The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1843-11-10
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From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser.
WHEAT CULTURE.

NrS"~'S'
; WHEAT CULTURE.
: 1t is preposierous 10 suppose that whea,
can DO fed, nourished, and bTough, 10 ma
lutity, year after year, on given amount
Of food without exhausiing it, and being
! forced at lest 10 starye and die, as il is 10
expec! that limited amount Of human food
vii! supply the whole race Of man through.
ou, all coming time.
! Prof. Johns,one Las demonstrated that,
from one acre cultivated By rotation Of
crops first 10 iurnips, yielding % tons OF
bulbs, and tons Of tops secondly IN bar
ley, yielding 80 bushels, and ton Of straw;
thirdly in clover and rye grass, yielding l
ton each in hay; and tho fourth year in
wheat, yielding % bushels and two tons Of
straw, there will be removed from the soil
300 lbs. Of pearl ash, or potash ; 440 lbs. Of
carbonate Of soda; 60 lbs. common salts
240 lbs. Of quick lime ESQ lbs. Of sulphuie
! Of agnesla-epsom salts S4 lbs. Of alum
( 260 of bone dus,-making 1929 lbs. Of solid
saline matter. Three crops of wheat equal
to the one above named, would remove
I from the soil not far from 1000 lbs. Of sa.
. ine matter. These facts are Of incalcula,
bic moment TO the cuIiv0tors Of American
soil They show conclusively that no mat.
ter how rich it may be 10 hunuS or vege-
table mould, unless as much of the same
materials be restored 10 ii as are taken a.
way, the soil mos. be impoverished. In
addition TO the above substances there
should TO no lack of carbon, silica and am.
mona ia good wheat soil. Now be il re
! membered, tina, soil may have plenty Of
alumiua, and lack silica, carbon, and all the
other ingredients; or i, may abound in sill.
ca, and lack alumina, carbon, lime, potas-
sa, &c. Fields that have been often sown
10 wheat, and robbed Of the straw as well
as The berry, without any return, il is fair
to presume they now lack all the essential
elemcnts Of that plant. In soils naturally
Astounding in lime aud clay, as is the case
10 most of the good wheat soils in this state,
there is probably less deficiency IN lime
and aauina than in the other ingredients
|, Vas knowledge Of this fact tina, induced
US 10 recommend in our former articles up.
on this subject, the use Of charcoal, which,
by lis strong affinity for ammonia aud 9th
er volatile salts in the atmosphere, is one Of
the most valuable fertilizers of an exhausted
wheat SOIL We have reason to believe,
from much personal observation, and the
highly interesting reports OF our state geoI.
gisis, thai there are many fields that lack
silica or silicious sand. This and poiassa
arc as necessary TO the growth of good
timothy grass, as they arc 10 the produc.
ton of good wheat straw. Common wood
ashes contain, however, considerable silica
as well as potash, and at present prices are
far more valuable 20 be converted into good
wheat and bay than into pot and pearl ash.
es. EYen after they have beer leached !
for the latter purposes, the residuum is a
rich and valuable manure. Next to the
application Of the liquid and solid ma.
nuro Of animals, the sowing Of com.
mon salts and epson salts, is the cheap
est method 10 supply an exhausted wheat
Geld with the chlorine and soda, the sui. !
phur and magnesia il may need. We wish |
10 impress npon the minds Of our agricul.
tural readers, that il Is as vain TO think Of
making good article Of that compound
Of many elements called wheat, out Of ono
kind Of manure, no matter what il is, as il !
would be 10 expect 10 translate all the ba,
ser metals into pure gold. You must moi
only have the right materials, but they
must DO combined in due proportions. Sir
Humphrey Davy found that solution of
alkaline salts Of greater strength than one
ounce---a common salt for insiance--to 80
ounces Of water, destroyed vegetation; and
tina, one part 10 300 Of water was the best
ratio.
Wheat, like the human family, needs
but very little salt with IFS other food, but
neither can dispense with that little. So Of
lime, magnesla, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, |
phosphorus, and other elements common TO
both.
The farmers in the vicinity Of Ediu, |
burgh have employed Professor Johnston
at salary to annalyze all the specimens Of
soil sent to him for the purpose of inform.
ing the cultivators of such soils wherever
they are defective, and what ingredients
they need to render them productive in the
highest degree. In recent address be-
fore the Royal Agricultural Society, at
Council Dinner in Derby, England, Mr..
Coleman, late editor of the Genesee Far.
mer, said that he had the most authentic |
assurance from German friend, that he
had himself assisted in gathering four
thousand bushels Of potatoes from one acre
of land.