Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1854-12-08

that shall yield fair remuneration for capital
and labor, and at the same time not only prevent
our lands from deteriorating, but gradually i'm
prove them? Here is question of the greatest
importance to the farmer, and not only TO him,
but to all the world beside. Millions on millions
Of acres Of what were once the most fertile and
fruitful fields, are now sterile and barren. Look
at Assyra, at Palestine, at portions Of Africa and
Europe, and even some Of the older settled parts
of our own country. And there can hardly be
anv soil sufficiently rich in the elements of reget-
able life, but that it may in process Of time, by
continual cropping and bad management, be re-
duced to this condition.
The draught on the resources of the soil in the
great West is enormous. If we reflect for a mo-
ment on how many thousands of fine cattle and
sheep are annually driven to the Eastern market,
how many million pounds OF our pork are ex-
ported TO the South and other places, and what
prod s,ious quantities Of our wheat and flour are
consumed in various parts of the world, We may
BE- able to form some little conception Of the ma
terals extracted from our fields. Now If It Is
certain tina: the loss TO the soil occasoned by the
removal Of such vast amounts of produce must
be supplied from somewhere. and in some way. or
the land is continually growing poorer. All the
manure that can be manufactured on the farm,
out of the waste materials, excrements OF the
stock, DC, will not nearly supply the deficiency.
Lime ouly brings out the latent principles of the
soil, and guano is out Of the question In the
West. In what way, then, is this deficiency to
be supplied?
The experience of the American farmer has
long since established the fact that rotation of
crops, in which several years of grass for mead
ow and pasture form indispensable part. is the
only way to prevent decrease Of the productive.
ness of his lands For it is well known tina. land
devoted exclusively to grain growing grows poor
er, and would continually become barren. From
these facts, it would seem that grass is great fer
tilizer but of opinion that it is not as mead
ow but as pasture that its good effects the
most apparent. When the grass is annually cut
off and removed, it cannot be Of much advantage
TO the ground, as when one halt is trodden down
bv stock, to rot on the surface, and considera |
Bile part of what they consume is returned in the
form of their excremen.s Grasses and other
perennials, whether herbs or trees, strike their
roots deep into the soil, finding their sustenance
where animals cannot reach, and leave what they
have thus acquired to decay near the surface, and
become food for other plants.
But it is in different way that the greatest
amount Of nutriment is obtained by grasses, in
commo with other plants, and thus transfer
red to the surface Of the ground. Chamee-
on like they possess the faculty of feeding
the surrounding atmosphere. This fact, howev
err strange it may appear, has long since been
fully established, and perhaps never more con-
clusivelv than in the experiment which we have
1.-Two hundred pounds of earth were dried in
an oven and afterwards put into large earthern
vessel the vessel was then moistened with soft
water, and willow tree, wei Ching five pounds
was placed therein. During the space of five
years. the earth carefully watered with rain
water or pure water. The willow grew and
fiourshed. and to prevent the earth being mixed
with fresh earth, or dust blown into the pot. it
was covered with metal plate, perforated with
a great number Of holes, suitable for free admis-
sion of pure air only. After growing in the
earth for five years, the willow tree was removed
and faaad r .., %ssxh s ne Nhisn"
from the tree every autumn were not included IN
this weight The earth was then removed from
the vessel again dried in the oven, and afterwards
weighed; it was discovered to have lost only
about two ounces of its original weight. Thus
one hundred and sixty four pounds Of lignln or
woody fibre bark, etc, was certainly produced
from the a-.
1t is apparent then, that ground should never
be allowed to lie naked, but should always be
covered with some kind Of vegetation, something
to imbibe and transfer from atmosphere to the
soil the fertiliziny elements with which 1t Is rife
Clover in a particular manner possesses this fac
ui,v and hence there seems to be nothing else
which SO speedily improves the quality OF land.
Even when two crops annually taken OIL. Its
beneficial effects the soil, are soon perceptlble
ANY ground not already too poor to produce a
moderate crop Of clover, may. in very few
wears, he made highly productive by annually
blowing under the crops, suffering no stock to
run on it the while.
Deepening the soil is Of the creates: impor-
lance to the farmer in order to increase the pro-
ductiyeness of his fields. Though the earth be-
low the ordinary depth Of blowing may be
nearly destitute of the elements of vegetable
life. vet by loosening it up and mixing it with
the surface soil its latent principles are developed
and a greater space is given IN which to retain
the various ingredients which constitute the food
of plants to say nothing of the value Of deeE
soil in time Of drouth. And we would inciden-
tally remark that there is no better, or less objec
tionable way to do this than to throw up abou
an inch Of the subsoil at each successive pillow
ing. until sufficient depth is attained. But ma
ture has provided other means for restoring Il
the surface of the ground those essential inyre
dents which are continually being removed b,
cropping These cannot better explain thar
bv quoting the following extract from a late artl
Gle bv one of the correspondents Of the Countr.
Gentleman.
1T is popularity of water that It can dissolv
a little of almost any mineral substance Ii In
> substances dissolved are offensive, the water
brackiSh or hard-f not offensive. though tn
water NAV be more highly charged with them,
is taste,ess Rain water is insipid because 1t
free from any saline impregnaton. Spring an
river, and especially well water. contain more c
less of the very salts that plants need.
.s OF all the water that falls from the clouds, b,
small portion ever reaches the sea- The prir
6 ,pfn ft,o