Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-11-09

! of growing plants. which must not be regarded
n trivial or Insignificant. For four tons Of per
feetlv dry vegetable matter will yield nearly
one-fourth as much carbonic acid as exists IN
| the whole atmosphere over an mere OF land. III
i. constantly rising through the leaves and fnr-
nishing an additional supply Of food 1t also
ncts in combination with water a. n solvent upon
the mineral ingredients of the soil and by this
means furnishes AN increased supply ofthe NOR
eanic elements of food 10 plants. The power
of water charged with carbonic acid to dissolve
the important minerals tested by the fro-
fessors Rogers. late of our University. by their
experiment. the specimens digested III carbomc
acid water frequently furnished sufficient a
mount of the dissolved mineral To admit Of guam
titatiye anal ysis-reachng in some instances
from : TO per cent of the whole mass.-t Lac
big.105)
The other means of fixing the nitrogen of the
atmosphere is by proper rotation of crops tap
pears TO he IA well established fact, that certain
plants possess the power of assimilating and fix
ing the nitrogen of the air either distinctly through
their roots,or by inducing the formation of com
pound of nitrogen which Is appropriated. Among
these plants the clover, peas, beans and all pod
bearing or legnminous plants, are the principal
Raflin's Essay on Calcareous Manures, y. The
more frequently they come into the rotation, the
greater will be the relative assimilation of nitro
gen, and the consequent supply of ammonia to the
soil Direct anal ysis has settled the fact that where
lheStplullS come into the rDtutlontne amount o1
nitrogen contained in the crops greatly exceeds
that applied to the soil in the whole of the manurcs,
showing AN excess per acre, of from thirty 10 one
hundred pounds of nitrogen. This valuable prop
criY OF this class of plants distinguishes them as
the best ameliorating crops in any rotation. 1t is
due to TINT distinctive power of feeding upon the
nitrogen Of the atmosphere, and preparing 1t for
the food of the cereal, or other marketable crops
i'll the rotation. This class of plants must not lee
regarded as the means of retaining in the soil what
itpfoyloasly posscssedb but : milking IA large adj
dtion to it, fertility through this power Of supply
ing nltrogcn;nnd to this must be attributed one
OF the great benefits derived from the usual five
field system, where two clover crops intervene IN
the five years.
have now, Mr. President shown the mex
haastible supply of organic food for plants with
III the atmosphere which surrounds use supply
which Is constantly kept up by combustion, the
decay of organic matter and the respiration of
anmals-prodacing an eternal circulation of mat
ter between the earth and air, by those unchang
ing laws, which an all wise Crearor has ordained.
Whilst combustion, respiration, and decay tend
constantly To render the air impure and unhealth
by consuming its oxygen and increasing its
cafbonc acid, vegetable life is continually absor-
bing the carbonc acid and throwing back pure
oxygen. And so upon the nitrogen of the at
mosphere by means more obscure, but still rs
certain and inyariabe, the uniform relation is
the vegetable creation The earth must produce
its vegetation TO purify the air for the health of
man. The winds will sow noxious seed, if the in
dustry OF man does not scatter those that yalu
able If you do not SOW grasses for stock the
elrth will produce its weeds for vermn. The
material world has its unchanging laws; and
amongst these it is plainly written, that n living
vegetation must spring up to purify the air, in
exact proportion combustion, respiration and
decay proceed. Under the direction of intelli-
gent industry this living vegetation furnishes the
food for animals and men. The air can supply
nutritious crops as easily it can noxious weeds
Man has his obligations and duties to perform in
respect to the material word-mede after the
likeness of his Creator, with the lneaments of di-
yinity traced upon him, and living soul within
him, he is sent forth to subdue the earth and to
have dominion over every living thng;-not with
folded hands and in slothful idleness, but in the
sweat of his fneo shall he eat his bread, until he
return unto the earth, If like the sluggard he
folds his hands, thistles and briars will spring up
around HIM, and poverty and want will come
an armed man. 1t was not promised To the soth-
fal, that sbouneous crops should crown his sloth,
but that tlstles and brlars, the pests of the veg
etabe creation should be the ministering agents
to purify the air which he contaminated.
That element of the air which is the nutritious
principle of food is also the ingredient of fertility
to the soil. We have already seen, that the clio
yer crop has the peculiar power, with the legu-
mlnous plants of assimilating the nitrogen of the
ar a good clover crop ON every field should be
Il paramount object with the farmer. A consider
able outlay may be justified to bring the land in
to such condition that it will produce it, a large
proportion OF the materials for manuring may be
proitably applied to aid il. Special manures may
be safely purchased to effect this object When
the land has been SO far improved as to secure Il
good stand ofclover plaster is the specific man
ure for that crop. There are some soils upon
which plaster produces no effect. 1t is stated in
Golcman's European Agriculture, (273) that in all
England. he had not been able to find "A well at
tested example gifts being applied with any ben
eft whatever. Some soils ,marls and limestoncs,
contain II in sufficient quantity to render its APP
phcation unnecessary-an the mere application
OF mari or lime may docompOse some sulphatc in
the soil and furnish sufficient supply. Its gen
era effect is to double the crop of clover; and |
cannot more strongly impress upon farmers its
great value IN producing this result, than by quo
ting from an eminent French author. Direct
analysis shows, where the clover crop is increas-
ed one ton by the Intervention of plaster, there
is Il gain of one hundred pounds of am
monia, and this gain is caused solely by the ap-
Piicaton ofpaster. (Bousingault ;}25). This is
more than sufficient to supply large wheat crop
The plaster has no direct action upon wheat and
it is only through the medium of the clover that
its beneficial influence is exerted
The quantity of the plaster applied to the acre
m many parts of Europe, varies from j cwt to
! 10 cwt, or three quarters of IA ton per acre
| tl}ousingault, BOO 1t is stated that in the mod
orately MANFRED soil, rs all the world knows.
! plaster shows no sensible Improvement: and that
! 1t Is to throw away both money aud trouble to
| put plaster upon unkindly and impoverished
bottom (Bousngault 326.) | am not Informed
! OF any trials with plaster in such quantities in
"a in