The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-03-21
Source Of Fertility in Soils.


suit ash analysis, the quantity Of
phosphoric acid required by wheat
crop, including grain and straw, we
find the wheat demands more album
dant supplies of phosphoric acid than
any other plant. Wheat consumes
phosphoric acid in greater quantities
during the growth Of the seed than at
any other period, and this is the time
when practical men believe the soil to
suffer the greatest exhaustion. Plants
in general derive their carbon and nj
trogen from the atmosphere carbon
in the form of carbonic acid, nitrogen
in the form Of ammonia from water
(and ammonia) they receive hydrogen /;
and sulphur from sulphuric acid"
Boudrimont mentions the existence
of interstitial currents in arabic soils,
and the influence they exert on agri-
culture.
He states that there is natural
process by which liquid currents rise
to the surface, and thus bring up
materials that help either to maintain
its fertility or its character" Many
phenomena of agriculture and yegeta-
ton have at different times been OBJ
served, which, hitherto inexplicable,
are readily explained on this theory
such, for example, as the Improvement
that takes place in fallows and there is
reason to believe that these currents
materially influence the rotation of
crops.
Take the mastery views of Schlie-
don, in Germany. He asserts that
the goodness of the soil depends on
its inorganic constituents so far, at
least, as they are soluble in water, or
through continued action of carbonic
acid and the more abundant and
varied these solutions, the more fertile
is the ground"
The amazing yield of Indian corn
in Mexico, from two to six hundred
fold, is something which, with all our
skill, we cannot accomplish, and is a
fact in favor of the argument that
in no case do the organic substance
contained in the soil perform any d.
rect parts of the mutton of plants"
All chemists are agreed as to the
source from which the oxygen and
hydrogen of plants are derived, the prin-
cipal of which is water. All of them
agree that that carbon of vegetables
is derived principally from the air,
partly from the soil. It becomes
evident, then, from the most conclusive
proofs, that humus in form in which
it exists in soils does not yield the
smallest nourishment to plants The
excellent advantages derived from the
experiments of talented and industri-
GUS men, who have directed every eff
fort to aid practical agriculture, just
Iy entitled them to golden praise from
mankind Liebig has the merit of
having been the first who laid before
the public some views as to the source
of the constituents of plants He re-
marks: How does it happen that
wheat does not flourish on seudy soil,
and that a (calx orr calcareous soil is
unsuitable for its growth, unless it is
mixed with a large quantity of clay ?
1t is because these soils do not con-
tain alkalies and certain others ingre-
dients in sufficient quantity and there
fore the growth of the wheat is ar
rested, even though all other sobstan-
ces should be present in abundance. .
In SEINE soils there may be too much
straw making food, but not enough for
the maturing of the grain. Again,
the absence of the necessary moisture
in the soil will eat off the supplies of
food to plants. But an excess of it
may cause available food, wanting for
the development Of the grains, to be
appropriate to the straw. Tn very
wet seasons, especially in the absence
of under drains where there is much
straw making food and deficiency
of phosphates, the latter is taken mp
by the stalks and leaves, to the loss of
the grain hence, some soils may yield
less grain in wet season, but more
straw, than they would do in dryer
one, other things being equal.
"Grain is carried to the cities, and
the substances in the soil that made it
are removed far away from the original
source, and the soil is robbed Of it,
and but a small portion of their ele-
ments are sent to the soil from whence
they were taken. In Natures econo-
my, nothing is lost; but when man
displaced things, he should put them
back again in Their own places. The
wheat-grower should return to his
lands, in the shape of fertilizers, that
same element which he has taken, or
he will soon find the soil exhausted,
SO that he cannot produce the same
grain. In many of our best wheat
growing places in the West, the lands
are so much exhausted that wheat
crops do not Pay for their labor and
expense of growing. The common
opinion hitherto prevalent, and still
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