The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1851-02-26
Improvement of Worn-out Lands, by
Plouahing in Green Crors, sc.

Ploushing in Green Crors, sc.
NJ THE EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN FARMER.
II is admitted as an agricultural
truth, that soils which may have been
long in culture. without having been
cultivated in clover, or the grasses, or
received periodical dressings Of barn
yard or other putrescent manures, must
necessarily favc become deprived Of
The greater portions Of their mould, as
every crop which NAV have been raised
upon, and removed therefrom, carried
away much of the soluble parts Of the
animal and vegetable matters which
were therein. And as il is. alsh, an
admitted truth, that mould is an indis-
pensable ingredient in every productive
soil, it stands to reason, that, when in
the course Of improv;dent culture, it
may have been distracted. it is essen
tial that il shall be restored, in order
that the soil NAV be reinstated in its
former powers of production. The
question then, how this restoration
shall be brought about: is one full Of
interest to every agriculturist. Those
wio have ample resources-who have
full supplies Of animal and vegetable
manures-who have the materials on
their land TO form composts, conpri-
sing the elements in question : need
look no farther for the means of restor-
ing the needed constituents to their
soil. But those who are differently sit
uated-who make but little manure.
and are but i'll supplied with the raw
material for forming romposts, must
turn their attention. to the next best
means Of placing such matters in the
soil as will form mould. What those
means are, is the subject Of the present
paper. We have often advised the
growing, and ploughing in, Of green
crops, and we here repeat that advice !;
and we do so, frnm belief Of its etii-
cheney. in the first place, and the ne
cessity of so doing. in the next. We
are among those who believe, that no
soil can be truly productive, unless
both organic and margaric fond be pre-
sent therein we believe, that the air
can supply a portion Of the organic
food (; butwe are firmly convinced, that
the great body of such food has to be
supplied from the earth when the fruit
is forming, and that, il il be not there,
the plants grown in il will be but poor
ly fed. We believe also, that the ca
pacity of the soil to avail itself of the
food of the air, depends materially up
on the fact of the existence in it OF
mould-that in proportion to the guam
,ity Of decayed or lccaying vegetable
and mineral matters which it may con-
tain, so will be its powers of attraction
and condensation, will be its pow
er to appropriate the fertilizing gases
Of the air. To be sure, the rain, the
hail, and the snow may bring them
down, and by the process of percola-
tion, they will lind their way into the
eirth; but it either happens to fall up
on sandy soil, wherein there NAV be
no mould to fr the gases which may
have been brought down, those gases
will speedily escape, and confer but lit
tie benefit on the growing crop, because
of the want of power in the soil to re-
tain them. The affinity of clay for
such gaseous bodies, would, b. the
power of retention, inherent in 1T, che
mically, as well as physically, exert a
much greater, and more friendly influ-
ence, IN dispensing such food to the
plants growing on it, than would sand,
whose affinity is dependent. upon the
mould itmay contain but even clayey
soils need mould nearly as much, ulti-
matcly, as do sands, as when the grow.
ing crops come 10 farm their fruits, the
earth rs, to a very great extent, the
source whence the substances for thu
formation of such fruits have to be de-
rived.
The next question to be considered
j., What plants shall be cultivated ant
ploughed in? This question is to bs
solved by circumstances. The facilit,
by which seed can be obtained--the ia
cility with wihicsa tie plants to be Sc
lected can be grown on poor land--ant
the construction Of their leaves--wheth
er they be such as to enable them t
derive considerable portions Of thei
food from the atmosphere. This latte
consideration is highly important, as al
that they derive from. that source. vii
b. SO much to be added TO the. fertilit.
Of the soil, when the crop comes to b
plougAed in.
In En- gland, and o.her Eur, pea