The Van Buren press., 1859-09-07
For tke Eas Barea Pres.
Agriculture.

Agriculture
Agriculture may be defined a. the art of dispoe-
ing soil as to make it most productive of those
maintenance of animal existence From its very
definition we may infer that agricultural people
are first highly civilized and enlightened people
From " Mother Earth all things proceed. All we
eat or wear has its origin Immediately or mediate
y in the SOIL The earth ofitself will produce GER
tain vegetables that may be sufficient to support
precarious existence. A barbarous people often
resort to productions of the soil, after tirng of
slaughter and rapie. But Agriculture is alone the
offspring Of civilization A complete system of
Agriculture is the result of o combination of intel
ectual and physical strength. and where these are
found in their highest perfection We are sure to find
an enlightened and moral people. Agriculturists
or farmers are, therefore, the fathers of all advance
ment In the condition of community. To them
we owe our responsibility at home. and the ground
work OF respcctabiiity abroad. To them we owe
those iuxuries and comforts, which whilst we ca
gerry enjoy, We are apt from their many transition
steps, to neglect the humble hands from which
they originally proceeded. Therefore it is of the
very first importance that every effort be made by
4
ests OF the farming community. Every new ray of
hght thrown upon the subject of soil tling will be
so much good performed to the world at large As
Is always the case in States the farmers of Ar
kansas are natural, not scientific farmers. They
turn up the soil, put in the their seed and manage
along until harvest; then reap accordingly, and
never think, that j. majority of them do not, how
they may incrsase the productive.ess of their farms
An investigatlonk the qualities of the soil will be
very beneficial teSsn farmers. And whilst -.i.~--
upland farmers are awaIrIng their holy investi-
cation upon the rocks that they denomnate nuisan
ces, they should reflect that from the rocks comes
all soil. Soil is composed of particles that have
been gradually disengaged from the rocks upon
which 1t rests On hills, especially, it is composed
OF pulverized materials from the rocks immediately
underit. In lowlands the soil is deeper because
the rains are continually washing it from the hills
into the valleys. Rivers and floods are important
agents in the distribution of Soils The depos its
made by those We usually denominate alluvial soil
All SOILS whatever their color texture are made
up of four primary elements, clay. sand, lime and
magncsia. Clay is compact substance and alb
serbs water very slowly. but when fully saturated
Is very tenacious, and when not mixed with due
proportion of sand is great obstacle to the farmers
If, however it rest upon substratum of gravel or
rock. it is easily managed as all farmers we'll know
Such soils should always be ploughed up before
winter sets in in order TO expose them to the action
of rosts that assist the farmer greatly in rendering
them productive. The frost mellows the hard clogs
or as farmers call it, rofs the earth Sand or earth
Of fnts, is the direct opponent of clay. Ithas no
cohesion in its dry state, among its particles it
will not retain moisture, and is powerful promo
ter of putrefaction but permits the gases to escape
too freely. Hence when sand and clay are mixed
they are mutual assistants of each other The one
promotes putrefaction of animal and vegetable mat
ter, while the other presents a too liberal elimina
ton of the gases. The bulk of upland soil is com
posed of sand, but is by no means consequently
unproductive. crop of grass, turnips or even
weeds Will greatly increase the productiveness of
sandy soils-manures of all kinds-ashes and lime
should be freely used upon such soil. In this wav
instead of turning out fields ,oorn out they may
be kept in state of productiveness torerer Soil
need never become valueless. but by judicious man
agement may be used every year, and rendered
more productive even. Certain kinds of crops as
flax, for instance. are powerful destroyers of the
substance of Soils and consequently should be al
ternated with crops that leave the soil more produc
tive. To prevent soil from becoming impoverished
lime should be freely used. 1t has strong affinity
for carbonic acid. and will gather it from the
atmosphere. 1t also promotes putrefacton, and
renders the soil loose and mellow Lime is indeed
a sine qua non with scientific farmers When iu
diciously used it will render almost any kind of
soil productive. Magnesia is found in small guam
titles in some soils, but its efficacy as promoter
Of production has been seriously doubted. 1t pos
sesses qualities somewhat similar to lime, but when
used freely it is certainly injurious. Subsoils are
all made up of combination of some or all of the
four grand elementary substances above mentioned
The top soil is generally called mould and is made
up of decayed vegetable or animal substances and
becomes highly valuable when well turned under
When it is put beneath the sub-soil by means of
large plough. the gasses that escape from it per-
meate the soil above it, and render all equally BRO
ductive. These few thoughts, gathered from va
rious sources, are given to the farmers of Crawford
County in the hope that in their future action the
hints herein contained may prove of some value