The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1849-08-18
agricultural.
From the Saturday Courier.
SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.

chow your neighbor, old Peter Stubborn,
went into the next State 10 buy farm.
The owner knew what the farm was,
and adverlized it in the spring time,
when he expected damp weather. advised
Peter 10 take me with him to view the
strata of rocks below, and to analyze the
soil on the surfaca; to see how it laid for
draining, and what aspec. it presented to the
atmosphere. l told him l could save him
my expenses many times over. But Peter
scorned my advice-he thought he had
worked more land than had and was as
good judge Of land us any man in The
State; and he set off, mul,ering some thing
about mot letting book &-worms make money
out ofhlm.' He walked carefully over the
tarm-it looked green and 1ourishing, and
not swampy even in that damp, wet wealth
er He was delighted wi ii, and gaze
forty dollars an acre for 800 acres. lie
paid his $4,000 dollars, and 'ook possession.
But in the summer time, as passed tht
way, found that so much praised farm
burnt up almost with the draught, and Its
vegetation dropping and painting for moisture:
winch the soil, :ca!d no! supply! Peter
had bought . light, sandy soil laying upon
what we call geo'ogically, coal formation,
with a prctty:dccided slope towards the east
ward. / took a little of the soil and ana.
lived il, and showed him what il contained.
In one hundred parts there were about s3 of
silica or sand, 5 Of alumina or clay, 8 of
lime, Of oxide Of iron, of potash, part
of phosphoric and corbonic acids, and
parts of vegetable and orgunic matter.
Now, | said, this soil will be beautifully pro-
ductive in we. weather, but will BE- parched
IN dry weather.
"sAh, he said, Shat was how I was ia.
ken In. Isaw it in wet spring SEASON.
CITE rejoined, syou had taken me with
you, would have taken handful of this soil
from various parts of the farm, and would
have told you exactly what it contained. as
DO now. would have told you that sand
which predominate here cannot easily re-
tain moisture when the sun acts powerfully
on it, as the air readily blows into i. and the
moisture flies of';-neverlheless | would
have told you that in certain positions this
soil might be made fruitful, if ii LAID upon
favorable geological formation, and with
moist atmospheric aspect. l should then
have examined the geological strata here,
and have told you that 1t was on coal
formation consisting of beds, Of limestone
and shaless near the surface, which general
ly underlays the worst Iands-and slopine
SO rapidly towards the East, the moisture
would drain away through the sands and
down the slope, while the East wind the
most drying and piercing of all winds.
would blow with its keen drought. breath
snto the sandy soil, driving out that moisture
which had not drained away that ia sum
mer your crops would be impoverished,
and in long droughts probably. would
not grow : at all. l. could have shown
you all this, and you would have known
that the farm was Of small value, and
saved your money. Your ignorance has
caused you 10 throw away as much as you
have made 10 many years of hard work.
Bpt,'I continued, since you have bought
it, Ican instruct you how TO improve it,
by mixing with other soils, and 10 make
Proht from i by showing you the compost.
ton ct the land, and the kind of plants it
VIII best groY. To gain this knowledge
Will cost you someihing-
"sOhi then, said Stubborn, Il will have
nothing % Do With, tort rths place has cos.
me too MUCH salreadYs
- lea shin 10 shisaownsacousse.---
Now, u Gtdhborn had spent few dollars
ysss htying .beols. .snd ,atisnding lee.
turee bod nployed 1his hoafs spent Ia
paietloK g oA hsspsss, % in.1tins q
slsepds MI lu kspls essninas,--in.
yeease Spetinsehs. ks:
wodld daye8Ayeif5ss q ~ ST liara
iaHiy sh Az ~ ;||l1iaslSSi n,
81:
1y s1sff1ss6sn snf I'D send
sslsH e'an seas 81 sbankss hinssK ~
(, hsn. sgaia on =, sn.llsr atalss you.
iis MI saS sS,' IN i1.a n,od,.aea Z. .a,
fs3 sssnd SS ~, q ssondsrfal c,op Of mr..
nipe i saw HssFsly carsins on to bic