Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-08-20

OF the sxty-six simple substances to which oil tn,
oodies around US be chemically reduced fifteen only
are known TO enter into vegetable and animal
Four OF these, carbon hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen,
constitute the great bulk, previously stated and
always present in the structure of animals and vegeta
ocs but not In every organic product Being ndispen
sable TO organized bodies they are denominaed
genS. Inc otnsr eleven elements, sulphur, phospho-
rus, chtorine lime, magnesia, potash soda, iron,
manganese silica, and alumina are called norganic
elements and derived entirely fror, the soil Only
very small quantities Of them exist in soils generally
ie III some crops asof wheat for instance and Of good
pasture ior iattng cattle they nearly or quite all
needed Each plant must hnssin the soil upon which Il
grows and IN she atm around H. the elements
from soil Or not IA etent Although iii the
ss;si ss's sss q sss' q g:ss sss asae
soHssinss pkoduced crop by tle addition Of very
small quantity Of substance as Of plaster or clover; the
soil containing all the other the addition
OF tis one prepares It for the of the
csop Brt the great yield induced by this application
fa5 exhaust the soil cf SsSx elenent essenxial
vege1Uic arowt under Wheh cirs~ratances eRG toil
cannot produce that growth until the absent mAt1r
added. Hence lands become whatis eaHed plaster
nck They contain much Of this substance plants
aeed, and the addition Of be of avail, while
the increased growth which the fret applications induced
caused exhaustion Of other necessary Ingredient
is owing to- the mportaat effects that small additions
OF isorganc raaerns have Jpon soil that such benefits
result from almost mperceptibe disinfegration Of
rocks this process aordng The very elements needed
and in sufficient quantities Although this disntegra
tion is rsrally scarcely percepsbe, yet find unmis
taxable evidences Of 1t in ansient British cathedrals,
where IA many inetances fully six inches Of the solid
rock of which they composed aas been away by
the " tooth of time since their erection / remember
reading few years ago, in perodcg published
the close Ct the last century, an in.ertng agricultural
fact bearing upon tiis point 1t there stated that
in making turnpike through fertile disrictin England
the stones for paving the road had been collected from
the fields distance each side, and that those
fields began deeriorats that time while the
n<pv from mxEh1r he
stones had not been gathered still maiEtuned their ert
Hty. If stones could be pufverized and mixed with the
sell it would be much better than to them and
meme should be taken from field except such de-
cdsdy in the way and cannot readily be broken All
of them contain Ingredients less important to the
growing CROP and if ingenious person would invent
machine for cruehng them with readiness it would be
great Of Improvement TO many soils where they
ex;sra
The Improvement resulting to land when covered by
stones plank straw &C. from the action of the weather
these bodies, dsinegrating and dissolvng Of
the contained materials and carrying them the roots
Of the plants, have ascribed postigs virtue in
shade. Now, already stated, elements ndis
pensable to the constitution and growth of particular
plants ana If the soil and its contained rocks and clay
destitute Of these elements, all the shade in the
g backness Of darkness will not produce them 1t has
shading the land is beneficial But the benefit does not
arise from any positive virtue in shade but il proceeds
from diminution when thus protected in the quantity
Of volatile ingredients removed from the soil BY the ac
ton of the heat from the gradual dsintegraton Of
the materials by which the ground is thus shaded and
from increased disnegration and chemical notifications
Of materials in the soil in consequences Of their being kept
continually moist. t4
1t Is ifcult realize it, but such, nevertheless, is
Ne established fact that al the loose materials consti
ing soils have xesulted from this slow process OF
the increased facility for the formation Of ewchemca
compounds Of materials in the soil which
that shade benefits land The English sathedras before
referred to effect of this dsntegraton In the
language Of the poet
"We turn to dust, and all our rightiest works
"Die too. The deep foundations that we lay
Time ploughs them up and not trace remains.
awe build with what we deem eternal rock:
"A distant age asks where the fabric stood
:" And in the dust, sifted and searched in vain,
The undiscoyerable secret sleeps.'-CoEPer
have been requested to state my opinion Of the ad-
vantage of anayzng soils with the view of determining
what TO apply for their improvement, and do
with pleasure having had experience in the prac
tcal of the subject The present state of chemical
science is such as to enable the chemist to determine
with the utmost precision, the constituents Of body SUBJ
ected to his examinations but difficulty lies in getting
fair specimen Of the soil to operate upon The quanti
usually taken to anayze is from fifty to one hundred
grains, say half teaspoon full and how is small
quantity be obtained that shall be exact sample Of
the field? If it should not be exact sample and it ap
pears almost impossible it should be, then the re-
suit will necessarily misead and is wholly useless for
practical purposes On this account place compare
lively little reliance upon any benefits likely arise from
general analysis Of soils though such analysis may
sometimes be very beneficial in determining the presence
Of hurtfu ingredient that may be dfused through
the SOIL and which may be neurazed by substance
readily determined and applied. would rely much
knowledge Of the constituents Of The associated rocks
from which the soil has resulted and the mode of crop
ping and culture to which the lands have been
and thus knowing what they originally contained, and
what has been removed from them, readily infer
what IS left II the money paid for anayzng soil, as
general thing spent the purchase Of some guano
crushed bones ashes, lme with which to experiment
On different crops small scale, il would be likely to
lead to much satisfactory and profitable results.
In connexon with this subject will take occasion to
say that farmer well over-estimate the benefits
arising from the regular perusa Of wellconduced
agricultural periodical where the experience of nte-
gent practical persons is recorded Such awork, for in
stance the Southern Planter published in this State
and edited with distinguished ability by FRANK RuTTIN
We're addressing farmers the other side Of the Poto
mac, would recommend to their notice tho American
Farmer conducted in Baltimore with equal ability by
SAMUEL SANDS. Every farmer in Virginia and Maryland
should take and read at least one of these works.
The Of agriculture well as other resources Of
good old State, would in my opinion, be greatly adj
yanced by having place where specimens Of rocks
SOILS woods grain grasses, metals, SALT COAL &c.
rom different parts of the State could be deposited,
Ind arranged according the counties. This would ut
present view Of the productions of oil parts Of the
State and by seeing the character Of the rocks enable
to Judge Of the quality Of the SOIL Such collection
,ould be made at very little expense 1t would only be
accessory for the State to provide say in the city
of Richmond or what would greatly prefer in Aexan-
lra and employ person TO arrange and record the spe
,imens The intelligent and publicspirited citizens would
furnish the materials for exhibition from their
spectve counties and neighborhoods. There is in my
mind no doubt whatever that the aid which such an es
the development Of the vast agricultural and mineral
sources of the State would be greatly more than an