The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-05-17
From the Valley Farmer.
Termination Prompted BY drain

dy in bene6ttmg by the improve
ments of the day as the "tillers OF
the earth" This, | believe, arises
from the fact that no branch ofindus-
try is so intimately connected with
science, and no one is SO deplorably
negligent of its teachings. l pro-
pose, through your valuable paper,
calling the attention of Agricultu-
rists and Horticulturists to a few of
the facts connected with the germi
nation, growth and matura,ion Of
plants, as taught US by Chemistry
and Vegetable Physiology, and poin-
ting out the necessity Of bringing to
our aid these facts.
Every seed is an organized body,
and possesses a dormant vitality,
which requires certain stimuli to
bring it into action. These are
heat, moisture and oxygen. We
have striking truth OF this state
ment in the history of what is known
as the Egyptian Wheat, which had
its origin in grain found in the
wrappings of an Egyptian mummy
lately unrolled. This grain Of wheat
must have maintained its dormant
state of vitality for centuries. The
vital stimuli, heat, moisture and OK
ygen were excluded, and the chemi-
cal afinities necessary to arouse it
TO actual life were not brought into
play.
The necessity of these stimuli is
then svident--in fact, it may be sta
ted as a fixed maxim, that no vital
action is spontaneous.
Every one is aware that when his
seeds are put into the earth, if it is
wet and cold they will not germi-
nate. The reason Of this is apparent
If we turn TO the phenomena of
termination, recollecting the facts
already stated, that seeds are organ
lied, possess dormant vitality, and
require certain stimuli to arouse this
dormant life. Throw quantity of
moist grain into heap, and then eX-
pose it to the influence ofthe air and
the heat OF the sun. In few days
you find it warm, and the germs be-
gin to put forth. Why is this p
Chemical changes have been COM
menced under the influence OF heat,
moisture and oxygen. The oxygen
Of the atmosphere has been uniting
with the carbon and hydrogen of the
grain, which is a species OF combus-
ton, and heat was the result. The
germ of the plant thus aroused from
its state of dormant vitality by the
genial warmth, puts forth "thing
of life" These changes are neces.
sary in termination, and it cannot
take place without it. THEY are
the lawS Of nature.
II, instead of simply moistening
your grain, you throw it into a tub
of water, and expose it to the same in
fluences, decomposition takes place.
The dense texture of the water pre-
vents the free admission of oxygen
from the a.nosphcre-the excess of
water, which is a powerful cooling
sgent, prevents the necessary
warmth to bring into play the chem.
ical changes, and the dormant germ
Of the plant is chilled into ''thing
of death"
Let us see if draining will promote
these changes. The object Of drain
ing is to get rid of an excess of wa
ter. What do you accomplish in
this? Every one knows that when
water is permitted to stand upon his
land, it becomes close and compact
in texture, and of course impermea-
BILE to fluids and gases. Remove the
cause, and the effect will cease
Youa land will become light, porous
and permeable. The water falling
upon it will be absorbed and carried
off by your bitches, and the oxygen
of the atmosphere will pass freely
through it and come in contact with
your seeds. You not only get clear
of an excess of water, and permit the
access of oxygen, but you raise the
temperature of your soil. This is
accomplished in two ways:
l. Porous bodies (being bad radi-
ators J retain their heat much longer
than dense ones. The rays of the
sun warm your land, but when night
comes, it begius to cool by radiation,
and If it is compact, soon loses all
that it has gained but fit is porous
it cools slowly, and retains the
warmth Of yesterday, TO be added to
the new supply of to-day.
2. In removing water from it, you
remove a most powerful cooling a
gent. One of the laws of nature is,
that when body is changed from a
rare to denser state, heat is evolv-
ed but when from a dense to rar-
er state, heat is absorbed and he