Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-04-10
CLARKSVILLE TENN, SATURDAY, APRIL 1o 1869

vegetable matter, and rendering solu
bic those substances which could MOI
otherwise be absorbed by the roots o
plants. Peat lands which posses.
more than so per cent. of organic
matter, nd produce nothing but q
coarse, WORTHLESS grass, may be mad,
rich and productive by drainage, ant
a heavy top-dressing of lime wei
ploughed in. Thus we see that by
the union of clay, sand and lime, We
have soil that maintains proper
consistence to afford mechanical sup.
port to the plant, as well as u suflici
emf. degree of porosity for watering
and ventilation, and having enough
of the siliceous ingredient to afforc
strength and durability of the stalk
Clay land having large percentage
of potash, and its alumina being In
chemical union with silica, is bette,
adapted to the growth of wheat anC
cotton; a considerable share of SAND
requisite for barely, and a decidedly
sandy loan for rye and oats. II
would be interesting to dwell upon
the effects of draining, ploughing
hOeing, rotation of crops, and manur.
ing: but each of those subjects should
be the basis of q separate monograph.
A passing remark or two, however,
may not be appropriate. The effects
OF drainage are more perceptible upon
tenacious clay land than upon light,
porous, friable soil. 1t prevents the
accumulation of stagnant water, IA
vOrs the access of fresh supplies OF
rain water, and consequently, Of fresh
air to the roots, and it makes the soil
softer and more impressible by the
roots. BY efiectually dissolving the
hard Jumps and redering the subsoil
more porous, it enables the plant ia
enjoy wider range for feeding, and
1t facilitates vegetation by dissipating
that degree of coldness of the soil so
detrimental to the plant i'm early
Spring.
The beneficial effects of ploughing
and hoeing are no less remarkable,
by minutely dividing the soil, encour-
aging the plentiful supply of air and
water, thereby affording a due pro-
portion of oxygen which is necessary
for the decomposition of vegetable
matter, the termination of seeds, and
by uniting with organic and morgan
ic matters preparing them for absorp-
ton by the roots of vegetables.
One of the most economical and
judicious methods ofretaining the nat
ural fertility of soils is by resting and
by proper rotation of crops. Chemi-
cal analysis and observation demon
strate that the constituents of the
soil are heterogeneous, and that diff
ferent plants consume variable quan-
titles of organic and inorganic sub
stances. De Caudolle maintained
that plants have the power of excret
ing or throwing off into the soil mat
ters unassimilable by them to such a
degree as to cause sterility, so far as
they are concerned; but that this ex-
crementitiOus matter may serve as
healthy food for other plants, and
that by a judiciOus system of rotation
the fertility of land may be prolonged
indefinitely. This redundance of ex-
crements by the slow action of the air
and moisture again become fitted for
food. On the principal of long con-
tinued and excessive excretiOn of
worthless matter we are induced to
account for the fact, that when an
oak forest is cleared and the land cul-
tivated for series of years on being
thrown out and permitted to repro
duce another forest, pine is usually
for oak; on the contrary
the destruction of pine forest is usu-
ally followed by that of oak. Gan
plants require alkalis, some In the
form Of silicates, Others in the form
of carbonates, nitrates, oxalates, and
tnrtrates." Corn delights in the phos-
pilates Of lime, magnesia, and in silic-
ic acid and an analysis of the cotton
plant shows in matter soluble i'm
water A per cent of the carbonate of
potash the phOsphates of lime and
and the carbonates of lime
are found in smaller proportions !;
silicie acid in comparatively msignifi.
cant quantities. Here, then, we per-
ceive how chemical analyses and ex-
periments confirm the results of our
observation and experience, in the
benefits resulting from rotation in the
culture of our two staple productions,
corn and cotton.
In the older European countries,
two successive crops of similar
kind are seldom permitted to grow
upon the same soil; and it Is said,
that by alternating with different
kinds Of vegetables for a series of
years, the original fertility of the land
may be preserved to remarkable de-
gree. We are informed that In Bel
gium, the rotation of crops upon a
portion of land remarkable for its fer
tility, which had not received any
manure Tor twelve years, was as fol-
lows: Beans, barley, potatoes, win
ter barley with red clover, winter
barley, wheat, oats; the eigth year il
was allowed to lie fallOw.n The
ninth year it was supposed to be as pro-
ductive as when first in cultivation.-
The benefits of rotation of crops are
very evident, but to the degree that
was claimed by DeCaudolle; for the
cultivation of any soil,
however skilfully, will finally, result
in the complete exhaustion Of its or
ganic and inorganic constituents un-
less they are artiiicially supplied. -
The recuperation of land by resting,
is a slow, imperfect and expensive
process, where the soil is naturally
poor. We should commence TO rest
such land beiQge IL begins to fail for
where IL Is naturally deficient In veg
etable matter, after having been ex-
hausted, thscrop of weeds and grass
produced is so insignificant that IL
returns to the soil but a very small
of organic matter. 1t Is
doubtful whether the benefits result
ing from resting such land, taking q
series of years, will compensate for
the expense of keeping the fencing i'm