The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1844-06-06

Agricultural fhfmlstry.
The number ofnew works which have
appeared within few years on The -.
plirsliaa sfehemiesl knowledge and prin-
riples % agriculture, indicates an increas.
ing interest in this most important pur-
suit. The writings of Leibig and q
Professor Johnston, rrrenlly published,
are of great value 10 the practical agricuI.
turis;. II Is slated in = foreign paper
that number of farmers in lhe L0lhians
Of Scotland lately formed themselves in.
% society for the purpose of endeavor.
ing 90 apply the discoveries Of modern
chemistry 10 the science Of sgncullure.
For this purpose subscriptions were made
10 an amount which enabled The socieiy's
COMMITTEES % engage an agricultural che
mist. and Professor Johnston has been
EMPLOYED accordingly n salary Of $500
q year, secured % him Cor Eve years
The duiies ofIhe professor will be 10 ana
I'VE soils and also mlnurcs; "a ascertain
what elements have been taken from the
soil by the previous crop. andihe manure
which ought 10 be applied In the eirrum-
stances and according TO The nature of the
plant 10 be gruwn FrUm the discove-
rirs Of Iiehig and lhe experiments of ~.
johnson himself. much good Is expected
IN Scotland IRON the appointment of an
agricultural chemist. and the result, of his
lahors on l.rge scale.
From an article in Tait's Magazine,
which we End in Litel's very valuable
Foreign Literature, we learn that a new
work entitled Smiths Productive Farm
ing, has met with much favor among the
BRUSH sgriculuurisis. ID is not so much
an original work, as 9 familiar digest Of
the recent discoveries Of Leibig. Davy,
and other celebrated writers on vegetable
chemistry. The following exrari from
Smiths work win be of considerable in
ierest to our farmers and planters; il re-
laies to the faiioping system:
"The exhaustion Of aikaiies in a soil
by successive crops is the true reason
why practical farmers suppose themselves
compelled TO suffer | md 10 lie fallow. II
j. the greaiest possible mistake to think
tina, The temporary diminntion Of fertility
in q iield j. chiefly owing TO the loss of
the decsying vegetable matter il previous
~ contained: !, is principally ihe conse
qucnce ofihe exhaustion nf the potash and
soda. whirh are restored by he slow pro-
cess of the more complete dlsintegralion
Of the materials Of the soil. Ii isevident
that the careful iilling Of fallow land mus,
accelerate and increase this further break
ing up Of Tvs mineral ingredients. Nor
is tins repose Of the soil always necessa-
W. A field which has become untitled
for certain kind Of produce. may not,
on that account. be unsuitable for ano-
Their; and upon This observation a system
OF agriculture has been gradually forming,
the principal object Of which is TO obtain
the greatest possible produce in success
sion Of years, with the least onilay for
manure. Because plants require for their
growth different constituents Of soil.
changing the crop from year 10 year will
hhHIhtW tUC tCtHitN w uHdt Nofs (VTOft-
del il be done with jndgment,) quite as
well as leaving il al rest or fallow. In
this we but initiate nature. The oak. az.
ter thriving for long generations on par
iicular spot, gradually sickens; its entire
race dies ont; other trees and shrubs sue
eeed il, dill, at length, the surface be-
comes 80 charged with an excess Of dead
vegetable matter, that the forest becomes
peat moss, or surface upon which no
large tree will grow Generally, long
before this can occur, the operation Of ma
tural causes has removed from the soil
substances essential to the growth of
oak, leaving others favorable and neces.
sary to the growth Of beech or pine. So
IN farming, one crop in artificial rotation
with Others, extracts from the soil GER
tam quantity Of organic matter; second
carries OF, in preference, those which the
former had left, aud neither could or
would take up"