Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-04-17
AgA3GUG TU.ABa
SOILS.

i
of the earth's surface, which the clcmen-
tary eartlls, such as slick, alumina,
lime, NC. by atmospheric contact, and
communion with vegetable and animal
matter, are changed into mass fertile,
or capable of supporting profitable We
getatol. 1t is evident, therefore, that
in most cases in uncultivatcd land, not
sublec: to the deposition of vegetable
matter, the depth of soil must be inconsi-
derabl.. On lands of rather porous
cyturc the soil will be deeper than on
those more compact, owing to the greater
c?" ith which the dccaying particles of
n@ttfponctrate such oarths. The depth
of soil, and this is a point on which the
| question of fertility mainly depends, may
be considered as depending in the first
| place on the combination of fcrtilizing ma
terials with the original earths, by ma
tural process; and secondly, on the arti-
fetal exposure and combination of the
earths and fertilizmg matters, that take
place in cultivation. In region or on
farm in which the carths are properly pro-
portioncd, the soil may be made by skill
full management, and very easily, of any
required depth nothing more is ncccs-
sary than to minge the proper materials
to the desired depth, and the work is done;
but such instances are comparatively rare,
and in overcoming the obstacles that pre-
sent themselves to the formation of soil,
the aid of science, and the skill of the
agrlculturist is most put in requisition.
1t is rarely found that, in cultivated
lands, the depth of the soil exceeds that
to which the pillow penetratcs; and the
farmer, and the best rotation of crops, is
the one that most ellectually deepens and
promotes the formation of soil favorable
to vegetation. A good soil can not be
formed or preserved in which water is
constantly present near the surface, nor
can such soil exist where the earths are
SO porous, and possess so little adhesive
power, that the fertilizing materials pla-
ced upon it, sink by inliltration beyond
the reach of the plant. In the first case
the remedy is draining, thorough drain
ing. Without this no cllectual ameliora-
ton can be accomplished, and when this
is done, exposinglhe earth to atmospheric
agency, or supplying the materials in
which it may be defective, will make Il
fertile soil as low as it is moved. In the
second case where there is too little adhe-
sion, the way to convert the carths into
soil, is to add such substances as possess
this power, and of these clay is the most
cllcctual. In order to determine the pre-
else proportions of the earths in any soil,
analysis is requisite; but every farmer
can determine whether his soil is too wet,
tenacious, or too light, whether sand or
clay prcdominates, and it is on the rcla-
tive proportions of these two substances,
that the easy or difficult cultivation of a
farm, or the conversion of the surface
earth into soil, depends.
five suppose that soils suitable for the
nourslmcnt and growth Of plants, are not
usually found lower than the earth is stir
red in the processes of cultivation, its
average depth can not be considered more
than six inches !; as it is believed that
more blowing falls short of that depth than
exceeds it, and trcnching or spading has
not been introduced into this country, as
a part of field cultivation. Some of our
best farmers have, it is true, by increasing
the depth at each blowing, brought the
depth of soil fit for the support of plants,
as low as twelve or fifteen inches, and
their crops show the immense advantages
derived from tina extra range thus given
to the roots of the vegetables grown
Parts Of Belgium and Holland, which,
half a century since, were wastes of drift
ing white sand, are now the most fertile
lands in Europe. The clay necessary to
produce adhesion and retain moisture,
was found Immediately below the sand,
and was brought to the surface by spad-
ing. A course of cropping, calculated to
promote fertility in such soils, has been
adopted and with astonishing effects. In
some districts, however, where the sands
are unusually light, at the end of each
course of cropping, or once in five Or six
years, spading is again resorted to, though
by cultivation, this becomes less neces-
sary, and may in all cases eventually be
dispensed with.
Anew calculations may assistus in form
ing an estimate of the quantity of the
earths, or the vegetable matter existing
in the soil, and the quantities required to
render it fertile, when the deficiency is
ascertained. DIR. Jackson, as reported
in the New-England Farmer (vol. Is,
page 27l,) gives the following example
of calculating the weight of a soil, and of
its manure.
" Let the specific gravity of a soil be
l,20-watcr being |: then one cubic
foot of water weighing 1000 ounces, a
cubic foot of the soil would weigh ,277
ounces, or ~, ISL lbs. An acre Of land