Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-01-01
aGNICUHTUREs .aI4.
ON SOILS.--By II. Davy.

Some soils are much more heated by
the sun, all other circumstances being
equal, than others; and soils brought 10
She same degree Of heat cool in different
times, i. e. some cool much faster than
others.
This property has been very little at
tended 10 in philosophical point of
view, yet it is Of the highest importance
in agriculture. In general, soils that
consist principally of stiff white clay,
are d.nic ultly heated: and being usually
very moist they retain theirh heat only for
short iime. Chalks are similar in one
respect, that they are difficulty heated
but being dryer, they retain their heat
longer, less being consumed in causing
the evaporation of their moisture.
A black soil, containing much soft
vegetable matter, is most heated by the
sun and air; and the colored soils, and
the soils containing much carbonaceous
matter, ferruginous matter, exposed I'M
der equal circumstances to the sun, ac
quire much higher temperature than
pale colored soils.
When soils are perfectly dry, those
that most readily become heated by the
solar rays, likewise cool the most rapid
iy; bu, have ascertained by expert
ment, that the darkest colored dry soil
THAT which contains abundance of animal
or vegetable matter, substances which
most facilitate the dininution temper
ature,) when heated to the SAME degree,
provided i, be within the common limits
ofthe effect of solar heat, will cool more
slowly than a We, pale soil, entirely COM
posed of earthly matter.
In instances where successive genera
tions of vegetables have grown upon q
soil, unless part of their produce has
been carried off by man, unconsumed by
anifs ais, the vegetable matter increases
in such a proportion, that the soil APP
proaches to peat in its nature and ii
in situation where it can receive water
from high district it becomes spongy,
and permea,ed with that fluid, and is
gradually rendered incapable ofsupport-
ing the nobler classes Of vegetables.
81 found that rich black mould,
which contained nearly one fourth OF
vegetable matter, had its temperature in
creased in an hour from oslo 80 deg.
by exposure to sunshine, willis chalk
soil was heated only to SO deg. under the
same circumstances. But the mould re-
moved into the shade, where the ieatper-
ature was 81 deg. lost in half an hour Is
deg. whereas the chalk, under the same
circumstances, lost only deg.
Deep ploughing may be very pro-
ftable practice in rich thick soil; and
in fertile shallow soil, situated upon a
cold clay or sandy sub soil, it may be
extremely prejudicial.
" Water is absolutely necessary to the
economy of vegetation in its elastic and
fluid state; and it is not devoid OF use
even in its solid form. Snow and ice
are bad conductors of heat; and when
the ground is covered with snow, or the
surface of the soil or water is frozen, the
roots or bulbs of the plants beneath are
projected by the congealed water from
the influence of the atmosphere, the
temperature of which in northern win
tiers is usually very much below the
freezing point; and this water becomes
the first nourishment of the plant in car
ly spring The expansion OF water dur
sng its congelation, at which time its
volume increases l-i2, and its contrac-
zion Of bulk, during thaw, tend to pull
verize the soil; to separate its parts from
each other, and to make it more per-
meable to the influence OF the air.
From the Illinois IntelGgencer.
on the Prairies ofthe Western Country,
hi Morris Rirkbeck. ESQ,