American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1855-07-28
49, ss s.
rs --.sSSss-;;.- $50. = 5zcc--.-
farmers Column.
From the Baltimore Sun.
Ultimate Benefits Of Drought, and the Modes
in which they act to Improve Land.
LABEATonY OF STATE CHEMIST,
No. 20. Exchange Buildinl

have felt tho influence Of tho late long
aud protracted dry weather to know
mat droughts arc one of the natural eau
ses to restore tire constituents Of crops
and renovate cultivated soils. Tho dim
inution Of the mineral matter of cultiva.
ted soils takes place from two causes.
LIST. Tho quantity of mineral matter
carried OH in crops and not returned to
the soil in manure. .-. ....
I'd. Tho mineral matter carried oTby
rain water to the sea by means Of fresh
watcr streams.
These two causes always in operation
and coup,eracted by nothing. would in
time render the earth barren waste, in
which no verdure would quicken, and
no solitary plant take root. A rational
system of agriculture would obviate tho
first cause Of s,erlity, by always rcstor-
ing to the soil an equivalent for that
which is taken off by the crops; but as
this is not done in all cases, Providence
has provided a way of its own to coun-
teract the thriftlessness of man, by insti-
tutlng droughts at proper periods to
bring up from the deep parts ofthe earth
food on which plants might feed when
rains should again fail. The manner in
which droughts exercise their beneficial
influence is as follows
During dry weather continual evap-
Grafton ofwater takes place from the sur
face. creates a vacuum $50 far as water
is conccrned) which is at once filled by
water rising up from tho subsoil of the
land the water from the subsoil is re-
placed from the next strata below, and
in this mannor the circulation of water
in the earth is the reverse TO that which
takes place in wet weather. This prog
ress to the surface of the water in the
earth manitosts itself strikingly in the
drying up ofsprings, and of rivers aud
streams which arc supported by springs.
1t is not, however, the water Which is
brought to the surface of the earth, but
also all that which the water holds in
solution. Those substances are salts of
lime. and magnesia of potash and soda,
and indeed whatever the subsoil or deep
strata of tho earth may contain. The
water on reaching the surface of the
soil, is evaporated, and leaves behind
the mineral salts, which | will here Gnu
meratc, viz: Lime, as air-slackcd lime ;
magnesa, as air. Stacked magucsia :
phosphate of lime, bone earth; sulphato
:" ''''o vi P'a"'er OF iatis; carbonate
VI Po'"'" an" '"o'; W.'" Si"'cate Oh pot
1s, a''u Soua' al" also chiori1e OF So
bio to tho growth audproductiouo fplants
orasG c,Js ,naUi1 T~so,la VI ,"a" wa,
small nromor,;on nr a"oa g w. ,L d e'I .
s,annor. hn, ,,ho :, ' 1880 ~ '"oSo S"o
in,n ,ho eor,h !, ,haro Ian"m,n, So"Nr'
1v ;nhnoI ,,;'h carha,,;n no;J 49,. S,.'" -.
joon,,,,s;,;,,, g wv, ''o.'' 81.
oo;I onJ ,hna ooa,,;roo H. '"~.'s' 49, Wv
rnnd;lv 6issnly;no rinoroIs on ,nhP;nh Lo
faro :, co,Id ,,oyo ynr,, ,;,,l,, ;,n,,a,,s'
7 ,yos fire, LODI - tho oo,s;doro,;o -
tho above s,,l,;oc,S ~, Gnd;,,. H. ~. u"
.van,;no,;on 1r so;, n,h;ci - oIU ~
- c,,,,, ,,,,,,,., ~.
~ Of q n,r,iruIor ,ninoroI smhSiarrn ,har
=, GrI, cnnnI nonn I'D Lno,, '""'
,,,ioJ IN tho ,nnor,imo RIA ,h;mo , "p
5;T;o,,1, e ov,,I.,,n,;(,, ,,,,,i, - '
hornI III, l.in lnnr .mJ nra,nan,n,
JrauaL, I, I,or oIso ,o,na, ,n.aJ H.,
IN Zsc,,ocas and several c,hnr rro 49," n
~ Snu,h Amor;c, soda ,yos nI,,a;nn;
from The bottom Of Douds which wcr,
dried in the dry, and again filed IN il
The rainy season. AS the above expIo
nation depcuded ON The priucinlcs q
natural pliiIosouhy, at once institute,
several experiments to prove its truth.
Int, o,oos cv,;pJor v,s rlocoJ
ANAL mo,ti,v nr cbloriJo nf bar;nm :,
soln,ion. ,his was them (iIleI with , H.,
eli ,nJ c,r - L,na ,;r,o nxnasnJ - 81,
I;rs,,, ,a.,n a., IT,, o,,sc,aa
,rLa,,;I 49,, o,,nc,o,, 81 49, a,,I;,,J,
,yos nnw ,,oa,oI y;,b su1nh,r;, acid
anJ o,vo co,,;nns nr.ci,,i,,a ncsnlnLn,
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