American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1858-12-09
NORTHUMBERLAND frENls.


AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.
sSOILs. frat ten inches from The
surface is ealkd soil--the next ten inches
Is called ub soil. A good soil has forty-
Eve tons Of carbon. or combustible matter
to the acre. within ten inches Of The sur
face. This is q . result Of the decay Of
vegi,a'ion.
MouLD.-Monld is usually valuable in
proportion to the nitrogen it contains
Thus I 900 ponnds of what win yi,ld
twenty-fOur pounds Of nitrogen. while the
same weight Of wheat straw yields but
three pounds. Mould formed OF wheat s
therefore. eight times richer than that for
med of wheat straw. -...s--,...
CARBoN.-A large amount of carbon in
plants isdrawn from tho atmosphere-light
sandy soils, almost destitute Of mould.
have been made to produce zoe crops Of
wheat, and can by the aid OF little guano.
plaster and wood ashes. often produce a
lair crop Of clover on thin. worn oui land
utnese cases no carbon orcombustihl.n al.
ter is applied to the sol, ,whils il yields tons
of organized matter in the roots, stems nd
leaves Of plants. This Is drawn from cat
bon hoa'ing IN the atmosphere. and detaip
ed ip the soil. IL the aggregate yield OF
the crop is five tons, the amount Of nitro
gen consumed is two hundred and forty
pounds. oil Of which is drawn from the at
mosphars, as not an ounce is applied as a
ferlalizer.
CONSTITUENTS or ANI1ALs AND PLANEs.
There are some 10000 species Of in
sects. and animals Of larger gFoWth, and
nearly 100, 900 different plants. formsd
essentially, Of water. atmospheris air and
carbon. When any Of these animsls. or
plants, die. and rots the att,ms Of which
il was composed are ready to enter into any
growing plant. and that in time viii feed
and nouFish growing animals. In this
manner every alton Of OrgsDis,d matter
Ut this globe, has probably endowed with
vitality, both animal and Vegetable, hun
dreds oftimes. COull We see Lhe various
OrgaHisms that the atoms OF our own
hodies bava entered into-G Gsh. flesh and
fowl. animal and vegitable--we shoul,'
loOs much ofIhe pride that low bsset'
us. A
DsckY - Animal and vegetable decay
is nothing but slow combustion. HAT il
always evolved by deeaJ and fire Is some
times generated
, COMPOSITIONS. A hind providence ha'
made the proportions in all compositions
just right. A slight change in The pro
portions would destroy everything Il
e crease the amount OF oxy gin in the air ant
everything would be consumed. Chang,
the proportions OF oxygsd and hydrogen
In water, and Il would no longer be wster
and everything wouli perish. In reHair
proportions Of oxygen and nitrogen. tba
now formS atmospheric air. form aquaior
tis. is af
FossSL ROCKS. - The tlhcinese Of sedi
ntehtary rocks which contain FOSSIL plants
and animals. 10 Between SIX and sever
miles. g
IoEEoUs AND SEDrMEETARY Rocks -Al
rocks have been formed Of metal minerals
salled igneous rocks --or from sedimenr
deposited by water, called ssdimantar,
rocks These latter are sometimes calles
aqueous rocks eF
SILIoA. The purest. sharpest sand !
called silica. sn1 Is composed Of 6hy.tw,
parts oxygen gas, TO forty eight part'
silica. As eighty per cent of all rocks il
silica, more than one half Of the crust o
the earth Is oxygep.or vital air. Sixty Sev
en- per cent. Of ihs ashes Of the straw o
wheat. rye, oats, harley, corn and suga
cane. Is pure cilica sand.
ALLuvIuM Soil formed by earth wash
ing down from high lands, is called allu
vinm, or alIuvion. Soil that cahno, h
traced TO any such source. "a that lying OF
high hills. or elevated plains is called dilu
Wan. tu aH 'tRar.
We clip the above from The Ohio Far
msr "a iirstra.e paper by the BY but W,
beg leave to differ with the editor in on
Of his statements; he says: IAN the nitro
gsn'of plants is derived from the atmos
phsre as no. au ounce is applied as fer
iiliser." -,
tits fact well established that most II no
oil the organic mabures, or Jsrt lissrs con
tain more or less nitrogen, aud that ,hei
es.imatsd value Is in proportion to tn
amount OF nitrogen they contain; Tor truI
Of which see analysis Of Guanno, horne
hair. The droppiug',pilge &c.. .compar
cd with mAnures containing less nitrogen
II We Teccollsot tightly It 10 a moote,
question among agricultural chemist
whether The atmosphere supplies any o
the nitrogen so indispensable to the growtI
saof pIants or vsac,able matter. Be this q
Il may nitrogen 10 lie various COMPOUND
forms is recognized by the scientific ag
riculturAlst as one Of the most valvabl
fertilizers, ED.
kE TpE VIcToRY 10 the BerLs Co. Con
gressional destrici ia more Rlorioas thai
We at 6rst dared hope for. We had sup