New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-04-13
usrtiouitural Society Of tho American In.
stitute.

. ~
D. it swayed to and fro in the gales. What Is the
coil whence comes 1t, and will it always remain feItlel
Mith our lenses We map examine tue finest soils and
sae will find them largely composed of bits Of stone
she ground.dowR particles OF this or yonder mountain
Ehen-incOporated with which is Ire docayel yegeta
Le natter necessary 20 fertility. The beginning Of
Go i tho fine dust ard bits of moss win tue PARTICLES of
kone cracked off by Frost and washed blown into the
Er,oks Of rocks or collected der tic lchens attached
e. ,he frost ssred surface. This small beginning
Socc5 Inv water and acted upon by ali forms q suitable
Footing place for delicate anu other little phDts
kioh live their short lives while tn. moist ire lasts
khe shallow soil This soil thus ot gun catches and holds
Che blowing dust the wear OF
20 itself the vegetation which erUws and DIES upon H.
f. it scoumulates until it fills the ereyees, ard loose
ones are covered. Many plants thrive upon the ever
Dee SDing sell and the hiN-sidcs ale hney covered
Fhrtbs and trees strike deep their roots drop their
1elyes OF dying their whole su,stinre becomes part
n nj marcel of the soil Acted upon 10y the winds and
veins the tendency Of al soils is to seek level and
gradually find their way into the valleys and plains
k,ils are constantly forming, and moving as
Nay do, rarely increase to mnch eAleAt save
an the valleys and here the tendency OF that
deeply buried Is 70 ,oi - al, , nsTd ,oi pan
rock This turning Of soil TO rock gain is natural 70
sB Of heavy pressure with the prcoaing water bear
Eng lime iron alkaline salts and silica among II, thus
gardening or cementiug II tOgehor Causes producing
effects like these have been going aud all con.
tiibute to maintain the vtrdne and fertility Of the SOIL
Some Of the volcanoes GhorG MS good opportunities
sor the study Of SOILS and where al s-1e former period
the torrent Of melted lava covered whole districts
vegetation. eaYibr hlcs
sand and ashes. or even solid rock Which within the
historic period had been converted into pastures fields
vineyards and even forests.
SO extensive arc the deposits Of Stones gravel sand
clay &C.. left there by the agencies Already alluded to-
ehat it is comparatively thing nd soil formed
directly chiefly from the roe, upon which IL lies
The most common rocks being usually nixtnres Of
different minerals IN their decomposition furnish soils
as general thing. containing al tie elements neees
rock consists chiefly Of felispar and
hornblcnd granite Of fellsrar quartz and
pro OF Sc who s NO sS oa
he fertile. But intimately min ed th these minerals
or" found in inconsponons forms other minerals viz
phosphates suphates. iron Manganese etc, which
Of vital importance to the soil that IN various ways
The Advise Father has provided On III, surface every
where that the earthly essentials e. l y shall not he
wanting. Beside these mineral o'.'ctnts which Civ
no evidence Of having been par. of either animal or
vegetable organization. there ale o. llc elements or
cav Of animal vegetable lt has in some
manner been produced by IT. If o soil in the
Snd S be ed' viii @ aEd
perhaps. burn with fame. BY this process all the or
Gsnic portion is driven Off while u Inorganic or min
era remains. This organic pant led hnnus veg
eable mold and is the result IL the ION OF the oxygen
OF the air upon dead vegetation upon the soil.
Soils containing less than per tuis vegetable
mold considered poor in humus In, having to 10
Yer cent 90 uInus soils, those rich In organic
matter while those with more Than 10 per cent are
Now let us look at growing ants or which agricul
tura soils must be adapted. These pans found to
of by heat and an inorganic pol1 ct m The residue
or ash. In its growth tie plant ottsns the materials
which add to its bulk from water ion tie air ard from
She soil. The earthly elements Of tie plant come directly
nom the SOIL while the others. oxygen, hydrogen car
bon nitrogen. etc, derived ir0m the DIR and from
water De sauseie in the early Ilri Of tie present
century first made known the feot that plants would
not grow unless they found ia the sI she Ingredients Of
sber ash. This has repeatedly been confirmed, aud it
well established as the very sroaNs Hork Of
agricultural reasoning should nave caused
ninuted platinum, washed witt aces, ard heated 10
reGness consequently containing no.l q which plant
could appropriate. The seeds P rseo this soil germ
sna,ed and grew for while, IA hen Ae ash ingTe-
5euts contained Ia the seeds were II up they died.
dhe substances found in tie ash ~ p lts are potash,
soda hme. msgnesie. oxides OF iron trd manganese,
Shcse are absolutely essential 10 tts perfection OF
plants Another experimenter Prince Saln l1ortsninr
Found that the oct would not trfa and perfect seed u
single Ingredient of the ash WIS .hd.awn from the
soil The plant receives thesc ns ed - IN the water
absorbed by its roots hence r1inns m THE soil Is
available as plant food, which IL nos readily soluble In
water.
When these facts became known everybody saw at
once the great benefit chemistry vas about 70 be 10
agriculture The plants must be aLaygei and their
demands upon the soil known ttcn th5 soils must be
snayzed and what they Lacked made apparent and
obtained which would make any s'.l Exactly what the
crop to be raised demanded AE.cnl.arai chemistry |
was ono Of the most beanti'lI D. anches o. soience
The world was entering n2ona pew era 10 we OIL "
ealtiyating the SOIL and The rate az whiyh Sas max
tJg progress have bcen ra -rr a!irming 10 the
cd fogies. But alas the science vas IN its In
Fancy and It had been too heavily laden by these
Ttopians-it failed TO do tai. WORK. al
soo became apparent that soil anSly sis when hue
On the best possible could show me fertility OF
soil Practically soil analyses d. Dol exiblt the aVaaoe
constituents Of soil with any very sTeas soo
who consult Them 10 have Their SOILS analyzed, ana on
fhe strength Of these analyses make prescriptions 10Y
The ,ois-Often too with excellent esuts, FOR Whefe Is
tLe soil that bones gypsum hsAe e'c' WIN nor oeSea,
Water is not only indispensable rs sol5ent oil the
plant food but it il oOd Itself Tie absorption OF wafer
tsks place through the alone hence AL Inc water
plants receive through the soi and much Oh ~
bre tthed out through tie leaves. 20 IMMENSE qFan
oil water thus transferred from the soil TO The ar Is
hardly conceivable. 1t often amounts " more Than te
entire rainfall Mr. Lawes OF Eng and estimated That
Tor every grain Of solid matter aided to tic plant Ia s
growth, il transpired lS 70 go grains oil wafer.
crop OF grass therefore which Weighs three or Tour
suns would have trunspired 60 o. water. Soils
always contain much water, even III me tIopcs anu
che avdty with which artisciay dried soil attracts
moisture from the air makes II one vi me nost power
Hui drying Substance known. The vegetation
which can exist surface Of coarse gravel very
ScaDty. Ihe inner the particles. other thngs beng
equal, permeablilty to air and moisture not beng
checked the fertile the SOIL Two soils aDalyzed,
e. years since from the SiDto VALLEY II Ohio the
the Vermont soil would yield ohiy meager crops Of
tUckwheat in two three years. while the Ohio
soil had produced yearly for meny years 50 TO 70 bush
els Indian corn pei acre, without manure. The only |
difference seemed TO be in the inoDcss Of the particles
Mechanical analyses the separation OF the soil into
portions Of different degrees of noness first by sieves
then by washing, has been suggested us a means Of
measuring the relative fertility Of soils and in conncc
Sion with chemical analysis has given some excellent
Sesults. 0.rr.
finely puverized soil worked TO the depth II sew.
era feet viii supply the plants with greater quantity
Of water-and the plant-food contained in it-durine