Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-01-31
Agricultural
"a 20 From the Southern Cultivator
scfeiicc applied to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Physi-

~ sa From the Southern Cultivator.
Science applied to Acknowledgment Physi
- oIcgy.
Why do planters do those things and
the rising generation from raising the cry Westward
Ho August number of Southern CnLttrator Is4S
Mr.. EDIToR,Under this 6 text" propose to corf.
slider few OF the most important practices of Seien-
tlhc Agriculture III connection with some facts in
Vegetable Physiology and Chemistry, leaving the far
mer to- reflect upon the subjects presented and no.
ping that due degree of actfon-without which all
our reasoning will be in yain-will spring forth as
the legitimate offspring of his thoughts
LIST ManWing.--The fact that plants, as we'll DIS
animals, possess fe and that they require food to
support this life cannot be too strongly impressed
upon our minds The questions then arise, from
whence is this food how is it taken in and how
assimilated by plants 4 These questions involve
much, and would require. for a full answer detail
of Vegetable Physiology far beyond the limits of this
article Suffice it, that the food is derived from the
air and the earth-that it is taken in from the air.
by species of respiration carried on by the leaves
and from the earth, by absorption throug the roots
and that plants possess the power of breaking up the
compound bodies (COa, HO, and NHs) thus taken
IN and repairing them into their ultimate elements
". H. w. N, and then re-arranging or assimiating
them into other and entirely different compounds as
woody fibre, bark, leaves, fruit sap gum starch SUI
gar, &c. which all consist of the four elements above
united with the mineral portions of the plant which
1t also possesses the power of distributing as its
wants require.
1t will be at once seen, that the food which is ia.
Ken IN by the leaves must be gaseous FORM while
that by the roots may be either gaseous or in the
form OF soluble substances, they are both taken
up by water We find, them that while both the
roots and leaves may take in the organic food of
plants (carbonic acid, ammonia, and vapor of wa
ter they are entirely dependent on absorption bro
the roots tor their inorganic food The air and the
earth then, are the granares of nature. in which
the food of your plants is laid up and if any clement
OF them is not found in these YOU must supply it. if
You wish healthy and abundant growth of such
plants.
The organic portions of plants consist, as already
stated, of Carbonc acid gas, Hydrogen, Oxygen and
Nitrogen These are all supplied by the air There
Is then, but little danger from the nature of the at
mosphere-the property Of which is such that it
maintains its relative proportions at all places and
thus possesses a seltrenoyatng power--that your
plant will not be supplied with food for it's organic
portions but its inorganic portions, its minerals are
as necessary to healthy growth the organic con-
The cotton plant can no more flourish without its
phosphorus and potash, than without its bark and
sap. Unfortunately for the planter, these substan-
ces are not always furnished in abundance by the
earth, from which alone they must be derived and
II they We're at first in sufficient quantity are liable
to be exhausted by your crops and the teaching of
your land Nor is this deficiency so easily supnled
by nature The earth. from its stationary charac-
ter is deprived of the selfrenouating power of the
atmosphere. The necessity, then, of feeding your
plants with these inorganic elements by appiyinp
them as manures to the earth whenever there is q |
deficiency, is evident
BY reference to an analysis, by Thomas j. Sum-
mer, C"'goor" 1919 page IA, it will be seen that
the cotton plant gave 1887 of phosphoric acid and
% Oh of potash in 100 parts Here is an evident in
dlcation for phosphorus and potash Feed your cot
ton then, with phospbates Contained largely in
bones and with ashes. which contain potash in a.
bundance This example is only cited to show the
simplicity and certainty of the system All the 9th
er ingredients of your plant may be supplied in the
same way.
But while insist upon the application of mineral
substances, | would not reject vegetable manures
There may be lands rich in minerals and Door in |
vegetable substances To these it would be follv to
apply what is already superintendent We have
seen that plants take in carbonic acid (Which is the
form to which vegetable substances must be reduced
by decomposition, before they can be taken up and
ilsSmllated by plants, through their roots IT, them
there are decaying substances around the roots it
but natural to suppose they will receive a larger
portion of carbonic acid, and produce a more ahEn
dant growth the minerals being taken in in the
same increased proportion But if the organic Gle
ments are alone furnished in abundance the size of
your plant may be increased but it will be an abnor
NAL increase and can result in no good 1t is from
this fact that compost manures which contain both
the organic and inorganic parts of plants are so gen
orally beneficial
The difficulty of impressing the Importance of
these theoretical views as they called, upon
a set OF men who style themselves g plain farmers
arises from the fact that Agriculture had its origin
long prior to science and hobbled en- for ages with
out Its aid and now the old veteran refuses indip-
nantly to be guided by this child of Yesterday Trne
enough, you may live your rich lands and hobble
on st without any such aid, but is it good philoso-
ply to reject the suggestions of science without ex
animation, and still pursue the plans under which
your lands are wasting and your crops failing? Ty
t if it fall then condemn.
Respectfully, R. D. WEBB, M D.
Scoober, kemper CO., Miss, Dec, 1850
From the Columbus Enquirer.
Saving Meat the south.