PRACTICAL PAPERS—SANDY LAND. 
229 
of labor and capital, and a foresight which do not at present 
abound in our sandy region. Therefore we must look still 
further for effectual help, if we find it. 
The space allowed will not permit me to go into minute de¬ 
tails of the experiments which have been tried in investigating 
the sources .of plant life; I can only state the results. The 
most important one of all in our case is, the fact that the great 
supply of carbon necessary to plant life is found floating in the 
atmosphere which surrounds us. 
It is estimated that there are seven tons of available carbon 
suspended over every acre of the earth’s surface, rich and poor 
alike. This cannot be exhausted for “ the wind bloweth 
where it listeth/’ and if any man could secure that portion 
which is present at any time, the next moment will give anew 
supply. The general supply is probably on the increase in 
our generation, for while the portions we are able to condense 
and use are soon afloat again through the processes of 
combustion and decay, we are busy in digging from our coal 
mines annually, millions of tons condensed at some previous 
portions of the earth’s history and setting it afloat again, that it 
may travel its ceaseless round of usefulness. 
Boussingault took a portion of pure sand, burnt it until all 
traces of organic matter were expelled, then took up some 
growing clover plants, washed them clean, removed the exter¬ 
nal moisture with blotting paper, weighed them and set them 
in the sand. He then watered them with distilled water, 
placed them in the air, and in two months time found that they 
had tripled their amount of organic matter, thus proving that 
air, pure water and sand have all the elements necessary to sus¬ 
tain the growth of clover. In rich soil the results would 
doubtless have been increased, but we see in this little experi¬ 
ment the element of all successful agriculture. Had he 
buried the perfected plant in his sand, and planted again and 
continued the process, it is evident that there would be no end 
to the amount of fertility which might be accumulated. And 
this would not te in an arithmetical but in a geometrical ratio, 
for the presence of a portion of manure in the soil would make 
