Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1845-09-17
Agriculture u The most heolul, the most USEFUL and tie
most noble employment Of man-WAsHrNeToN
From tie Indiana Farmer and Gardener.
Cultivation Of ~ heat.


improve the cultivation of wheat indeed of
any thing else. The first is the opinion that what
called meatLands yield enough at rate the second
the opinion of those who soil naturally good
for wheat that there III trying to raise much to
the acre. This second opinion widely expressed by
farmers in Central Indiana. We suppose that wheat
will than twelve bushels to the
il is cultivated in this region. At that rate and
with present prices, not worth cultivation for
rcal purposes The Of seed, of labor in prepar-
ing the SOIL putting the crop, harvesting, threshing
and carrying to market greater than the value Of the
crop AT fifty bushei, and twelve bushels to the
the farmer gets six dollars which certainly does not
the worth of his time and the interest his land
Is it possible then at expense within the means of
ordinary farmers, to bring double or treble crop OF
wheat. II Nature has limits to the produce of this
grain the and if farmers have to that
limit, there in their trying do any better
But their crop fold behind what it ought TO be-
they will feel courage reach out for better mode OF
cultivation. Vegetables collect food from the at
mosphere, and from the soil; and different plants
select different articles Of food from the soil, Just
different birds, beasts, insects &C.. require diff
ferent food. One class Of plants draws potash lagey
from the SOIL turneps, potatoes, the stalk of
Another class requires le in great tobac-
pea straw, &c. Lebg partially cassfes plants
cordng the principal food which they require silica
plants, lime plants, potash plants, &c
Every plant being composed of certain chemical ele
ments, requires for its perfection soil containing
those elements. Thus chemistry has shewn, by exact
analysis, that good meadow hay the following
Silica (sand:) lime as phosphate, sulPhate
and carbonate l. lime combined with phosphorc, sui
phuric and carbonic acds) Potash (as chloride, and
a sulphatc) magncsa, iron, and soda. Whatever soil is
rich in these will be productive Of grass.
The grain Of wheat (il distinction from the straw
contains, and of requires from the so suphates
of potash soda, lime, magnesia, IRON &c
Any vegetable in its proper latitude Will flourish
soil which will yield it abundance of food and de-
cline soil which barren of the proper nutritive in.
gradients.
practical, scientific knowledge of these fundarnen-
tai facts, will give intelligent farmer, in grain
ing ATTITUDES, almost unlimited power his crops
good cook knows what things required for bread; he
selects these materials compounds them in definite pro-
porons-addug, if any Is deficient; subtractng, If
any in Raising crop is species Of slow
cooking. Here is a compound of such materials (callcd
whcat) to be made Nature agrees to knead them to-
gethcr, produce the grain, if the farmer will supply
the rails. To do this he must understand what these
materials Suppose a cook perceivng that the bread
wreched did not know exactly what the matter;
and should add SALT flour, yeast water at hap
hazard1 Yet that exactly, what mutitudes OF farmers
do They find that their fields yield small crop of
wheat They do not know what the matter is Is the soil
deficient in lime sand, clay? Is magnesia pot
ash lackngl Perhaps they do know that these
things requisite to this crop The land must be
nanured.'' Now, manure impracticable soil, Is
medicine. OF if the farmer prescrbeshc must eil
,rhat medicine what Is it vegetable matter
or pho~phates? alumna sica2 Suppose doctor
SAYS: 'you sick and must take medicine, without
knowing what the disease is, what the appropriate
remedy and should pull out handful of whatever
there in his saddle bags and dose the wretch -
That's the way farming goes on. 1.-The ten acre lot
wants manure To the barn yard he goes, takes
the dung heap, pows it under, and gets enor-
nous crop of-sraw heterogeneous manure not
what the soil wanted He has added material which
sted abundance already; but those elements. ro the
want Of which his crop suffered have been given it
The land is sicker than before. II anguishes
of element, it suffers from surteit of ano-
ter. We prepared sustain these observations BY
reference to authentic facts
Massachusetts, few years ago, not wheat-gro
ing State Cautious had given mp the crop, be-
cause neither soil climate supposed to favor it
How the have both soil and climate been persuaded &c
reent and permit twenty forty bushels grew
to the acre! 1t accident, and series Of binc
lucky plumbers, that effected the change. 1t
thinking that did it, II a change -tpash By science
Elliott, in Connectcut) Deane {both clergymen, Dex
ter Lowell, Fessenden, and many others, all men OF
science were pioneers Agricultural surveys, geolog
cal surveys skful chemical analysis of the soil and
its products have been made for now, series Of years
Hitchcock, Dana, Jackson have applied science TO
agriculture. Pamphlets, books and widely circulted
newspapers have diffused this knowledge Agricultural
societies. and county; farmers meetings discus
son such held every winter in Boston, have
kened the mind of farmers and by learning
soils sfully, good wheat is raised in large quantities
soils naturally very averse to wheat.
The average crop of wheat in great Britain is feenf
sir bushels to the acre, but forty and fifty
good sixty, seventy and eighty have beer
raised by great care.
In the whole United States it will average mucl
than fifteen. comparison of the two conntrie;
will show corresponding inferority part in the
application of science agriculture Scotland, former