Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-11-06

In the Phalange, Fourier paper published in
Paris September Sth novel discovery is desert
bed, which, IT true, will work great change IN
an important department of agricultural labor
|, IS commgn,I i, to the Paris print by Chas
Pollard and Nj Barnard, who date their letter at
Brest, August, ISL. 1t appears that while they
and some OF their friends, who farm their own
estates, were engaged IN conversation on The sub
Ject OF agriculture, 1t was observed by one OF
them that tina, branch OF industry suffering
moro from the want Of capital aud enterprise
than any other, and that nothing was done with
out manure, which was every day becoming more
scarce and expensive. This remark led to
inquiry into the properties of manure, and pnrIc
uiarly as To what provision nature had made IN
those uncutlvated regions where there seems 10
be vigorous and iuAuTIant growth, without artI
fetal assistance.
'Iu observing nature unassistcd or un thwa rtcd
rather, by the hand of man, in vegetable repro
daciion, ii la found that when the seed is
ripe IT fills upon the ground and then the plant
which has produced H. sheds ITS leaves, falls it
self upon II in decay, and covers and protects it
from the weather until generation has common
ced, aud the young plant is able to grow up in
health aud strength and fall dovelop ment to re-
commence the same routine Of seeding and IF re-
production.
From this 1t loilowes that, in nature, every
plant PRODUCES its own soil hun,us, and that the
earth only serves to bear the plant, and TO aid
or nour,sh 1t in vegetation. The uourishment OF
plants IS thus supposed TO be derived from air and
'ratcr, Heat and light, or electricity, in different
proportions. adapted to the different varieties of
vegetable nature
With this general notion in their minds, and
considering wheat to be. in pre- sent circumstau-
ces, one Of the most important vegetable substan-
ces, they agreed to try experiments, and in Octo-
Der last undertook the following operations:
In field which had been sown with rye, be-
cause the land deemed too poor for wheat. a
plot Of twelve square yards, untitled and left
wfhou: manure. carefully s;rewed over wtfh
tho grains Of wheat, and wheaton straw was laid
upon il closely, and about ono inch IN thickness
In garden, also, which had been neglected sew
ere years. few square yards of earth were rotden
over. and the surface being uade close and hard
some grains of whe At were scattered on this har-
deued surface, a layer of straw one inch in depth
carefully laid over and left, as in the for
mer case, TO take lis chance withou, Interior at
teutlon. And, In order to make doubt imposs ible
concerning the mere secondary functions Of min
eral earth IN vegetable reproduction. twenty
grains of wheat were sown upon the surface of
pane of glass, and covered with some straw a.
tone, IN the other case.
The termination of the seed was soon apparent
and most healthy in Development The winter
has been rigorous saws the correspnudents afor
this part OF The country. and the earth has some
times been frozen IN one solid mass to a depth Of
six inches in the garden where .hc wheat M
sown, and this has happened several times durinr
the winter, to the great injury OF many plants
and even the entire destruction of some: while
the spots protected by the straw were never thor.
oughlv concealed. nor were the grains Of whoa,
though living the surface under the straw al a
affected by the cold. During The spring exces-
sive droaChts. prolonged and several times reoea,
ed, have prevented vegetation on the common
plan from furnishing n healthy progress. whl!e
our little spots of wheat have hardly felt the IN