The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-05-06
AGRICULTURAL.

Tux HoRTIcuLrURIsT for April Just pablish-.
by NJ. IL. Newman & Co, Of This city, has for
its first article another Of those excellent paper.
of the editor on the proper treatment Of differ
ent soils, and the improvement Of sEch as are
deficient in the proper qualities. We make the
following sKtract
The natural remedy for heavy clay sol in
Kitchen garden, is to mix sand with il Tn,
acts like charm upon the stubborn alumiRa
and, allowing the atmospheric influences 10
penetrate where they were formerly smut out
gives a stimulus, OF rather an opportunity, 10
vegetable growth, which quickly produces is
result in the quantity aud quality Of the crops
But il not unfrequentiy happens that sand :
not TO be had abuRdantly ana eheaply enough
TO enable the proprietor Of moderate means 10
effect this beneficial change. In This case. We
propose TO the kitchen gardner to achieve has
object by another mode. equally efficient, AM 50
easy and cheap as to he within the reach Of a.
most every one.
This IS TO alter the texture Of too heavy soils,
BY burning portion Of the clay.
Very few Of our practical gardners seem 10
be aware Of two important facts First. thai
clay, whea once burnt, never regains is power
Of cohesion, bat always remains in a pnly-rizsd
oNAAcs hA'AeAeAFa = larA a. hrfAaAs htcNualu
cally, in making a heavy sOil light. a. sand H.
self Second. that burnt ebay, by its power Of
attracting from the atmosphere those gassr-
which are the food Of vegetables, is really a
most excellent manurs itself. Hence, in any
eiaysy kitchen garden, where brush, faggOts, VI
refuse fuel Of any description can be hal. there
Is no reason Why its cold compact soil shoUld hot
be turned at once, by this process Of burning
the clay. into one comparatively light, warm
and productive.
The officially which stands in the way Of the
kitchen gardener, who has TO contend with a
very light and too sandy soil, Is its want Of ca
Pacity for retaining moisture. aud the conse-
quent failure Of the summer crops
In some instances this is very easily rrlne,ied
We mean in those cases where iOam or heav-
er subsoil lies below the sarfaee. Trenehins.
or subsOil PlOughing, by bringing up part Of
the alumina from below. and mixing il With the
sand of the surface soil, remedies the deirci
very speedily. Bat where the subsOil r. 40 bet
ter than the top, or perhaps even wOrsr there
are bat two modes Of overcoming this bad CSR-
stituliOn Of the soil. One Of those is, 70 grs-p
the difficulty at once by applying a coat 81 clay
10 the surface Of the soil, and mixing il sita
the soil as you would manure; the other a les-
expensive and more gradual process Is 10 ma-
azure the kitchen gaEsiea every year with com
post, in which clay ~ stFORg lOaHa forms large
proportion.
IL may seem, to many persons. ssite out Of
the question 10 attempt TO ameliOrate sandy
soils by adding clay. bni IL is surprising hO~
small a quantity of clay, thoroughly interning-
led with the ioosest sandy soil, viii give it dif-
ferent texture, and convert il lnlO a good loan.
And even in sandy districts there are often
valleys and low places, quite near the kiJchrE
garden, where good stock Of clay lies, lPrr-
haPs quite unexpectedly ready for Uses OF thi'
kind.
In the Journal Of the Agrieaifarsl Socisfy o.
EagIaRd a case Is quoted, (vOl. ii, p. o., where
the soil was white sand, varying in depth from
one 90 four feet; II was 50 sterile that no rroP-
could ever be grown upon II TO profit. By CIV.
ing il a toP-drrssiRg Of clay, al the rate Oi I'D
cubic yards 10 the acre, the whole surface Of the
farm 50 treated was improved 10 ths deP;h Of
ten OF Twelve laehes, 80 as 10 give excellent
crops
Since soil, once rendered more teaacior,s IN
this way, never loses this tenaciiy, The ihAPrSss
ment Of the kitchen garden, where economy 4
| Necessary, might be carried gradually, By
taking one OF two eompaTtne hls in hand every
year; thus. la a gradual manner, bringing Ih'
whole surface 10 the desired condition.
great deal may also be done. as we have jus
suggested, by a judiei0ns system Of manaring
very sandy soils Ii is the common p.actice Il
enrich these soils precisely like all Others; lha
-, with the lighter and more heating kinds o.
manures; stable dung, for exampl, NOtkinI
could be more injudiciOus- Every particle o
animal manure used in too light a soil ought
for the kitchen garden, TO be eemDOsled for sOm'
time previously, with eight or ten times ia
bulk Of strong loan or clay. In this way, iha
change in the soil 80 much 90 be desireo )
brought about; and the whole mass Of clay CEN
post, made in this way, Is really equal IN valar
for such sandy soils, TO the same bulk Of cOm
mon stable manure.
Whatever the soil Of kitchen garden, on
exPerience has taught us that il should be deep
IL Is impossible that the steady and nhifOrH
moisture Al the rOots. Indispensable 10 the con
linuous growth Of many crops, during the SAN
mer months, can be maintained in a sod which
Is only one spade deep. Hsnee we would tTenei
or sulnoil-Plough all kitchen gardens, (iakial
care, trsi, that they are well dTaiAsds) whsies
sandy or ciayey in texture. We know ha
many persons, judging from theory rather thii
practice, cannot see the value Of deepening sob
already too porous. But NE have sees lis al
saniages strongly marked In more than one -
stance, and, therefore, recommend Il with COZ
hdence. IL is only necessary 20 examine lig .
Soils trenched and untrtnched, TO be eonvinee'
OF this. The roots in the former penetrats ar
gather nouriShmsnt from twice the cubic ans
that they do-ia the latter; aud they are not hal
80 easily affected by thslimosehsFie changes
tcntfo-2t44c- 49, rH