New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-04

Constantly conblniDg (in nis iunSs) Y afp u WIN
OXYGEN. sud exbl.Ds ere prod0cs Sc csroonlc
Acc, (rhr.e pounds Of Carbon 80 eight OEygsn }
Al lines. ne : chemical oomPcsisi OF % parse
ofLiuie witb a pstls (uo.'ls) Of CarOooic Acid.
and tie process Of lime-bufDiBg is Undertaken
siupir 70 excl the CsrboD'c Acid And hosrase
tbs Lime Which hid s, long been bond u2 w''ai'
in chemical union. Now, while she proportion oil
Csrbonic Acid 10 the stmosphere IL very small
the requirement Of it by gro ling plants Is very
erest ard the presence Of even 80 great pro-
portion AZ ole t. efth OF il in thu atmosphere 10
ssio 10 stimulate regetation. Bu', while veges-
bic erssth Ia thus promoted, snimd eXis.ence Is
thereby endangered; snd proportion of one or
OF two per cent. of this gas In the rem
Ger. il u fl for respiration. Tee giants OF tleicr
eat have derived the bulk Of tnsie subsste nee, nos
from the esr.h, as is generally supposed, bus from
TIE atmosphere, wheuce its solid Carbon msiaiy
comes; go that you usy gov Iree weighing
tup in bcx of earth, remove It and ws'e toe earth
from its roots thoroughly, and ycu wi'l hAve very
little less earth remsniOs 10 the box 80 Al when
the tee wss FIRST plated in tao box, nero tSig
weight a Few ounce
And yet experience abunds1ty estsblishes that
Carbon ~ he soil is one Of the prime necessities
of farming IL acts there mechanically as a d.
visor, rendering the entire upper soil more light,
porous and frable tbsn it Otherwise would be,
and thus provides for tue passage aud circulation
of air. II gives to raid soil Its Own dark color,
thereby rendering the avs of the SUI more ct
fectiye and increasing toe average warmth. IL
is very absorbent Of gases, aud thus becomes
reservoir for the condensation ADD retention OF
ammonia y tioh it furniitss 70 the rockets; aud
IL slso becomes by Gradual decay an extra
source of Carbocic Acid for the use of Qlsos'-
so thas although the plant nj, hit in time pro
cure a suficiencY Of Carbon fcom toe air. yet,
BY having aucther large source Of IL in the
soil, growth is much accelerated All poor
soils are deficient in Carbon, though bOgs
sgamps, frog ponds, r,yer-hottOms, &c, often
contain sn excess of it. The fouodstios of Agd-
cultural improvement, at least in our Eastern
States. is the liberal addition OF Carbon to sandy
gravelly or clayey soils-in short, to neary all
our cultivated helds. To this end, cd (or new
coal pit beds should be scraDed clean, bog sarth
or swamp muck thrown out in tire dfyest part OF
TIE season, 10 be- csrted away as soon es dry
enorch treated with a mixture OF Sale and Lime
t. correct its acdity, and then cOmPosted or
otterwte prepared TO pc spread broadcast aud
heavily on all ied lands the xtsProg. Where
Carbon 10 these shapes cannot be procured within
arfssouable 0ssance--ssy ha'f mile-is maybe
necessary 20 scrape up forest leaves aud compost
them urder cattle, in the barn yard or swine
house, and even to grow crop after crop OF Go
yer, Rye Bucswheat, &C., to be plowed ioto the
soil VI eo approaching maturity, in order TO sup
ply it with Carboni bus we think most farmers
who keep their eyes open can obtain supply OF
Carbon more chesplJ AM promptly by cartog 1t
cut OF feoe ponds, river beds and bog swaps, as
we have here briefly suggested. At sll events, 1t
cannot be siveabe. except for those who live con-
yenient TO cities, to procure Carbon sherefrom,
although great deal is wasted or dissipased in
everyci'y.
6. Now as to NITROGEN. This gas compo5es
four tbs Of the atmosphere, but is rot found in
any rocks, and forms bu. five per cent. or ote-
twentieth of vegetable gTOwtns 10 tie average;
is no, sn Ingredient Of water. bus may DO to
very limited extent absorbed by it. Animal
structures or bodies contain Nitrogen to the ex-
tent we believe, of some to 10 per cent of their
weight. Yet no vegetable no aDi@aL appears to
posseSs the faculty Of absorbing or eliminating
this gas fIou the atmosphere where il is mainly
found; and il seems necessary that it should form
a chemical union with hydrogen, (7l parts by
weight of Nitrogen TO Is of Hydrogen in order
10 relder it available to plants. Thus COM
bined 1t becomes ammonia (spirits of harts-
horn AID is Low the most powerful stimuIsat
kuo~h to the Agricultural word. ia other
words uhere Tie otktr elsm,hts are liTea9y present
in abundance, mo5ers supply of Ammonia i'm
pels rspii and luxurisnt growth of nearly al
valuable plants.
I. We cannot take room ia THE article to show
how plants require also certain minute but i'm
portant proportions Of certain mineral elements
TO insure their heslthfui growth aud maturity.
These minerals generally remain az Ashes when
the plants have been destroyed by combustion,
and thus chemical anal sis is ensbled 20 deter
mine their nature and relations wish 40 approach
70 matbem lticsl accuracy. These minerals are
Silica, (sand Line, Potash, Sulphur, Soda, Mag
ne sis, Phc sphoric Acid Alumina, ittle Iron and
traces Of some Others. Silica, you Of course do
Rot want from cities, for ali soils contain Il,
though scme-sif clsys especislly-giA pay for
gooj dressing of II. if the rew material can be
bandiy obtained. Potash nearly all titled lands
need--tO dissolve Silica, as well az for other pur-
pOaes--for the tender roote!s of plants are not