Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-08-22
aNritnIturnL.
Principles of Agriculture.

A paper was recently read before
the Farmers Club Of New York, by
DR. r.. l.. Waterbury, which seems
to have conhlcted with the views
of the Swans Of that Industrious
! body, consisting of Messrs Mapes
Waring, ct III omne genus, who I'M
| dcrtook TO answer It. On reading
the report Of their remarks Or w.
found it necessary to dsclaim the
views attributed to him, aud IN do
ing so gives the purport Of the pa
per read by him as follows
That without the use of any for.
eign fertilizer, produce enough may
be sold off from a farm in most por-
tons of the Union to pay the ex-
pense of conducting it and yet, by
iudicious management, the soil may
be annually improving in condition
That this may be effected easiest
in those PORTIONS of the Union where
the value Of land is the least, and
where, consequently, the farms are
largest, aud the longest rotation Of
crops can be proftabiy resorted to ;
That no system of farming is
deserving Of our attention that docs
not recognize the necessity Of farm
exports
That State may, to some ex-
tent, export agricultural products,
without diminishing its capabllity
TO produce them
That an inspection Of the census
returns of the United Stales and Of
the State of New York, shows that
the amount of crops of this State
has increased for the last ten years
much faster than the area Of i'm
proved lands in the State, and that,
consequently the lands cannot be
running out /"
That the processes of nature, to
which we owe the present alluvial
condition Of the surface of the earth
are still at work, and that land left
entirely to itself will, by the action
Of water and vegetation, improve
i'll fertility;
That the process Of tillage alone
may be made to accelerate this I'M
provement, and help to provide for
the necessary waste of marketing
That ram generates the porous
parts of the earth's surface, and per-
colates through them unul 1t comes
to impervious strata aud that itrunS
along thus mpervious strata until it
fluids egress as springs, and that
sprmg-waler is impregualcd more or
less, with saline substances
That the evaporation which is
continually going on Of the water
from the surface of the earth, leaves
the saline matter in the surface, as
but small portion OF the water that
falls as rain ever reaches the sea
That the mineral springs of sara
toga aud other localities, are exag-
gerated Illustrations Of this process,
aud the more fertile condition of
valleys is to be in part referred to
the same cause
That, in the present thinly popu-
lated condition of onr continent, the
true purpose of American agricul-
lure at this time is to wisely direct
these natural forces, rather than APP
ply piuches OF guano and teaspoon
fuls Of super-phosphales to individ-
ual plants, although such applica-
tons may pay on some farms, and
probably do pay well on all market
gardening operations.
The objection to soil analysis is
this
The difference between the early
soil Of Virginia and the same soil in
its present condition, has been made
10y the loss Of 1900 lbs. of alkaies
to the acre But this 1900 lbs.
forms not quite three ten-thou-
sandths (000,21) of the soil to the
depth of a foot,
The idea that any amount of va
ration within such infnitesimal
limits can be measured and defined
by qudntitatiOe analysts, is absurd.
Top-dressing of the Same amount
would, in the same way, fail of be-
ing detected.
That directions given by agricul-
iural chemists have led to success
ful results, is undoubtedly true but
these directions have been founded
rather upon experience and obser-
walton than chemical analysis.