New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-09
TIE YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES.
SIXTH DAY.

FIsm Our Own Reporter.
NEW. HivrN, Feb. Z, 1860.
Professor johnson has been giving as some more sur
prises. He has set himseh in array agains. new
theory of Lebgs for thing and scouts the utility
Of soil sDay sea for another. Those@who have read
Liebigs IeceDt pamphlet on Modern Agricnl ure,"
will remember his doctrine thai mineral matters
not in soluble in The SOIL in support Of which he
quotes the experiment Of passns through sample of
fertile soil water holding in solution phospho.i,
acid and other plant fOods and thereby removing the
salts entirely. The formerly soluble mineral ers
lie tupposes have been made nsouble in the passage
tbrcpph aud putting this and that together he says
that if this be the case, why then plants mnst actually
have The power of TAXI & in the insonble material
which they need Ifor their growth, and making it
soluble afer it gets within their syongioles johnson
thinks Liebgs theory would be very pretty if the lSa
u removed la other words he says tina, Lieoigs
ment Tude,y performed and that the mineral
mater was 10. ard neeer cap be enrey removed
from the water, and hence L'ebg's superstruc-
trial argumeut falls, Ike the Pembsrton mills, for
want Of sound basis. He Elys he knows of
beans and OF plants having been growo and
ripened in naught but watery solution of
niI eral and organic iood-a fact which gees far
toward proving tina. soluble mater is used 10 full Ri
yaDtsg, BY plon,s when they can get it. Although |
do oheissnce Iebig think Johnson is right in this
nsiaDce and 90 think do many Others. AZ to sol
anays johnson thu: One foot deep OF the
s6il IN an acre weighs 20CO,UUO pounds crop Of
Wltas III remove say SJu poaudsi mat 2oO pounds
be not in available state, DO crop will grow; 70
know If there be enough for the crop, you take Little
sample cay lGO or 600 gcains aud Iyze il; nov,
does any living expect the chemist 10 tell by
the mort mIaeuousy sensve balAnces or tesls of the
inGnilesimal samp!e, whether the 2,eJO,G99 pounds
coutsn enough phosphoric acid, or ammonia, or oher
Ingredients 70 raiso cropi Take barren SOIL for
instance, called 80, which the application of
40 POUNDS Of yuiDo will mako ell the difference of
sterily crop now, can chemist tell ia his labo-
raiory by testing lGO grains of thai soil taken pro-
nscuonsy from all parts Of the field, whether the
guapo HAD or had not been added Verify not, says
Prot. johnson. And our young Agricultural chemist
takes isrue the quesion and prepared - do ba.
tie with orr beautiful pet theory q foutydRce. lie
thinks that II wond take 50 pounds OF soil, and
wash it with squantity Of water 10 dissolve
ont the s,lobl, sss-a little job which would take ut
lc6st fortnight, and might moush-he might by
analysis, find whether there ereat de-
aiency OF plans, food in tbe he from which the
pie came. But the cos. aud trouble OF the experiment
are terous objections 10 putting the scbems into prsc
Ice.
The most fertile iois contain the fines. particles or
in other words soils are like linen better for having
GDe texture. Most soils lre deficient nechs Oily
rather than chemically. There great store Of plant
food, bu, NOT finely enough divided. field therefore
which, in certain s.4te Of pulverz alton, wall pro-
duce Is bushels Of wheat wcud, should, yield 80
4 worked up twice as fine. Why Because there is
twice the amount of surface OF particles exposed 70
The action OF heat and cold, and rain, and therefore
twice as much plant food set free. Take your mulli-
plica,on table and figure MP this idea as far you
ibe and then yon Will the OF sub-eol ploss,
and olod-cru-hers, and good harrows, aud deep pow
ing, and all lhero modern cOntriyancss for breaEing
up our fields into a good iced bed
Last evening the Temple crowded 10 hear Nc.
Wider's eXcell,nt addrtss American Pomoogy, a
topic on which 10 one in America can s)oak m1ce
uhdersapdingly than tho President Of tae National 20.
theological Congress. MI. Wilder said that there were