Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-07
Enunun fire. press.
AGRICULTURAL.
From Ohio Farmer.


SoaREL-VALuABLE HINTs.-Your cores
pondent W., in your number of the I'd inst,
states that he had made three unsuccessful at
tempts, by sewing timothy and clover, to sup
press, or Kill field of ''sorrel," but succeeded
in DESTROYING it by setting the field in "June
grass He leaves it to the Scientific man"
TO say whv the latter grass would take, in pre-
ference to the other kinds.
Now, Mr.. Editor, without making any pre-.
tensions to .'Science,''I think it will net be
very hard to explain this matter. 1t will be
recollected that food is as essential to plants as
it is to animals. And like animals every vari-
ETY. must have its particular kind; and they will
as assuredy perish without it as will animals.
Every portion of soil contains more or less food
for all the plants common to the country; but,
owing to its geolo Iical formation, or other cir
cumstances, il contains greater portion for
some kinds than it does for others. Suppose,
amount of nutriment for the sorrel than there
was for the timothy or clover, the result would
be precisely as he saws it was; the former would
outgrow and overshadow the latter. But, sup
pose again, the food peculiar to the June grass
was a richer abundance in his soil, than that
of he sorre then, again, the sorrel would have
to give way to the grass, just as be states it
did.
1t is fact that any plant, or vegetable,-if
unaided by special manuring-cOntinued in
any given location, will, sooner or later, con-
sumo out of the earth all the food within its
reach; essential to its nature, after which it will
perish and pass away, and will be succeeded by
some other kind whose peculiar food remains
undisturbed. On this fact is predictaed the
principle of rotation in field crops, so well I'M
derStool by enlightened A Agricultural ST..
Bat not only is this principle of rotation ap-
pcable TO the products of the field but it is
going on in the forest on a magnificent scale.
| have my own timber land under fence. The
white oaks are the old tenants, and have -four
ished on the primseS for ages. But the young
growth is a mixture of white and black oak
/ extended every possible protection to the for
nier, considering it the most valuable timber of
the oak kind. but to my modification and re-
gret the young black oaks are rearing up and
overshadowing the white oaks, while the latter
are perishin5 beneath their shade, making it
evident that the white oak timber is destined to
become extinct. This fact awaken a train of
reflection in my mind, which sat me to invest
eating the subject, and find that throughout
the entire forest of America generation, or
kind, of timber is passing away and different
kind succeeding; that, as a general rule, the
sapIings of any timber land differ in kind from
the old trees. See number of facts illustra
ting the forest subject in the 9th annual Report
If the State Board of Agriculture, page 400.
The same kind of rotation is going on with
the noxious weeds so called. The first vsitant,
I recollect, after opening Our lands, was a tail
white blosSomed weed. infesting our grain fields
and meadOws-next the smart weed-then the
dog fennel-aher that the rag weed and now
the NARROW. And last year | discovered some
Indication of visit from the red sorrel itself
These have all passed, or are passing away,
each living until it had consumed all its pecu-
liar aiment and then disappeared, few knowing
when or why. So, we think it more than like
". that the sorrel alluded to by our friend W.,
died simply for the want of something to live
on, having exhaust ed its supply of food.
We do not view the character of this descrp.
ton of weed with the same aversion we once
did. hen the Creator drought forth grass,
and herb yielding seed after his kind" "He !
saw that it was good" 1t may yet be aScer- |
tanned that this class of vegetables are impor-
tant agents in prompting the fertility of the
soil. They evidently live. mainly, on elements,
that are not consumed bv the usual vegetables.
Ii is more than probable that in the progress
of vegetation, and decomposition, chemical
changes are effected in these elements so as to
produce food for useful plants. Indeed, this
principle seems to he forcibly illustrated in
the case of your correspondent, under notice.
The first crop of grain he raised, on his field,
after the suliugation of the sorrel, produced
one hundred bushels of corn to the acre. When
we are visited bv any Of this ksAd treat
them as well as we can, withouts giving oursef
too much trouble about them.
MEADOW FARM, o. c. SPRINGER.