Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-03-29
From the Ms.sehs.eits rlosg
Derivation OF the Manrriai Substance
Of Clover Roots.

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tive Of anterior considerations aud facts in
the continuous chain OF causa,iou. For,
those whoss practice Is cOnsi',en, with ma.
,ure do no, and eanno, fail; while on the
other hand. those Who allow arbitrary eH-
perienoe alone 10 guide them, often dance
90 the tune OF " loves labor lost" because
in their liking- Of wiliullne-s they blindly
follow. seeing not their course. This train
Of thought will now and again come up in
consequences Of the recurring conviction that
" popular errors "prsail IN agriculture,
as in other quarters, which some authors
have written to explain to those Who choose
to take hccOl Of them.
Dozen. of ,imes-perhap- 'corc.-i have
read from the Pens OF both English and
American writers, that the long Pcnetra'
ting roots Of clover particularly enrich the
.oil because they grow aud reach down
deeper than the roots Of the cereal. eener
ally. and thence eolleci and store up large
quantities Of valuable manurial elements
which are left near the surface Of the roots,
and decayins there alter the clover hay Is
gathered. greatly enrich or fcr,l'Ie the sur
face mold. Do no, dispute the aseribcd
icr,iliIipg sF-c,. OF the roo, substance.
but iha, the manurial elements prOduc'
in. such result are derived. generally. from
a low depth in the soil. or by reason Of long
roots. I shall .traight.ay give my reasons
Tor doubling Practically this may appear
4 trivial matter but as indifference and
m,-conccp,ion in one case tend 10 other ial-c
view. and conclusions, !, isquiic a. impor.
,ant 10 he right in such case az though
immediate Consequences were involved. And
hold also. iha, the more eminen, Tor learn.
iEs those may be who maintain an error,
The greater necessity and Obligation 10 op-
pose 1t. For when. among Others. such
writers as Dt. voeleker hold the popular
view, many, FAR too many. earelcs'Iy
receive their opinions a. admitted axioms.
withOu, inquiry as 70 their consistency
With natural facts. believe tie popular
view Of the function. and derivation Of
clover roots Is incorrect.
Though clover has apparently, though
perhaps no, really longer roots than most
other grasses. IL does not follow that the
roots gather uaanurc .i their extreme ends
or because they may be lon; And It seem.
indeed doubtful. Il the root. Of clover are
really a. long as those grasses having long.
er top growth. They APPEAR longer because
ofbcins much larger. bu; by analogy should
se shorter ior ,ha, particular reaspn.
The leading function. Of roots are to ab-
.orb a .aecisn, supply OF water 70 carry up
mineral .uh.,ancc>-ani an available pro-
portion o, caroon-in suspension. and 10 AZ
iord mechanical support 10 the above ground
part. of the plant. Bu, before earthly mat.
ter gun. a,lmi,,ance through roots, pores
or spinciolc.. II must have Undergone pro
parl,vry discrimination or have been re'
solved into IL. ultimate known elements or
rartic,s.. The chemicp natural forces OF
light. beat. and humidity have greater con-
fluent eircct..a, the surface than farther down
in the oil. hence greater chemical changes
take place in the surface mold than IN the
.ub.lil, into which long root. Psneiraie.
The nearer the surface roots grow the
more prozlma,e they will b. 10 the largest
supply Of available earthly matter there
fore. Iiencc i, i. no, probable that clover
root. grow deep 10 derive solid or mineral
matter which generally is prepared in the
upper soil itself. And the same is neasur.
ably true OF cArbonir acid also for the
further /, descends into the sol the more
dilute or drtTa.cd /; will be probably found
IN condition.
There !. no fact tha, know OF which
miti-atcs with the natural and consistent
inference that the root. OF cloScr are formed
Of the same elements, and in nearly the
sane proportion, as the stem. and leavc-.
And no one will, suppose. assert that the
bulk Of these /. derived or deTivablc from
any considerable depth beneath the surface
.ol. But # any one should 30 infer, IL is
rvlevent TO ask whether two qualities OF
sap circulate or descend IN the same vessel
a, the same time or whether the roots have
a separste system Of vessels. and a special
eircula,ionp
And il - how and where the sap that
forms roots i. elaborated and by what
route or mean. il reaches the roots there.
after. IL the fact be admi,,ed-whieh i;
must bc-,hat roo, sap requires to be elab-
Grated and ree,i6ed before becoming organ.
ie structure as necessarily as top sap and
tha, all the organic sap or mueilase Is
formed in the leaves before forming either
root. or stems: because in the leave. alone
I is found the natural concsntrati on Of light
and hea, required to eject that result.
The sap Of the clover plan, is in fact prob
ably homossbsou. for to argue otherwise
would favor the idea that two qualities OF
prepared sap are formed in the plant. which
in one .e. Of vessels, i. quite improbable
/ The sap which forms clover roots, and the
tissues or Substance Of the root when FORM
ei. i' therefore generally identical in CON.
position with the substance Of the stem and
leaves. And as, aside from water. there Is
only about two Per cent. Of earthly matter
IN clover, the whole .ub-,anee-eIcepting
a small amoun,-of clover roots Is like that
OF u. stem and leaves. derivable aud derived
Immediately from the aimo.phcre alone.