Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1841-11-05


spots Of wheat have hardly felt the in
convenience Of excessive dryness, Ior
the earth, protected Oy the straw, has
never been deprived entirely Of mos-
ture, and our blades Of wheat we're
hourshing when all around was droop
ing and uncertain. To conclude, then,
we have thoroughly succeeded in our
practical experiment, and the wheat
produced is Of the finest quality, The
straw was more than six feet high, and
in the ears we're fifty, sixty, and even
eighty grains of wheat Of full deVeIope
ment, the admiration of all who saw
them, and particularly those which grew
upon a pane of glass, and which were
quite as healthy and as arge as those
which grew upon the common earth -
1t must be observed also that there was
not the smallest particle Of earth upon
the glass, and that the plants were left
entirely TO themselves. without being
watered or attended to in any way what
ever from the time of sowing 10 the time
Of reaping."
The cause Of this success they think
may be explained in the following man
ner:
"Straw being a bad conductor Of heat
and a good conductor Of electricity
maintains the root of the plant in a me-
dum temperature, and prevents the
earth from being deprived entirely Of
moisture The moisture Of the earth,
or the substratum, being continual, (aci.
itates the gradual and continual absoTP
ton Of carbonc acid gas from the sur
rounding atmosphere, and hydrogen and
carbon, the chief elements Of noursh-
menl to vegetables, arc thus economlzed
in regular supplies where they are con
stantIy required, and pass in combina-
tion with oxygen from the roots up to
the stems and branches Of The ants in
which they are assImialed, and the
Oxygen throws ofin exhilation from the
leaves. The straw decays but slowly,
and thus furnishes its substance by de-
grees to the young plant in due progress
sion and proportion, (such as the sill
quous ingredients, for instance. Of the
pod or capsule so that the decomposi
tion OF the straw corresponds TO the four
phases of fermentation in progressing
from the SdccharjRe 10 tho alcoholic, the
acid and the putrM states, analogous TO
those Of infancy, budding, youth, and
seeding ofthe plant,
"We observe that our blades Of wheat
have but a very few roots, and those are
short and hard, something like BIRDS
claw; and this agrees with the remarks
o" Mons. RaspaiI, who states that the
most healthy plants in ordinary Vegeta
ton have the least eXuberance ol roots
and fbres,
"Another important observation also,
is, that weeds and parasitlcaI vegetation
are prevented by this method, for the
straw chokes every other plant but that
of its own seed Many other interest
ing observations might be made on nese
experiments. but we refrain at present
from intruding on your readers; but i!
any of them wish for further lntorma-
tion on this subiec. we shall willingly
afford them every facility The impor.
lance Of the general result will easily
become apparen, without further com
ment, and a revolution in the present
modes of agricultural labor is necessa'
ry consequence Of this discovery. No
tilage will now be required. nor any
artificial stimulants in manure and other
more or less expensive combinations
with regard TO soil and culture In fact,
it would be tedious 10 enumerate the
various advantages that may result in
practice from this casual experiment,
and therefore we proclaim il Simply 10
the world that all may profit by IT,"
As this experiment can be easily tried,
we hope some Of our farmers will put it
to the test, and communicate the result.
We shall certainly try it on a small
seven by nine lot Of ground, which is
the Iarges; that is vouchsaled to dwell
or IN the city.