Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1841-10-28
F,o.n he Mr. York Epening Po ST.

i In ihr PhdianRt, u Fourier paper published at
Paris, SepIembef 6th, novel discovery Is de'cf-
bed, winch. trur. will work great change IN an
impotan, department 4 agricultural | boz. 1t Is
communicated 10 The Pans pant by Chas. Pollard
and NJ. Bcrhard. who date their letter Al Btest Au
gus, 1871. Il appears that While they and some
of thei, friends. who f,tm Their own estates were
engaged IN conversation on the subject oil aRfcul-
tutr, II observed by one al ,hcm HAT lha, branch
OF industry Suffering more from The want oi cap.
iia aud enterprise than amy 0h.r and hal nothing
wss 10 be done wiihou manure, winch WAS every
day becoming more scarce aud expensive. lhis re
maxi led 10 the nqnny Of The ptoP'ries oi manure,
and particularly rs 10 what provision nature had
made those cultivated rrg,ons where the seems
to br vigorous and luxuiiaui growth, without ara
ic,al assslancc.
= n obsciyiug nature unasssied, or nnthwarcd
rshrr by The hand of man. IN vegetable tepfoduc-
ton, II Is f"und lha when The seed is ripe II tails
10 the ground. aud then the plant which las produ-
c.d sheds rs leaves. falls isell upon l, N decay
aud GOV rs an projects II from the weather unn
&c, grafton hnS conuer ccd, aud tho young panl ~
able grow up IN health ,od strength and full de
velopcment recommcnce tie same routine oi st, d.
ing aud oi rprodnclmn.
From liIs II lollows lha'. 10 nature. every plant
produces lis soil 80 hamus. and tha, HE cath
onl, serves to hca, the plant, aud not 10 a
rh II IN yrectaton. The noa,shmcn, oi plants ~
thus supposed be derived hon ar aud nffr, heat
aud hqhi eleenl,ny, Ia different prop"rtions
adapted to the Il u tent varieties OF vegetable ma
iufr.'
WITT las general notion IN Their minds, .nd con
side, ,rg wheat Ia be. IN present circumstances, one
Of the III important vegetable substances, they a
greed louy experiments, an IN October last under
tnuk he tollu"In. 81 critinut:
Ia field which had been sown IN rye. because
tic land deemed TOO poor Tor wheat pie, Of
twelve square yards. untitled aud left without manure
VAS carefully sltswrd ovttw nh he grams ol wheat,
and Whcaten straw iud upon II CLOSELY, and about QUE
inch ~ tho kucss IN gatdcn, also, which had
been neglected lor several ,cars lie" square wards
OF earth ttodden over, aud The surface beng
made elo.e and hatd, some grams If wbea, WAS
scattered on III hlrdr,cd surface, aud n layer OF
straw incll IN Depth was carefully hald over IT,
and left. as ~ the iotincr CASE 10 tdIe It's chance
without nltcr,or allehuon. And, IN order Ia make
doubt impossible conctruIug the mere secondary
functions 81 mineral earth vegetable reproduction
t~ety grams OF wheat we're so"n upon tho surface
OF n pane oi glass. aud covered mi some sltaw n
alone, as ibihc uthtt case,
The gtInIuapn OF the seed was 5000 apparent
aud mosl heath, IN d,v ropmcnt. The winter
has been rigorous, say th,se correspondents, "Iot
this pat OF thc county, and The earth has sometimes
been IL, ztn IN sod mass 10 depth III SIX inch
IN Tho garden where The what sworn. aud this
has happened sevetd times during The winter
I" the gtea INJURY 81 many pants aud even the entie
drsrucnon ii sont; while The srots protected by
the straw were ne,tr thotonghly congeacd, nor
face under the sra", AT all al, ctcd by the cold
During the slung ,NCessve thoughts, prolonged
and several tnes repeated, have rtcscnied yegcta
ton the plan II IN 1ourlshing IN healthy
progress, whilst our huc spots Of wheat have hardly
felt the Inconvenience OF excessive dfyues', for the
earth, protected b, The straw has been dcrrl.
we'd en1neiy at moisture and our blades OF corn
"c,e hourishlng when all around was dropping aud
unce,taln 70 conclude. hen. we have thoroughly
succeeded IN our practical experiment. and the
wheat produced of The II est quality. The
straw was morr than SIX feet high, IN the ears
seie so, 60 and even 50 grams OF wheat of full de-
velopmenr. the admiration OF all who saw them.
and particularly those VIII CHI grew ~ on The pane
OF glass, and which "etc qune as healthy aud as
large as those winch grc" up u the common earth.
| |, mus, be observed .so that thcre not the
smallest parucles oi eallh up the glass. and that
the plants we sh entirely 10 themselves, wit. out
! beng "atcfrd ~ attended To IN any way "halever
! from the nme Of sowing unu The time OF reapine.
The cause OF The success hey thmk nay be ex>
planned ~ the following ma ne:
"Sifaw beng bad conductor of heat, and good
| conductor oil eleculcny, MAINTAINS the ROOT ot The
| plant IN medium temperature, and prevents the
earth tom being deprived entirely Of moisture. The
moisture OF the EARTH o. the subettalum. beng con
nuai facilitates he gradual aud constant ahsor tiun
OF Sathonlc ac,d eas from the Surrounding Amos.
phere and hyir"gen and C arbon, the ,hle elsnents
! OF nour'shmr"i 10 vegetables, are thus mized
IN regular supplies where hey constantly requ.
red, and pass IN combination with oxygen no tn
roots up to the Stems aud branches Of the pla Is IN
winch theIy are assmulated. aud the oxygen throws
off IN exhalation from lie leaves. The raw DECAYS
| but slowly and thus furnishes us substance b,
degrees 10 the young plant IN due progressious and
Il proportion. (such as The snqnous mg,edenls, for
insance, OF the pod or carsule,) s. that the decom
position OF the straw corresponds he four phra SEES
OF Fermentation IN ptugtes,ng from the Sacchdrine
TO The diedhoic u acd aud the pur,d states ana
Joyous TO those oiinftncy, budding, youth add seed
ing OF the plant.
! I'VE observe tina: our blade OF wheat have but
very lew ROOFS, and those short aud hard some.
thng Ike BIRDS claw; and tins agrees with the te-
marks OF Mos. RaspaIl, Who states that the most
hes'''y PLANS IN ordinary vegetation have The least
exuheiance OF roots aud fbres.
"Anoiher important observation also, Is. tha,
weeds and pa'as'I'cal vegetation are prevented by
ms nethof, for The SHAW chohes every other plant
oui that OF lis own seed Many other interesting
obseivalions might be made on these experiments
put we retrsa al present of ,ntudng on your read
ders but II any OF them wish Tor further information
on thus subjective shall WI ngly afford them every
facility. The importance of The geuerl res 1t viii
(easily become apparent without further comment,
and the present modes Of agricultural labor is ne.
eessafy consequence e ihis discovery. No l,lIage
VII now be r'qu red, any anf ial st,mulan,s IN
manure and other more or less expensive conb,na.
ions with regard 10 SOL and culture. In fact il
0uid be tedious 10 enumerate the various advan-
ages mot may result IN Practice from TINS casual