Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-12-27
ARRIC UL U r E,
From the Rural Gentleman
THE MODERN THEORY OF A0RICUL
TURE

From the Rural Gentleman
THE MODERN THEORY OF AeRlouL
TURE
Liebeg and other chemis's have, within the
Last twenty five years, underworld TO cstaoiifh
| Q silence Of agriculture, based upona knowleoge
| OF the constitution Of plants and OF Soils anu
/ their mutual relations. We propose to give |
very condensed account of the general conclu-
sions arrived ct.
Feop or PLANTS. ,,
Plants derive their food from the air as well
"A from the earth; the former BY their leaves |
The latter BY their roots. Elements most ne
eesssrv to them are carbon, hydrogen. oxygen,
and nitrogen, with various mineral substances
present Ia the coil. Carbon 10 the most aoau
dant. This 10 to large extent extracted rom
! the atmos phere by the leaves Of plants during
the day time. Hydrogen aud oxygen are 10
the water contained 10 the earth and arr ana
oxygen 10 10 the air mixed with nnfogeh.-
Plants do not seem able, however, TO separate
much nitrogen rom the air ss such, but more
readily obtain It by the decomposiiien oil am,
! mouis (composed of hydrogen and nitrogep,)
whieh Ia formed 10 the atmosphere, and wash
: ed down into the earth BY rain. water 90 as TO
' reach the roots, All ordinary waters, II must
be remembered, contain substances dissolved
e. Ia them Irrigation Of land does nov nc. on!
= b, the water itsslf, but by that which 10 q"
~ solved or diffused 10 II. Davy calculated
D. III 1. suppeslng one part Of suphate OF lime TO
he contained 10 every two thousand Of river
vater. and every square yard OF dry meadow
70 land to absorb eight gallous OF water, thea, ~
- every flooding, more than ons ana nait nun
dr,d weight Of gypsum per acre - olnusta W
the wster-s quantity equal TO ina. geae,Hn'
used 10 spreading gypsum AZ manure VI ..,
tiliss,; and so II We allow only twehty'nse
marta Of animal and vegelable remains 10 oe
present In thousaLd psrts Of river water, we
shall end that every soaking with such wael
~ will add 10 the meadow nearly TWO toos Pe'
acre Of organic matter. The extraordinary nt
tiity of the banks and delta oil the river, rns
4. aus N ths natural and annual overflow o
the river, eItsLd sd by artificial irrigatlon =
10 China also, The principal OF irrigation
carried out veIy largely, and II 10 apphea0D,.'
' on large or small scale, In any eounry; ~
water OF lakes 10 usually charged WITH a'sso,v
cd or suspended substances even more sout
l'y dantiy than that Of rivers.
IN HuMus.
u, Soils contain great amountot ms'~r "hio
An results from the decay Of vegetables ana an
re- mails. to a compound Of which with earthly mi
MI terisi the name OF humus is given. THIS WI
once incorrectly supposed 10 give the VINO
ave triment of the plant. Trees and plants, II
Me- stead OF abstraoring carbon from the eAi.u,
the alIy, by taking II from the air, ard suofeqasn
ion ly dying and aesayiug, annually oy he
our leaves, and finally altogether, give CARBON u,
other atmospheric elements to the soil
'ith above said, all plants, by their leaves ALSO
rec | cnrbonic acid from the air, and retain cargo
'aas | giving out oxygen. II is evident, theieiei
WI that the leaves are OF great Importance 10
has rlant. 80 are tho roots for their aosofot
office. Thus It Is true that the grown VI
ased plant 10 always proportioned TO tue su.,Aeo
pray la roots and leaves together. Vegetation,
brcy, It's simplest form consists in the aostracton
npon crr. on from cal bonic acid, and hydrogen IT
able wstsr; but the taking OF nitrogen also, 1T
Res ammonia especially, isimPertaut 10 mem,
ties most of all, 10 those which are most nutrii'
the as the wheat, rye, barley, &c. whose SEEDS c.
ossi- tain gluten and other heterogeneous principles
the greatest value for food. Pants WIN y
pup we'll In pure charcoal If supplied Win To
water which contains ammonia.
Animal substances, as they purify. aiw
70 .vtlyeammonis, which plants need and aos'
Thus Ii explained one of the dement's OF
nuripg, bat not the only one, ss we Snail
to IRE presently. Animal manure, however
ioulty chiefly by the formation OF ammonia
satsa' quantity Of gluten in wheat rye ana oasis
aim very different; and they contain nitrogen
u oo10 VARYING proportions Even in samples oil
m into same seed the quantity varies; and "
ito the Evidently because one variety has been o.
ct iron fed with its own appropriate ertilizer thAn
ns osse other which has been reared on soil less
season -,a, .aeniad nv artificial means To-
Ippear. eui"'.H 1870 T., con,aipa IA per ,
"a hast | growth French Whtht cph'"Aho - r. ,
rkst.- Of gluten; BAvsrian 70 per cent Sir n.
Of this Obtained 10 per cent. from winter, and ~
stove, summer whea,; from Sicilian I'll, from Bar
ion .hast 10 mar cent Such prea. diner
1885. - com. c.n.s and this W,
i, ~ al in he different methods ofcutivhtion.
Heater crease Of animal manure gives rise mol
Iormed, TO an increase in the number OF seeds, d
er than 90 10 remarkable difference In the propo
sed. OF gluten which those sseds contain. Al
,onD, manures Of animal origin thereis great di'
~;,Sp ~ Cow dung contains but a email propo
I'd Sntii Of pitregsn. One hundred parts Ct wheat
!" from on q soil to which this mate rial was ap
afforded only eleven parts OF gluten and
or both iour of starch; while the came quaint
Of the wheat grown on a soil fertilised with n
'~"' urine, yielded 50 per cent. or gluten, q
Latrobs course smaller proportion OF less 'sl
have ii Ingredients. Daring the puIeheatioa OF
.e Union mmoniae.l salts are formed In large quas
eonsid. IL may be said exclusively; for auder u
rom less auenee Of warmth and moisture, 'he
russ' prominent ingredient Of urine 10 converte
use, and Carbonate VI a'n'"
~ ns.I