Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-07-23
HON-EXHAUsTING CROPS.

There appears to be a singular error ope-
rating on the minds and influencing the
conduct of a certain portion of our farming
friends. allude to the belief entertained
by so many few years since, and so
strongly urged in some of the most inHuen-
tial agricultural publications, that certain
crops are "non-exhausters, and that, in
stead of depriving the soil of its humus, or
formulating pabulum, they not only do not
take anything from it, but on the contrary,
add essentially to its staple. Among the
crops enumerated as belonging to this a
nomalous class, are buckwheat, peas, clo-
yer, beet-root, carrots, and, as some have
supposed, tobacco. The most remarkable
Of the above, so far as this putative power
IS concerned, is buckwheat, which is fire.
suently sown to enrich poor lands, and
ploughed in at the period of inhorescense,
or when in full bloom. The capacity of
soils thus treated to "meal" of buckwheat
to produce cereal, is supposed by many to
prove conclusiyely the non-exhausting ma
ture of that plant. The same, though in a
somewhat restricted sense, is said of the
other enumerated crops. 1t will, however,
be easy to prove conclusively the entire err
roneousness of this hypothesis, if chemical
analyses are to be relied on. A celebrated
writer on agriculture, speaking in his usual
.fy lucid style of buckwheat, says:
"Buckwheat-the entire plant including
the seeds, dried at Sc degrees Fahrenheit,
yields four per cent. of ashes. The constit-
uents Of these ashes must have been deri-
we'd from the soil. The analysis ofthe ash
es of Buckwheat shows that they consist of
% parts of potas. salts; IS parts Of lime
and magnesia salts; and 26 parts of silica
(sand. Buckwheat must therefore be legit-
imately classed with lime plants, since lime
and magnesia predominant in its ashes.--
The cultivation of buckwheat will therefore
deprive the soil principally Of its lime and
magnesia salts"
1t will hence be seen that the abstraction
of so heavy per centage of these salts
from soil, must remove any plant, by
which il is effected, from the category of
non-exhausting crops, if indeed any such
shall be found really to exist. That buck
wheat derives considerable, nay, very
large proportion of its aliment from the at
nosphere, there is, and there can be no rea-
sonable ground to doubt but that it is capa-
bic of actually enriching the soil, by the
mere act of growing, unless what it takes
from the soil, associated with that which it
derives from atmospheric sources, be return
ed to the former, is fallacy too absurd for
the most SIMPLE to indulge. When grown
IN this manner, turning it in unquestionable
augments the staple of the soil, and thus it
becomes an amsliorating crop but If the OBJ
ject Of its cultivation be simply its grain
no crop, in my opinion, is more decidedly
exhausting. have grown it on soils in
which the most accurate chemical annaly
Sis detected but a very diminutive amount
of calcareous matter, and on attempting to
cultivate the same land the next year in
corn, with the assistance of the most ener-
sstic manure, literally supplied, have, with
cut single exception, failed to secure
crop. have now entirely renowned its
cultivation as a grain crop, except in very
peculiar cases, and then only on limited
scale. The grain is excellent, but, like the
gold Of California, It often comes too dear.
- Correspondent Of he Geym1atossr Isls-
grspl.