Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1862-09-13
NO. O.

'-Ne-f - Ss-ASA ~OACbOAAOuS SdllS 10 SuCQ a.
extent as 10 render them worthless 70
most of our cultivated crops.
| Probably Mr.. Brewster's land wbicl
"is sandy loan with heavy clay sub
soil, naturally contains excess of potash
The clay subsoil, from its imperviOus tex
ture, prevents the washing out Of exces
of potash. Drainage and irrigation, i
practicable, would probably effect a cure
Whether this could be economically eff
fected is matter that should be iakel
into consideration, previous to the exben
dlture of much money or labor.
Mr.. w. Simpson, in his essay, says:
The source Of the alkalies has beer
correctly attributed to the decaying rock
of the mountains. To the abundance O
the salts of potash and soda everywhere
In the soil of California, may be attribut
ed, IN a great measure, the enormou.
yield of her cereals, the majestic size OF
her trees, and the mammoth proportion:
Of her vegetables.
An alkaline soil is, strictly speaking, q
soil which contains excess of alkaline in-
gradients, but as its earlhy constituents
are variable, the term is definite in moth
ing but alkaline properties, and, although
from the impervlous nature of the claws,
they are more liable to its accumulation,
YET alkaline loans are by no means IN
common in this country"
The same alkaline deposits resul. from
''potash water" in Colorado, as spoken of
by Mr.. Thompson in his essay.
In the report of Major Emory, u. S.
Commissioner, on the boundary between
the United States and Mexico, in speak
ing of the lands bordering the Colorado
river, Lieut.. Micher, one of the assis.
tants, says :'s .r
"The bottom is intersected by immune
rable lagoons and sloughs, which, during
the annual rises, fill 10 overhowing. and
irrigate the soil. The earth is conse-
quently impregnated with the salts of pot.
ash. magnesia and soda, which are held
IN solution by the water. No vegetation
will grow beyond the influence of these
overhows, and when white effloresence
appears upon the surface of the ground,
1t Is useless plant, as nothing edible for
man OF beast will grow"
Itls said "we can have too much of a
good thing" This seems to be the case
in regard.to potash and soda in a great
deal of the land IN California and Colo
rado. How to get rid of this excess of
potash is a question Mr.. Brewster wishes
10 have solved. I have alluded 10 Mr..
Thompson's method, and perhaps the tirne
may soon come vixen i VIII DO tou15 pro-
ftable on these alkaline soils 10 grow
those plants that require very large per-
cenIage of potash IN their composition.
According to the U. S. Dispensalory,
1000 pounds of Norwood ashes will
yield % pounds of potash. The same
amount of ashes of Fumitory will yield
79. lbs. of potash, and 1000 pounds of
the ash of Angola will yield 96 pounds
Of potash.
Theory would say, (and 1 think exper-
iment would prove it true, that the grow
ing of the above named plants would fast
remove the potash from these alkaline
soils, wherever these potash plants could
be grown upon them, provided the plants
were removed from the soil as soon as
natured; and then if burned the ashes
might be prO6tabIy applied TO soil de-
ficlent in potash, or they might be leach
ed, the lye boiled into plack salts, and
they would become an article q CONNER
Cial value, and the land eventually pre-
pared by the removal of extra potash for
more valuable cultivated crops.
Capt. Stansbury in his Exploration of
the Great Sat Lake Valley. saw mil
lions of acres of land that yielded no
other vegetable but the Everlasting ar
temisa," or wormwood--a pretty sure In
dication that the soil abounded largely in
potash. He also saw other tracts so satu-
rated with the carbonate of soda as to be
utterly useless for cultivation, and still
other large tracts entirely covered with
"Chloride Of sOda," or common salt-mil.
lions of bushels overspread the soil-the
salt equal in quality to the best manufac-
tured at Syracuse.
In New England we have thousands
upon thousands Of acres Of land 50 i'm
pregnated with the salts Of iron, that
many Of our cultivated crops fail to Do
proftably grown upon them. Heavy
LINING aud manuring will make such lands
-tOlerably productive bat lime at 81 so
per barrel, and manure at $4 per cord
would make the improvement Of such soils
TOO expensive.
The effect of an excess Of ashes, lime
and iron, upon the crops IN any soil, Us
far as my observation extends, is very
similar. Indian corn may vegetate and
grow as long as the young plant obtains
It's nutrimeDt from the parent seed, but
as soon as il begins to absorb from the
soil, the leaves assume a reddish, pur.
plish hue; the main root is COrroded ant
cut off as If done by worm; the first o.
lower leaves rust and dry up, and gene
rally light crop follows, / have seel
the above results arising from over lining
and ashing, and also from excess of irol
in the soil. This last kind of soil vii
not, with ordinary manuring, yield o
grow Timothy grass. Where excess o
lime or ashes is in the soil, if potatoe
can be made to grow, they are very aP
to be Scabby. have seen them SO muc
so that they were not fit for table use
The too heavily lined and ashed land afte
a few years cultivation became much In
proved and very productive, yielding ez
ira crops of red and white clover.