Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1841-10-30
From the New YolkE vea.ny Posi-.

"bch, II nus, VIII work great change IN an I'M. I
poriant department of agricultural labor Il is !
communicated to the Pans print. by Charles Pol |
lard, and Mr. Bernard, Who date their letter a, |
Bres, August, ls4I. 1t appears, tina, while they
aud some Of their friends, who farm their own |
estates, were engaged in conversation on the sub.
Iect OF agriculture, It was observed by one OF
them, that the branch Of industry was suffering
more from the want OF capital and enterprise than
any ether, and that nothing was 10 he done with.
on, manure, which was every day becoming more
scarce aud expensive. THIS remark lea TO an
inquiries mo the properties OF manure, and par
tculariy as 10 what provision nature had made in
those unculuyated regions, where there seems TO
be vigorous and luXurlant growth, without artl-
tcla assistance.
In observing nature 'unassiSted, or unthwar.
ted. lather by the hand OF man, IN vegetable re.
production, It is found that when the seed is Lpe
II falls upon the ground, and then the plant which
has Produced it sheds IN leaves or falls itself up.
on II, IN decay, and covers and protects II from
the weather, until generation has commenced,
AMI The young plant is able To grow up in health
and strength, ard full development, to recon.
mence the routine OF seeding and of reproduc-
| ton.
From this 1t follows that IN nature, every
! plant produces is own soil OF manure, aud that
| the earth only serves to bear the plant, and net
/ to AID or nounsh 1t IN vegetation. The uourlsh'
/ uent Of plants IS thus supposed to be derived
/ ,iom air aud water, heat aud light, or electricity
III different proportions, adapted to the different
varieties # vegetable raure'
With this general notion in their minds, and
considering wheat TO be, in present clrcumstan
ccs, one OF the mos important vegetable sub
stances, they agreed to try experiments, and in
October last undertook the following operations :
In field which hld been sown with I'VE be.
cause the land was deemed too poor for wheat,
plot Of twelve squme ya,Is untitled and left
without MANURE was carefully s,rewed over With
the grams OF wheat, and wheaton straw was laid
upon It closely and about one inch in thickness
In garden, also, winch had en- neglected sew.
eral years, a few sqmcyarI+ ef earth wee tod
den. over, ard the surface beng made close and
hard, some grains Of wheat we're scattered on
this hardened surface and layer Of straw one
inch IN dep'h was carefully laid over 1t and left,
as in The former case, TO taio It's chance without
uIteior attention. And in order to make doubt
impossible concerning The mere secondary lunc-
ilons OF tai cath IN vegetable reproduction,
twenty Grams OF wheat were sown upon the SUI.
face Of d pane Of glass and covered vita some
straw alone, as in the other case.
The termination of the s'ed was soon eppa-
rent and most healthy in development {" The
wi ter has been rIgoro~a,' .,y '',.sv e.--a-t v.-
dents, "tor thus pant OF the cpontry,And the Garth
has sometimes been ro2en IN one solid mass to
a dep h Of So inches in ne garden where the
wheal was sown, and tbs h, happened several
umes during the wuler 10 the great luJury OF
mauy phuts, ana even the entire destruction oil
some, while the spots protected by the straw
were never thoroughly CONCEALED, nor we're the
grains OF wheat, though lying ON the surface un-
der the straw, at all affected by the cold. During
the spring excessive drou.h,s olonged, Fad
several times repeated, have prevented vegea
ton on the common plan from llourishng il
healthy progress, while our ltlIe spots of whea
have hardly felt the inconvenience excessive
dryness, tor the earth protectea r the straw ha
never been deprived entirely Of moisture, aud Oh
blades OF corn were hourishIng, when all arount
vas dropping aud uncertain. 10 conclude, then
G we have thoroughly succeeded in our practlcn
experiment, and the wheat produced IS OF tn
=, finest quality. The straw was more than six Zee
high, and 10 the ears we're so, 60 and even 8
. grams Of wheat Of full development lhe admIo
non OF all who saw them, and particularly !hos
n which grew upon the pane OF glass, and who
were quite as healthy and laige as those who
II grew upon the common earth. 1t must be Oh
4, served also that there was not the smallest part
Gle OF earth upon the glass, and that TIE pIanl
were left entirely to themselves, without bein
watered or attended to in any way whaeyC
IS from the time Of sowing to the time of reapIng.
The cause Of this success they think Elay b
explained IN the following manner:
- straw being bad conductor OF heat and
!" good conductor Of electricity, maintains the roc
Of the plant in medium temperature, and pre-
& vents the earth from being deprived entirely
d moisture. The moisture OF the earth, or the sui
n stratum, beng continual facilitates the gradui
Il ard con- tant absorption oil bone acid gas lroi
1t the surrounding atmosphere, and hydrogen an
e car.ou, the chief elements OF nourishnent t.
y yeg6t tles, are thus economized in regular SUI
3 plies whele they are constantly required an
&c pass IN combination with oxygen from the root
v up to the stems aud branches Of the plants
er which they are assmIlaled and the o&ygea throw
u, off IN exaatlon from the leaves The straw d.
8 Gays but slowly, and thus furnishes its subsianc
70 BY degrees TO the young plant in duo progresso
ST and proportion, (such as the sllqnous ngredlen
10 for instance, Of the pod or caPsule,) so that Il
q. decomposition Of The straw corresponds to tt
er four phases Instrumentation in progressing iro
nc the saccharIue 10 the alcoholic, the acid and Il
is putrd states, analogous to those Of infancy Iu'
as ding, youth and seeding Of the plant.
n We observe that our blades OF wheat hs'
OF but very few roos,and these are short aud na
re something like BIRDS claw and this agre
al with the remarks Of Mons. Raspa, who stat
nd that the most healthy plants IN ordinary 'esei
n. ton have the least exuberauce Of roots and
er bres.
lsl "Anothel important observation, aIse, IS, IN
c. weeds and parasitical vegetation are prevent