St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-03
TIE CALIFORNIAN
farm, 6arafn and Iitfhrn.
Written for the st. Johnsbury Caedonian.
NdIlWI'es.---IHeiP True ana COM
D01atire IdfHc.

ter. possessed by the alchemists CT old,
cave rise in their time, to an opinion
that metals as well as plants could be
produced from a Seed The regular forms
and qualifications seen in crystals, they
imagined to he the leaves and branchc-
Of metal plants, and as they saw the seed
OF plants grow, producing root, stem and
leaves, again blossoms, fruits and seed,
apparently without receiving any supply
of appropriate material, they deemed Ii
worthy of jealous inquiry to discover
the -cud OF gold, and the earth necessary
Tor its development. If the metal seed
were orcc obtained, might they not en-
terrain hope of their growth Such ideas
could only be entertained where nothing
was known of the atmosphere, and is
participation with the earth, in admins
tering to the vital processes Of plants and
animals.
Many of our farmers, like the alchc-
lnists of old, Oh searching for the mira
cuous sced-tEc means, which, without
any further supply of nourshment to
soil scarcely rich enough to be sprinkled
with indigenous plants, shall produce
crops Of grain hundred fold. In the
first period Of natural philosophy plant
life was supposed 10 be derived from
water only afterwards 1T was found
that certain elements derived from the |
an must he supcraddcd-and we NOR
know that other clements must be sup
piled by the earth, if plants are to thrive
and multiply. The amount Of materials |
contained in the atmosphere, suited to
the nourishmemt Of plants, is sufficient to
cover the whole surface of the earth with |
rich vegetation but compared with
our cultivated plants, it contains only
small amount of the elements of the blood
necessary 10 the nutrition OF animals
The tuhcr- of the potatoes in Chill. its
native country, where the plant rescm-
blcs 4 shrub, if collected from an acre of
land, would scarcely suffice to maintain
an Irish family fer Il single day The
result Of cultivation in those plants
which serve as food is to produce in them
those constituents of the blood In the ;
absence OF these elements in the soil,
woody librc may perhaps form, but 10
vegetable iihrinc, albumen or caseinr. :
II we intend 10 produce on a given sur
face OF soil more OF these latter matters Y
tlan the pll:,tS can obtain from the al II
or receive from the soil of the !!
same surface in its uncultivatcd and nor v
mai state, we must cyeatc an artificial 9
and add the needed elements y
TO the soil. The nouri<hmcnt which 81
must b. supplied in a given time to DIFF P
tercnt plants IN order to admit a free and =
growth, is very unequal. II
On pure sand, on calcarcous soil on naked Ii
rock. only few genera of plants pros Il
per, and these are, for the most part. c
perennial plants. n
In the town of Concord. everorecns d
may he seen growing on the side of v
honders without apparent sol-or ifs v
sure i'll the rock. They require for their v
slow growth, only such minute quanti- Q
ties OF mineral substances Is the soil can /
furnish, which may be totally barren for :
other species. Annual, and especially a
summer plants, grow and attain their 1
perfection III a comparative short time. |
they therefore do not prosper ON soil /
which = poor in those mineral sub
stances necessary to their developement.
10 attain a maximum in height in the
short period OF their existence the l
nourislment contained in the atmosphere 4
is not sufficient. If the end of cu.tiya- Il
ton i TO be obtained we must create in c
the soil an artificial atmosphere of car I
bone acid and ammonia, and this sur 5
plus OF nourishment, which the leaves l.
cannot appropriate from the air, must be {
taken up by the corresponding organs. v
that :, the roots from the soil But v
light, heat, mot entirely at our diSpoSaD c
the ammonia and carbonic acid, are alone t
insufficient to become part of plant des- I
tined TO the nouri>hmcnt of animals. !
In the absence OF the alkalics. the \
pho>phatcs, and other carthy salts. no j
vegetable iibrine, no vegetable caseine
can be formed. In dry summers pho 6
nomenon is observed, which, when the J
Importance OF mineral elements TO the il
Ite OF plant was unknown, could not 81
be explained. The leaves of plants first -
developed and perfected and therefore ~
nearest the earth, shrivel up and become C;
yellow, lose their vitality. and fall off b
while the plant is in an active state of Sc
growth, without any visible cause. This -
Is not seen IN moist years, nor in ever ST
green plants and but rarely in plants n
which have long and deep roots nor is 81
ii seen IN percnnials in autumn and winter j.
The cause OF this premature decay is OH D
'ious. The perfectly developed leaves m
absorb continually carbonic acid and "
ammonia from the atmosphere, which d
are converted into clements of new leaves. !"