Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-06-28
New Indications in Agriculture.

pfactlcal iactS winch nave passed under
my personal observation, since my atten-
ton has been directed to the subject Of
agriculture, differ SO materially from the
received opinions ofthe present day, that
| have been induced to submit them for
your consideration under the hope and
expectation that you or some one equally
qualified, will correct them if they should
be found erroneous. With this view,
shall state them in distinct, substantive
propositions. ss a4@@as
lst. 1t is not true that any plant which
the farmer is interested in cutivating, de-
rives its principal nutriment from the car
bonic acid gas Of the atmosphere. AL
though air is Indispensable to vegetable as
we'll as animal life, it is equally true that
no animal can live without food, and no
plant exist in an impoverished soil with
out manure at the root. ...- "
Cd. That the only food for plants known
to the practical farmer is manure, or the
residue of putrefaction. Neither water,
oil, carbon, philogiston, nor the sui pilates,
nitrates, carbonates, silicates, phosphates
of soda, and potash nor the carbonates,
sulphates, phosphates of ammonia, lime:
magnesia; nor acids, nor alkalies have ev-
er been prousd to be the aliment of plants,
nnconnected with the purified substances
which may contain them.
Sd. 1t is not true that different vegeta-
bic matters, during their growth, extract
different fertilizing salts from the earth.
For lands exhausted by continued cultiva-
tion in one kind Of grain will not produce
a more remunerative crop of any other
kind. -..... ...... ..sG.
4th. 1t is not true that lands under cult
walton cannot be made to preserve their
natural fertility without manure, on the
contrary, lands naturally poor may be
made exceedingly fertile without the adj
dtion of manure of any kind whatever.
9th. There is no natural disintegration
Of the soil in state Of repose, and form
alton Of alkalies, unless its surface be COW
cred with some substance or other. Ex-
hausted lands which remain uncovered,
never improve in fertility by rest.
9th. The residue of the decomposition
of vegetable substances, or the 'ash Of
plants, is not manure. Nor can manure
be made of any substance, without the aid
Of the pntreiactive process. @.
7th. That analytical investigations of
learned chemists, totally disregarding the
vital principle Of life have not promoted
the interest Of agricult"rists from careful
observations Of the operations of nature,
and tbs inductive reasoning drawn there
from, but have been decidedly injurious to
its best interests. --..~
Sth. That shade is the great fertilizing
agent the putrefactive lamentations cam
not be produced without it, and conse-
quently no manures can be made, and no
fertility impaired to the earth, in any man
ner, independent Of its influence.
9th. That the earth itself is capable of
being converted into the best manure to
effect this il is only necessary that it should
be densely shaded. That is, it should be
located favorably for the generation ofthe
putrelactive fermentation.
10th. That the fertility impaired TO the
soil is more permanent when produced by
shade, than from the application Of any
manure whatever.
ll,h. That every particle of earth, as it
is naturally constituted contains portion
o.: the teriilizing principle. The surface
earth, or ''mould,' and not the residue Of
vegetable decomposition.
18th. The difference in the fertility Of
the soil, in our native forest lands, arise
solely from the circumstances of the sur
face soil being more or less densely shad-
ed. Pine, which has no leaves, and white
and red oak, which part with theirs SO
reluctantly, never leave the surface so
fertile as those trees which drop their
leaves with the first frosts.
18th. Many plants do impart more fer
liity TO the soil than they extract from it
during their growth, not in 'excrement, y
but by their shade. .ss-.
l4th. The natural provision for the re-
novation of worn out lands appears to be
this THAT some plants, like some ami
mails require but little food; these thrive
best on the poorest soils. Every practi-
cal farmer knows that if Traditional fertility
be given to the soil, they disappear almost
magicaily. ~ 49,. .r-...
18th. However Industrious land enger-
getic a farmer may be, he cannot continue
to cultivate a farm exceeding one hundred
acres, and preserve its natural fertility by
manurcs made on the farm. He attempts
an impossiblity and must fail.
10th. Through the agency of shade,
every farmer may iertilize every acre of
land which he is able 10 cultivate. In
this, consists the perfection of agriculture.
most sincerely believe that these pro-
positions may be abnndantly sustained by
facts prominently before The observation
of every agricul,urist. Yours with respect
r. Il. BALDWIN,.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SOLAR SYs-
r Professor Michel, of Glasgow Uni
versity delivered lecture before the
Club, London, and closed it
with the following extraordinary language.
:: The planets are retained in their orbits,
because two opposite forces exactly bal
ance each other. But modern astronomy
has proved that there is power at work
destroying their balance. From observa-
tons made OH the retarded return of
Encke's comet, and its gradual approx
nation to the sun, we learn the existence
of fluid, an ether, which however subtle,
tends to diminish the centrifugal force and
add to the attraction of the sun. Howev-