Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1834-10-02

IMPROVING LAND ~ PLnUaUIsG# X Old SEpGE
We have Ind Two letters on til for SOM ,ln'c,
fem much valued correspondent III Montgomery
county, Dr. !hos. Patterson We have been nbIi-
god to postpone attention 10 them BECAUSE from the
importance OF their contents, thcy required more
time than could before aliot 10 their duc preparp
ton. We should give these lcttels enllre bat for
their beng partly on business. " therefore make
a summary OF their valuable contents exhibiting
an outline ofIne writer's practice, which We dtcm
worthy of imitation
DIR. Patterson says On July) he has the pfom,s .
Of 40 bushels of corn TO the on about IL acres
improved by ploushns-ln old scdcc alone, and this
is the mode Of his culture. He turns under the
broom seda,e &c III the fall & WINTER plants his
corn IN the spring without disturbing the undecom-
po> ed vegetable matter under the furrow. He tilts
his corn ghly, being careful through the process,
not TO disturb lhc bed of vegetable matter beneath
This is wise tho vegetable matter tarned under in
the fall IS undergoing tho process of decomposition
through tn time that the roots Of corn arc expand
n5 IN search of food.
TIN, gentleman has embraced the very essence
OF scientific agriculture The of the ycsi
IN which the pi!ughng under of III" scdge was pen
f9fmad, was rfcr the plants had come toperectlon )
aud consequently, the sap OF the plant ha1'becone
a concrete woody fbrr W. have heretofore
coacr.uon ofoxys.n, hydrogen, and carbon, cha -
oea from gaseous to solid form the lies deratrm
how is to discngage these primitive agents from
their close adhesion in the stems of the old sGlge,
and to dissolve them IN calofic, that they may, IN
their gaseous form, renew their perpetual round IN
smother form. This purpose can be effected but ~
Two Ways, either rapidly by ignition or more sic" W
ly by fermentation. 1.-THE former method DC adopt
ed, aud the sedge be burned off the ground, as the
shortest way, which IS the usual practice Of farm.
ers, then the gases generated in.the process are
| d'spclled through the general of the Amos
phere. On the contrary, when TIE scdge Ia careful.
ly turned under the SOL, as IS julsiou5lY done by
our correspondent, AMI permitted here TO undore
the slow process Offence ation IN caiare's dbo=
ratory in immediate contact w ihc roots Of the
plants cultivated these gases are then converted
to our own use. The consequ nee of this piece OF
saving economy may he by comparing Or.
Pnttcrson's crop of corn with those of his neigh
bors who follow the shortest way with thcIf
scdge.
We have shown that carbon forms more than
one half Of the vegetable substance and, that oxy
| gen and hydrogen form most OF the remaining parts
| We have like wise shown that charcoal, or IN other
words carbon when dccomposcd, with an elevated
temperature in contact with Oxygen gas, en-
ters into unoC With the oxygen, forming carb1nle
| ACID gas. w nave ulSb SHOWN tldl oxygen dht
| hydrogen by entering into union-two parts OK
ygen and one part hydrogen, form water.
We will now rcpea, IN proper ofdcr the opera
! ton which is gong on under the sod when scge
table matter is turned and secured by the covering
of the sod. The carbon is let loose from it's con
crete state in the sedge by fermentation part o
the oxygen untes with the CARBON forming carbon
| ic acid gas--the remainder of the oxygen unics
with the hydrogen, which formed the substance o
the old sedgc, and forms water. Water has an at
hnity for carbonc acid gas, and will absorb lis owr
bulk of that gas-theso gases all being present, am
confined by the incumbcn, earth, they enter mt
this union in immediate contact with the roots of hi
plants of corn, are absorbed by the roots, and bJ
the proper sap vessels carried The ieaves,a w
have formerly shown, the sap IS here exposed 81
an enlafs d surface To the action OF light heat, ant
electricity, and modftdhy The peculiar oreanl-
luton OF the piant 10 rendf IT tue proper sap
nat plauL Il IS oTirg 20 the peculiar organiza
ton of each plant tlat these gases elect that pecu
ar form which constitutes their species; but herr
our invests cation ends, science cannot penetrate
this secret father The sap is carried, as we hay'
f heretofore shown, from the Leaf in ITS appropr att
{ vessels, to increase and perfect the rlant.-Thi
{ u,:easiug round Of matter constitutes yegott'on.