Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-02-28

vegetable matter is easily brought down
by the thaws of spring and rains of au-
tumn, and deposited in places which ma
turc seems to have provided for its rccep-
ton. These soils arc usually of the most
fertile character, yet they must in some
degree, vary in proportion with the
mountains and forests whence they origin
ate. Thus we see the valley of one river
more fertile than than that of another7--a
circumstance which chemistry can obviaie,
by determining what the lacking quality.
is, and how it may be provided, or intro
ducing plants adapted to that peculiar soil.
The analysis Of soils, sufficient to deter
mine their productive qualities, is a very
simple process, and soon passed through.
In order to perform it, the farmer need
nor be at the expense for an extensive
apparatus, nor restrict his operations to
drains and pcnnyweights. His business
is of wholesale nature; his observation
can mark the changes of soil, and by ana
Lying small portion of a particular one,
the character of the whole is sufficiently
determined for general purposes.
Soils which in a state of nature, are
sometimes of a character which renders
them worthless, by a chemical process
are rendered fertile. Take our swamps,
which are to be found IN almost every
town, some of which have bottoms as
deep as western prairies, and "as rich as
mud" yet in state of nature they arc
almost as worthless as the desert of Sahara
for agricultural purposes. How are
they to be made the most profitable of
the farmers domains? They must be
cleared and drained, to be sure but when
all this is done there is yet one thing
lacking, for they are as barren as an ash
heap. What is "the one thing needful :"
We respond, not only to show that chem
istry has remedy, but also to assure
those who pretend that our State surveys
are useless operations, by giving an
anecdotc.
Somewhere in Massachusetts, we
could tell where,) an old gentleman who
had TILED the earth carefully and labo-
rously, until his " thrcescorc years and
ten " had nearly vanished, pointed the
Commissioner of the geological survey to
piece of very deep rich muck land, and
complained bitterly that with all his in
dustry, he could make it produce nothing
but weeds. With his usual tact, the
Commissioner assured him the only
reason why his labors were not requrted,
was that his land was too rich. TOO
rich !" said the veteran farmer, " it can't
be: we wish to make our land as rich as
possible, and labored necessarily to pro-
mote this object" Had he been acquaint-
cd with the beautiful operations of che
mistry, how it applies itself to every part
of the operations of agriculture, he might
perhaps have saved himself much labor,
and rich harvest from his land through
many years. More, by the same labors
he might have increased the value of his
surrounding fields, by bartering from
them their sterility, land repaying load from
the rich dcposite from his muck bed.
This was all that was necessary TO scatter
fertility all around hm-simply to carry
off this rich vegetable matter which had
been accommodating for ages, and repla-
cling in its stead his sands or loan or
whatever that savored of barrenncss.
Lands from miSmanagement may ac-
quire diseased and sickly as well as an
exhausted state.-They may become too
sour, too bitter, or some other of the
evils which bad management induces,
may attack them. Then are they like a
diseased stomach, totally out of order.
Usual applications will have no effect.
They, like the sick man, must be dealt
with according to the disease. And here
we ask leave to introduce another anec-
dotc, in support of our sentiment that
chemistry is an important science for the
farmer. One of that ancient and hon
orable fraternity was one day heard to
complain by a son then in college, that
such piece Of land produced but "leetle"
"Limc it," said the son. "Lime it {"
said the old man, "you, when you have
not done days work on the farm in
three years, come from college, and to
repay your fathers toll in our behalf,
undertake to teach him how to farm it
slime it," said the son-"the soil is too
sour an alkali will neutralize an acid,
and your field will be productive" The
father at length tried the experiment, and
saw good effect, and so thoroughly was
he convinced of the utility of this science
in agriculture, that he said his sons might
all so to college to learn to be farmers, if
they all give assurance Of similar acquire
ments.
Chemistry in agriculture applies itself
in a thousand ways and produces thous-
and good eilects.-Nature is great
workshop, where she is continually car
rying forward her operations. Economy
is universal law in all her dominions.
She forms nothing in vain, and where