Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1856-04-26
The Food Of Plants
AND THEIR NODE OF EEcElI-ISa ~


AND THEIR MODE OF RECEIVING II.
Msssr.. Editors It seems that the first
step towards successful agriculture would be
to ascertain what plants feed on, and how,
and in what proportion it should be supplied
to them. Plants will not I've in an exhaust
ec receiver. nor IN perfectly dried earth, nor
IL pure water SO TAR as regards the large
class with which we are particularly con-
cerned. It may be assumed with some pro-
bablllty Of being correct, that plants, like
animals, live on solids, liquids and air The
stomach is The place where the food is pre-
pared for the further use OF the plant. The
one receives it in its crude undigested state.
for the stomach to act on the other in H.
quld or gaseous state after its preparation IN
the earth. No plant can receive any thing
IN substance, as the pores or minute absnrbents
OF the roots ca2 only take it up III such very
small portions as is contained in liquids. 1t
would seem that nothing could be made the
TODD nt plants that could not be dissolved .-
Let us see how the general conditions of the
earth may justify this supposition. The
ground may be divided into surface soil OF
five or six inches. and subsol al! below that,
and is, in general parlance, thus spoken Of as
sandy soils where more than three pats are
quantity Of clay; and, calcareous or prairie,
where Of deconposed lime. The subsois on
which it rests are either on sands like it. OF
more often clay more or less impervious to
water. or on limestone rock, as cur prairies.
These subsoils though in themselves they
may not possess fertility, may exercise.
through their mechanical agency. much infu-
euce In production. Deep ploughing. as a
large receiver and Regulator Of moisture in
the earth, carries out this idea Of mechani-
cal agency. The chemists who have made il
their particular study to know, and have an
aysed IT, tell us that only about ne-twenti-
eth part Of the earth Is composed OF decayed
vegetable and animal matter from the de-
composition OF plants that have died Or The,
spot. or washed there by the rains or floods.
and these alone are soluble IN water. and
constitute the food OF the plant when put bv
water into the condition to be taken up by
the absorbents Of the vegetable This. though
the general condition is dependant on the
greater or lesser portion of these soluble
matters and is ranked as rich o. poor soil
as either may be greatest. Il is to this espe.
clalY that our attention should be directed
by adding manure, either vegetable or AMI
NAL, and by change of the crop on such
fields as too long cultivation OF particular
crops may have used up an undue portion Of
any one ingredient in the soil. We should
aSo supply water II We could. We know
some p ants depend more on water than 9TH
ers, and it is interable without actual know
ledge that some derive more of their nour-
lscment from the air, and others again from
the ammonia or fertile property in the soil
itself
Eor such reasons some plants exhau.t soil
more than others and some few, as clover
and cow peas. live more on the air and ex-
haust hut little. Plaster Of Paris that acts
principally by attracting moisture from the
atmosphere to the plant, SO increases the guam
tity OF clover that it enrlches the soil. and is
much used in the wheat growing states; and
COW peas it is believed acts much in the
same way with US 1t would be of great
value to know what portion of the usual in
gradients Of the soil particular plants consume
most as it would direct us to the proper rota
ton of crops, and what manures to apply
On this subject We are in the dark. and must
be content to grope along in search Of lights to
guide US. In r.ng and under their best sys-
TENS. the field was laid aow one year in four
to recover this exhaustion OF any undue por-
ton, and in some of the states 1t has bees at
tempted to reach the same object by the three
and four year shift rotation az crops. Many
facts show that change OF the plant and soil are
necessary. The corn fertile lands on the Mis-
slssppi river lessen their production OF the
sugar cane and to use their vernacular are
tired Of making sugar ,eand put down one year
to COW peas they return TO theli proper pro-
duetiveness The small grains. potatoes and
hay cannot be planted in the same field more
than two years without diminishing their pro-
duct Cotton and corn, though they will
grow III the same field for many years, are
muce benefited by change. These facts are
enoue b to satisfy Us that 1t should be q guide
not only in the selection and change OF fields
but also il The rnanuEiEg.
The thrifty system of inclosing fields to be
ungrazed. aad listing in their growth bevond
the evaporating influence of the sun, come
within the class Of things to be done to reach
desirable object.
My desire has been to ascertain what is the
food OF plants and how received by them,
but as it requires more to be said than viii!
proba bly, be read at one time, it must be post
poned for your next paper.
A PLANTER.