirements of the 
crop. This careless and unwarrantable practice obtains 
favor by the easy process by which crops are grown, when 
the prairie sod is first broken. In the preparation of prairie 
sod for fall wheat, the only course pursued is to break up 
the sod during the early part of summer to the depth of 
from 2| to 3 inches, after which the only labor necessary 
to ensure a crop of from twenty to twenty-five bushels 
per acre, is the sowing of the seed in September, and a 
thorough harrowing. Corn on sod, requires even less 
labor than wheat , and if the season be at all favorable. 40 
bushels per acre may be expected, without any labor ex¬ 
cept the plowing and covering the seed. The labor and 
expense requisite to obtain 20 bushels of wheat, and 40 
bushels of corn per acre, does not exceed $4; and the 
price of land being nominal, the single product of an 
efficient laborer, quite exceeds that which can be pro¬ 
duced in any of the older states ot the Union. The 
