New-York daily tribune., 1849-02-16
Chemistry In IL. Relation to Agriculture.
DR. ANrIsErLs SEVENTH IEcrvsE.
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The Seventh Lecture. on Tuesday evening. treat
ed o. the Tgstl5ls Nsnars' considered In ther Cbemi
cal crstrusrs and tsar al to he growth the plant
The D. commenced With rev. Of lie previou.
portions Of The Coarse Briefly ,rscns the gradual pro
grss. Of soils and veEeia;on from their earliest tie
later periods and the necessity then arising or tee 81
did1u OF Fertihzsr. - the sol
Certsin soils favorable 70 toe growth Of vsriou.
pant. The Ssxiirases WI on'y grow where there 3.
line very srssn quantity ls required .; Is tue b.;
that quantity be supplied The Wsier Crcss is Of
the nature, and u 30 strongly marked tina, the
extent Of limestone region may sseertsined BY the
limit Of the growth OF this plant The esumnous
psuts also require lime n ground 10 strong cay
coils they vii not grow, sDd We know the msIxsbs
e.ncscy on the addition of Gypsum . such grounds in
produclrE iul crops-simply because OF the lime 50
furnish % toe ants Gypsum being comb.usiicu OF
Oh of YErol and lime the lime required by he crop 5
taken up by %. through the sctou OF the sp0ngioes
which have before been touched upon. u now become
our duty consider the Office Of these spOngioes n
taking up Al earthly matters destined for the subsistence
Of the crop.
n we burn the plant resduum q left composed Of
black substance which Is nothing but grains q char
coal and quantity Of Ssh II exposed 70 more in
and continued heat the plsa might have been al
reduced % ash. but by the ordinary process Of ucin
GRAFTON We ind the charcoal formed By examination
stances which rad been taken up By tie psntso that
the quantities OF each may be sscsrsined Thus
i We tske Wheat il u found that in the crop on
sore Of ground 4 pounds OF saline matters have been
absorbed y the roofs snd contained In 500 be OF
Wheat Agsin In tons Of Hay i l. found that 295 b,
Of solid matters have been absorbed in the same
ne. . and Potatoes also take up large amount
Plants however differ greatly in the amount, and
also the proportions and OF the substances
which they take up. II instance the Potato, nnd
that 1t takes Of acre Of ground, in nine and shalt
tons weignt, l65 lbs. OF mineral matters. Now these
mineral matters are very numerous consisting OF sill
aumins, small quantity OF iron, soda potash lime,
and lew acids, and others-in al, fifteen. Yet one
half of these potash, a parts IN loo while there
are ii parts OF phosphorc acid with lsrge proper
lions of lime and msgnesis-shoViDg thst these SUB.
stances (phosphoric acid. lime msgness and potash
must have 10 the ground before the growth Of the
plani-eise Il would not perf-c, nor MI rs tuhers-
In Oats hsi the matter which they take from the
ground is saline ana other plants furnish the same
is,ive results.
In examining the Ash yielded By plants r such abun.
dance IL found that the slOrity VI the saline solid
matters furnished by the ssh o, the srrss In the
stem. frequently not more thsn / per cent IL 10 De
traced while IL take the leaves. IL and even "a per
cent is obtained The oak does not contain per
Of them in the body but has q per cent IN the
esves The Pitch Pine contains them IN tho rels
tive proportion. Thus 10 s sesn that the leaves contain
much the larger amount Of saline Ingredients. We
ind also, tnst Is requirement OF Nature that saline
substances should be supplied 10 plsnts; as II def
cient they viii not succsed. IL has been shown ~
Liebig that forests. after they have died out sue
c-eded by trees OF entirely different kind and the
thing may be observed 10 the ordinary Grssses-
which give even after snort period rs two years
Hence must cOuntersct this, and prevent the
changes thus goisg The system adopted for this
purpose has been termed MdHuss-su5stsnces which
are added 20 the ground 10 order that the plant may
grow In more perfection.
The Dr. went - demonstrate that the supply OF Ma
uur-s-whch properly sp akng said he, are the food OF
yants-shoud be furnished with reference the wants
-. had. a.fa "A
into thr,e classes because Of the Of the
Classification but for ,s convenience-yiz those OF
reefabs animal and ot mineral origin Taking them
IN their simplest form. have the Vegetable system,
or A. Il IL termed, Green Manuring.
The DR.. then proceeded TO enumersie the various
substances used for this purposess the SpsrSna ar
ve'is, or common spurry used In the North OF Ger.
many and other parts OF Europe the White Lupin OF
France Southern Germany, SC. and which IL eN-
teusvely cultivated tor this use and Netches The
Dr considered the White Lupn vastly superior TO the
Vetch tor this purpose. Rape, however rtand. pre-.
eminent In the quantity of vegetable matters which .t
takes from the air and the amount Of saline Ingredients
il abstracts from the soil.
Laying down the and 10 Gras acts In much the
manner h. green nsuur.ng. Every years growth .
but another layer 0 mould formed y the successive
decay of the crops HeEce 4 10 that growing crops
lands which have been turned out 70 grass for a
number Of years. their growth is much more lusuri-
ant than 10 previous years
Ore ofthe most fl substances for rapid iecompo-
sition IS sea~eed the Fuel sre particularly appics
be the purposes OF the Agrcuturist sni found
% consist OF Is per cent OF solid matters
Drs straw continued the Dr. differs from the grasses
chiefly in the sbsence Of water Il is added 10 the
ground mainly, not as food O. the plant, but an
amendment b. the soil
Other subs stances which are classed under the de-
nominsi OF Green Msnures may be summed up n
the seeds oi plants from which the oil has been ex
pres.ed. a. rspecske cotton cake Sc. The pressure
and extraction of the oil does deterOrats from toe
efficacy Of these manure inasmuch - the oily par
cles were At fret derived from the air and
furnished By the soil Rape cake Is found much more
valuable in wet season. an additi 10 the ground
than in a time of drouth
Tee Dr. then went into an explanation Of the proper
ties of Charcoal manure In sbstTsctng aud De.
tanning from water al Re solid particles and then i'm
parting them needed % the roots Of the plantsnd
concluded by general review OF The subject His
next Lecture will be devoted consideration Of the
second division Of these substances, viz Animal
Manurps