The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1841-12-06
From The Southern Planter:
PLOUGHING.st

cultural Chemistry, Shows the necessary QI WoEhss
ing crop, especially during d arotght.
{tsThe air may esconsidered as atehiele scons 3
tstantly loaded quantity Of waterin,
Of which the coolness Of the night causes t , tg
deposit a part upon Sthe earth The sufhce BIZ
the grounidland the leaves Of plants are Softens
moist ifthe morning the return Of the SIM. and Z
the heat Of the day, evaporate this liquid to be-
deposited again it sunset, and during the
thus. by an alternate movement determined by
the changes in the. temperature gof tho atmosI;
phere, at different periods of the twenty. four
hours, water is constantly applied to plants, to-
preserve them from the excess OF heat wmcnlS
would wther and dry up their organs. s.. ~: e
.sThe aqueous vapours suspended IN the ar ::
:becn to be condensed and pretipitated at sunset
and with them is deposited the greatest part Of
the ennanations which have arisen from the earth;
during the day; these eShala lations, though benetlt
cial TO vegetation, are almost always injurious TO
man. and it is moi without reasens that he fears
and shuns the: night damps. In ontkerh cll1
mares ii intense
and rains less frequent than in the 1hoFtheFn7
vegetation is supported by the dc KS which are
very abundant In order that the dews of night
may produce their best effects upon vegetation.;'
tits necessary that the sol shonl unite certain
qualities, which itsdoes not always possess. ~
'When e.solssiis hard and compact, and forms
by the action ofthee air, an;impenetTable crusts
the dew is deposited upon the surfaces and eyapos
rated by the rays of the sun, without having
moistened the roots of the plants or softe9ed the
Eearth around them, so that, of the organs that
tserve to convey nourishment to the plants the
leaves are the onlyon benefited by the dew
while the roots, which are the principle vehicles.
of nutriment, when the plant safully devefoped,
locr no,, fol h,yt b-f1o
cessary in such cases that the soil should besof-l
tened, lightcned, and divided, so that the air may
convey the water with which it is charged to the
roots of the plants and to every part of the earth
surrounding them, to certain depth; thus the.
plant can mbibe, through all its pores, the revy-
fiing moisture; and that which itreceived by its
roots is more lasting than that which absorbs in,
any other way, because the roots being sheltered
from the rays of the sum- evaporation takes place
less rapidly, and the moisture is retained whilst
the leaves are speedily dried by the heat Besides,
that earth which is most easily affected by the.
dews Yields most readilylto the action Of roots,
whether it be to fix the plant firmly, by their sex-
tension. or to draw from the soil its nurltve prop
critics.
"This explains in natural manner the origin
of custom observed by all agricultursts, and OF
which all acknowledge the advantages w hen tsl
vegetables, such as peas beans, potatoes and 9TH
er roots. are sown in burrows, at equal distances
from each other, soil in the interyales is hoed or
dug with the utmost care, and thus renderedlIght
soft, and favorable to the air; whilst at the same
time weeds, which would be hurtful to the cultl-
waited plants by depriving them OF noarshment
afforded by the ground, are destroyed, and the
soil rendered more fit to receive the rain and con
Vey it to the roots do not deny that these ben.
Eefts are real, but hold them to be secondary,
and subordinateEto the advantage derived rom
opening access to the air. and permitting it to de-
post its dews upon the roots and upon the earth
in contact with them.
81 have uniformly observed the effects OF TINS
method to be equally speedy and favorable In tne
cultiyation of beet-roots, and i have never en-
ployed any other to restore their vegetaton 20 lts
freshness, when they become yelio0W,lissh WIS sano
dropping; in three or four hours it Will become a
beautiful green, and the leaves sFread them,
selves out, although no rainmay hye fallen; and
this often when the soil had not conis'ned SIN
| Gle weed Thave observed the'same effect pro-
duced upon the other culinary roots
"In the South of France, where it hardly eVetf
rains during the summer the foot Of each settlng
the vine is laid bare, digging around 1t CIR
cular trench, deep and wide enough to contan'
uncovered, the stump, and the radlcles proceeaJJ
ling from it; and the opening sssPeedly coyele
lover by the leaves and branches It is eylash
that this method has another advantage tiia tilat
of facilitating the access of the air to the foots,
that it may deposit there the dews WIN 1T
4 is more abundantly charged thannc cold climates
IF it were not thus, this practice would expose
1.-THE yanes to be dried up the seorchlng heat a
the sun" sS.s5,. -, 1s u