Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-11-20

in Charles county, as an agricul,urist, GER
iainly become man Of wealth before he
reaches the meridian of life, enjoying too,
the while, comfort, plenty, respecabllliy,
happiness Yet these advantages have been
neglected.; these desirable results have not
very frequently, though they have OCCASION
ally been attained; and we see our county
sparsely peopled, its advantages and capa-
bili,ies undeveloped and unknown, and hun
dreds of thousands of acres capable OF the
highest improvement, and of being made to
contribute incalculable amounts 10 hum m
subsistence and human enjoyment, lying
waste, neg elected and abandoned; and many,
many thousands Of acres more, so poorly
cultivated, so neglected, starved and other
wise mallreated, as 10 nuke every one wish
TO shun the sight.
| Wherefore does this state Of things still
exist? will not attempt 10 tell but this
let me say, the fault is our own. The re-
medy is within our reach, and thanks to you,
sir, and to those associated with you in the
organization and conduct Gf this Society, the
spirit manifested on the present occasion
gives assurance that the remedy is about to
be vigorously applied. Wha. is that RENE
| dy? FIRST in the thoughts perhaps OF most
OF my audience, if not in fact, is the direct
means of restoring, or Of importing anew,
fertility to our impoverished soils: and the
inquiry is for the best and cheapest mode
of effectng that object. Of this ! will
therefore speak first; though in my own
view of the subject, and according 10 my
observation, it Is not the first, nor by a
great deal the most difficult thing to be
done; but it will follow as a natural,
easy and almost certain consequence OF
amelioration of different kind, which
must precede all and every successful at
tempt at general improvement Of our lands,
and without which, the best theories, the
largest experience, the most matured sys-
TENS Of fer,iIizing will be produced, ex-
planned and illustrated again and again in
vain: ] mean thorough reform in many
Of our habits. But, first, of the direct means
Of improving our soils. So wide field is
here presented, the materials are so abun-
dant and mnltifarious, that it is extremely
difficult to know what scope one can allow
himself withou, danger Of transcending the
proper limits prescribed alike by The occa-
sion and your convenience and patience
Our objec. is TO make two blades of grass
or two ears of corn to grow where one
grew before. The mind naturally then in
quires by what agencies did the icst one
grow. Knowing these, if they are subject
to our control, our object can be accom-
plished; but these agencies are not single.
they are multiudinous, qualifying and mo-
derating or exciting each other in such an
in6ni.y of ways as oflen TO elude our closest
scrutiny. Many of them too are so minute
or so subtle that they are practically beyond
our control, as light and electricity. So il
is extremely difficult, perhaps it is impos-
sible, for us to know the precise agencies
which occasion vegetable growth yet, by
scientific research, observation and expert
ence, we have acquired much useful know
ledge on the subjec, and may still acquire
much more. Although we do not know
nor understand all these agencies and their
modes of action, we have yet been able 10
discover the potency of many of them, and
to degree, the concurrent action of most
of those Of cruder or more material nature
Enough we have discovered to serve as a
lamp IN our path, and TO teach us to search
for more. We know that the most solid
rocks are being broken down, the hardesl
minerals are dissolved and enter into the
composition Of the most delicate vege bIes
We know too the softest and most fluid oi
materials, waller, air, light, are solidifed and
enter into, and make part Of, the mos
solid substances which are constantly be.
ing produced in the great workshops of ma
ture. We know that this decomposition ant
composition of matter is constantly going
| forward, according as the agencies and com
ponent materials of organized substances arc
brought into such relative positions as te
allow of their appropriate action and re-ac
ton taking place between them. We else
know that these same component materials
placed beyond the reach of dssolving an(
assimIaling agents, will be dormant and in
ert in their original form for ages upon ages
Hence, we see how important to agricullur,
is science; how emlnenlly promolive o
success in improving our soils are, or ma,
be, the lights which she sheds in our way
Hence, we see too how it may be that sol
apparently barren-nay, actually barren
may contain all the elements of fertility saw
only one, and wanting that but in minut
quantity-an alkali or an acid, or both in th
form Of neutral salt, TO serve as a solven
or stimulan,, or a neulralizer-such a
!, gypsum, lime, &C., whose action may b
lIkened for illustration, to that Of yeast il
your bread. These, when absent, we Cal
supply in sufficient quantities a, moderat
cost and with great profit upon such soils
Chemical ana ysis will shew the soils il
which they are deficient, so will expert
! meni, the Safest teacher. My belief is, ths
it is in one or the other of these substance
: :hat The deficiency of The great body of ou
lands consists. They certainly seem t.
possess the other and more bulky element
cf fertility in Ureat ahundanre Soda ~. 40