The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-10-23
Agricultural.
Restoration CT Exhausted Soils.

1IulllCI
OF any new material, but only by altering the
conditions OF the soils constituents. by pre-.
scnting conditions analogous to those whcl,
nature has always used to render soils fertile
All soils are made up OF pJrisred rochS, rem
dered tine by the various operations orraturc
and composed only of the constituents of
rocks and such other deposits as under pcc,l-
lar circumstances, may be received from the
atmosphere snch as carbon. from its soIidi.
hcatlon IN plant life by the d,compoSition of
carb"nc acid gas taken from tic atmosphere,
lntcrmtXed with which it is held in stspen-
sion.
Neither the presence, however, of all the
primaries required for plant life in a soil. nor
lhdte1 0! all the primaries in nature, will in
sure pant-groWlh. The c0adiii0a of these
primaries, and not their presence alone, is
Necessary to successful vegetation. When
portions Of the earth's crust, known az soil.
have been many times in plant form and re-
turn again TO the soil then those portions are
rendered capable OF forming parts of such
vegetable growths as men and animals now
require, and when those are removed from the
SOL by the continuous removal of crops. it
Will then cease to he fertile until new portion
are progressed by the same or other means.
At the same time. all may know, by the helps
ct the chemist, that the constituents
oimany soils, for the time barren, are the
same as those of fertile soils, by name,
but differing only in condition. The whole
Sol, from the eartll'.i surface to the undccon-
posed rocks below, as a lulc, contains the
constituents of Plants, and therefore cannot
be said to he arorn ont, but requiring the pro-
9rPSS'0n Of q portion Of these constituents, viz:
an alteration in condition, before they arc
available to plants
Considering the carth's surface then as an
endless or incXhaustablc source of raw mater.
lal. from which plants may be created. il
only remains to ascertain the means Of placing
these raw materials in proper condition fol as
slmllation, and We have a method for rcstor-
ing what are called ro1n ont soils. What
changes must occur in the particles of the
soil TO produce the necessary changes in con-
diion so AS to insure their appropriation in
plant life. 1t is evident that at least the par
ticcs must be rendered soluble in water ;
thus slick is only soluble after its chemical
combination with an akali, and indeed every
constituent requires some charge before it
can be used as the food Of plants. Let us see
what probably occurs in rallow soils or these
bearing no crops: the circulation of atmoS-
phcrc between the particles land there can be
no chemical changes without such condition
deposits upon the cold SUI face of every parli
Gle a thin film OF water, which beng thus
extended, takes up carbonic acid. increasing
ITS power as Il solvent, and by dsSolving
minute portions from the surface Of particles,
open these PRISON houses and permit new con-
Stituents to be affected IL turn by new portions
of calbonated water, which, upon the receipt
Of each ingl ctlient thus freed from their rest
ine-nlaces. is rendered capable Of freeing
another by chemical change. until in course
Of time the land contains IA fair proport ion of
its own constituents in progressed condition
All this progressed plant-iood is slightly solu-
bic under circumstances. and in this way
bare tallows, as they are called, initiate vcec.
table growth by progressing plant constitu-
ents. Do we not see the operation contlnu-
ouSy going on in nature! and should not the
art Of the agrculturist lie to avail of such
natural laws as are applicable to fallow in Il
more rapid manner? We claim that this
may bc done SO a. TO cause single year to
represent the effects of u century every par.
ticlc Of soil, if viewed through microscope,
initiates in Appearance the 'o:k FROM whence
it came. and it's analysis will show the same
constituents; natures law depriScd the rock
and gave us the particle: it becomes our bust
ness to facilitate the continuation Of the OPP
Grafton Of these laws on the particle, to insure
its still further division and consequent eX-
rosnrc and change Of condition Of its constit-
ucntS.
Some of the So-caIlcd barren soils Of Massa-
chuSSeLts, being coarse pebbles and gravel
contain the same primaries as do the fine
soils Of the Mama Valley, hut arc the conli-
tons of these constituents alike! And will
the ordinary analysis offered 10y chemists who
are incapable of recognizing these conditions,
show any difference between thctwo soils, the
one fertile, the other barren VIII cabbage
grow upon a granite rock And does not
this rock contain all the inorganic constitu-
ents required by the cabbage! win it grow
in the powder Of this rock, if finely ground,
until after it has been exposed to atmospheric
influence and proper state of humidity for so
long a time, as to free portions of its constit-
uents and progress them Cor plant use
Would not the powder of The granite rock
placed Immediately over an undcr-drai Annex
hbit these conditions in a single year! We
answer, yes and we say tcarlessly that
many soils, which are comparatively barren
for want of progression may be rendered fe:-
tile by thorough draining and subsol plough
rg, if lett in bare fallow, but that, until n
portion of the constituents be so acted upon
the continued change will he comparatively
slow hence the necessity for adding to soils
suddenly placed in condition for reservation
such materials as fertilizers as will furnish
all that may be required by The growing crop
II to be removed from the surface. Under
such circumstances the progressed portions,
freed from the PARTICLES Of SOIL are not re-
moved by the crop, while the process of
growth materially lastens the Continued devcl-
opmcnt; the amount of moisture and gases
sent coursing from the soil into and through
the plants causes the reception by the earth
of new portions from the atmosphere, while
the decay and solution of the roots Of plants
in the soil leave new openings for atmospheric
ingrcSs and insure the deposit Of the prma-
ries yielded up by the decay Of the roots
| Therefore, we say that worn out soils may be
restored in degree by continued or frequent
disturbance; the restoration will take place
to still! greater depth and much more per-
tectly, as well as in much less time by under
drains and sub soil plougbing, even with a
base fallow surface still more rapidly if
crops he grown upon the surface and pioughed
into sUil more rapidly still, where well
chosen fcrtilzlng materials are used to sup
ply the wants OF current crops, 50 that the
soil may aggregate quantities of progressed
pabuluin, as have the soils of the Miami Val
ley compared with those soils of Massachu.
sets which are barren, although having the
same constituents differently conditioned.
From whence came the soils of the Miami