Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-09-06
From the Practical Farmer.
Soils

Every farmer should have some general
+knowielg- Of soils, and be acquainted with
the nature of plants 80 as to adapt those he
cultivates 10 The soil of his farm. This is
an important branch of agricultural know.
ledge; every plant will flourish best In tina!
soil congenial with it's nature; and if farm
ers were acquainted with the art Of adapting
plants to soils, much manure might be saw.
ed some soils require little or no manure
to grow certain kinds Of plants whereas,
10 grow other kinds of plants upon the same
soil requires much manure. The best in.
Seeero tho-oa,dre Of soils are the plants thai
grow upon it.; true, the chemist has il Id his
power to determine the nature of soils with
out this natural linden, yet every farmer,
who knows The timber, underbrush and
plants soil spontaneously y produces, decides
at once upon its value for cultivation.
The principal soils are silica, sand or
ea,lh of flints lime, or calcarcous earth !;
aiumina, or clay nsagnesia, mineral sub.
stance, with these are blended vegetable
and animal matters in decomposing or
decomposed state, and saline, acid or ak.
aline combination.
The nature Of silica, or sand is dry and
hot-alumina, or clay, cold and wet-a
proper mixture Of the two improves both
all experience shows that manuring sandy
lands with clay, or clay lands with sand, is
bes, for gain or pulse. But it is not the
best natural soil that the farmer ought 10
consider, but the depth Of it, and what lies
Immediately under it. The farmer should
never lose sight of these facts. For if the
richest sol is ouly from four 10 six inches
deep, and lies Oh cold. wet clay or stone,
it will not be as fruitful as poorer soil,
that is deeper or lies upon better under
stratum. 1t is now generally agreed that
gravel, if no, too compact, is lhe best sub
stratum 10 make land prolific.
We shall now attempt a plain descrlp-
ton of the different kinds Of soils by notIc-
ing their qualities. We shall begin with
The est kind ofloams and natural earihs,
these are either of a bright brown or hazel
color hence sometimes called "hazeiloan,s.
They cut smooth and tolerable easy with.
out adhering much either 10 the spade or
the pIoughshare are light, friable (crumb-
lipe J and fall into small cIods without crack
ing in dry weather, or turning into tougA
mortar when very wet.
The next best are dark gray, or some
times called "russet mould." But the worst
of all natural soils are the light dark color
ed. These clays may all be known by the
sight. There is, however. another, and per-
haps as equally sure test of good clays ms
that by sght-smelling and feeling. The
best kinds clay emf, pleasant scent on be-
ing dug or ploughed up especially after rain
and, being just proportion of sand anc
clay intimately blended or mixed, will no
stick much to tine fingers on handling. W.
would, however remark that the best soil
in the world, may be impoverished ane
completely worn ont, by an lnludlcious sue
cession ofcrops, and especially iflae plough
ngs are not frequently repeated before tn
seed is sown.
As said before, plants are good aaae:
to soils, for we find, if We examine trae'
of land not cultivated, L" these We may als'