Lewisburg chronicle, and West Branch farmer. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1850, 1850-03-20
THE FARMER.



Chemistry in the Royal Agricultural COL
leee. Cirencester, England. has coniribu.
led to the Journal OF The Royal Agricultu'
raj Society an extended and exceedingly
valuable paper on the Analysis Of the
Ashes Of Pants" These researches EN-.
brace, among other matters Of interest, the
analyses Of So varieties Of wheat, SO far as
to de.ermine The amount Of minerals which
an acre Of grain, including straw and seed.
removes at each harvest. In straw The
quantity OF ash per 100 parts ranged from
81 to S per cent. 10 one sample the ash
was only 2,74 per cent in another the
per cen.age was as high IL. The mean Of
90 specimens is Al per cent. Those vari'
eiies Of grain which had the most mineral
matter IN the strsw we're less liable TO fall,
and the stems were brighter and more ex.
empt from m;ldew and rust.
The ash 10 wheat chaf varies from 7
10 l6 per cent. In wheat, the analysis OF
sc specimens gave a mean Of l67 per
cent. This resul, is about the mean be-
tween the results obtained BY DR.. Spengel.
as copied BY Prof. Johnston in his Lectures
on Agricultural Chemistry. and NJ. Bous'
singaul,. 10 looking over the tables, We
find no ash OF the seed which contains quite
half It's weigh. Of phosphoric acid, and
none iba, has SO ll.te as 40 per cent. Tho
mex, most abaadin! elemen. is potash. Or
this the proportion ranges from 80 up TO
80 per cent. The third most abundant
minera! is msguesia, which ranges from Q
10 Ii per cent. After this stand soda and
silica, the latter being mostly in the bran.
OfIime, the figures run from II up to
over per cent Sulphuric acid and chic
rine also exis, in small quantities. 10 all
cases the grain was cut close 10 the ground,
and yet the whea, was nearly as heavy as
The straw. The bes, yields were obtained
BY dibb!ing one seed four inches in drill
and in rows twelve inches apart.
Considerable improvements are now ma
king in England in the art Of feeding whea.
plants fertilizers that abound in available
ozofe-a substance the agricultural vaiuc
Of which was frs, ,augh, by DR.. Samuel
Hitchel, of New York, abou, 60 years ago.
{, mos, abounds IN cabbages or in cruciie.
rous and leguminous plants. Aznte is but
another name 70. nitrogen, which forms
abou, lou,-6iihs Of the air We breathe.
Thi. atmospheric nitrogen is not available
IN hea, culture till it is combined chemi-
cally with hydrogen to form ammonia, or
hartshorn OF with hydrogen to form nj
,ric acid (oqua foriis) This acid CON-
bined with potash makes ssltpe,re, which
,sa most valuable fertilizer Tor wheat.
Leached ashes and stable dung in CON-
post is a sort Of ni,re bed-a contrivance
for converting atmospheric azo,e into nitric
acid, just as burning wood converts the OK.
yGc0 VI thG off fDtU CotUOuC uCl0s uC
economical preparation Of food for plants
on scientific principles. is altogether too
much neglected in this country. Probably
no. .-.,-..A f..s, Of the nquid and solid
excre,ions voided on the farms 10 the Un:-
ted States, is ever recognized in the sue.
eeedlng crops. After the manure is ap
piled 10 the land. more than moietv is
lost before i, enters the roofs Of plants. We
can never have good crops Of grain, grass.
and poia,oes. a, cheap rate. till we learn
how 10 save all fertilizers, and work up the
raw material Of our several harvss,s to the
best advantage. II is just as bad econo.
my to apply too much as too little manure,
10 any given surface.
Two ur the most extensive elements in
grain culture are phosphoric acid and rot
ash. These ore derived from the soil
alone, and ore everywhere wasted, over
more than 100 900 600 acres, in this EN-
pire Of farmers. Other elements, equally
necessary and nearly as expensive. are
also thrown away in thousand forms. Il
is high lime here Sas poudreffe manu-
factory in every city and village in th'
Uuiou and ,ha, The feriilizing atoms sc
prepared be drilled in with seed wheat
here as in England, Belgium, and China
We evincs strange lack Of common sense
by continuing TO impair The natural fertility
Of our arabic lands, with The certainty thai
we must give more and more labor fol
evary 100 bushels of potatoes, wheat. o'
corn ,hst we annually grow. Keep al
manure out of the rain. he careful to save
oil ashes, and procure bones. gypsum, and
lime. (;enesse Farmer.
Early Notwithstanding.
Lettuce, garden cress, and peas, may