Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-11-05
NO. SO.
THE RELATIONS OF SCIENCE TO
AGRICULTURE


the Ohio Board Of OfAgriculture, befOr
the Hardin County Agricultural So
ciety, Oct. 10, 1860.
As first step towards the develop
ment of our natural resources here il
Ohio, the Legislature ordered a geolo
gical survey to be made. Many havl
asked me what will this survey amoun
to2 It will amount simply to this
viz /: We will know what mineral re
sources we have and where to fine
them. It is like a merchant or far.
mer taking an account Of what pro
perty he has or owns, and seeing what
shape it is in, and ascertaining what
he can do with it-hoW he can make il
available. Then there is an agFioul-
tural survey connected with the Reoloq
ical survey, what will it amount TO
A knowledge Of soils, sub-soils and
substrata constitutes the science OF
agricultural geology. The objects Of
the agricultural geology are
First. The classification of the soils
on a sound accurate basis, and the e5-
! tablishment of some general nomen-
clature of them, instead of that confus-
ion of names which renders it almost
impossible for the cUltivator of some
district, to know the nature of the soil
on which a given process of cultivation
has been found successful, or unsue-
| cessful in another
Second. Agricultural geology should
be able to impart a knowledge of the
laws of the distribution of soils; that
is TO say, where soils of a given quality
or adapted to a given system of agri
culture are to be found
Third. The proper depth and dis
tances Of drains depend on the per-
meability. or mellOWness of the soil
and subsoil, by water. A knowledge
OF this and the phenomenon of springs
which is essential to economy and eR-
fciency in freeing land from water
when in excess, and In obtaininga sup
ply oft when deficient, constitutes one
department of agricultural geology.
Fourth. Another department Of ag-
ricuItural geology comprises a knoWl-
edge of tbs nature and properties and
the distribution of mineral manures,
or those substances which may be OBJ
tanned from the subsoil and substrata
for the correction of the chemical and
mechanical defects in the composition
of the soil
Fifth. Jointed structure and slatv
cleavage of rock impre gnated with me-
tallic substances are in many instances
local accidents to which the strata
have been subject, and which must af-
feet the character of the soils derived
wholly from rocks of the same forma-
ton. Soils will be drier on rocks ira
versed by numerous joints and By slaty
cleavage, than on those which are de-
stitute of them. Thin soils resting on
such rocks, if the Joints are numerous
and the cleavage verticaloP highly in
clined, are great devourers Of manure
which runs through them like a sieve
and are what are usually known as
leachy soils. Salts injurious to vegeta-
ton prevail in soils resting on rocks
which abound in metallic sulphurets.
Sintb Agricultural geology should
discriminate between soils composed
exclusively of the material Of the rocks
on which they rest, and those in which
the materials have been derived from
various strata and blended by aqueous
transport.
SeUenth. The Investigation of the
sources when cematerials for building.
draining and road making may be OBJ
tanned, of the best quality and at the
cheapest rates, is a department of geo
logy Of no small importance to the far
mer. 1t will often instruct him how,
on the one hand, he may obtain under
or near to his own land the very sub
stances which he is bringing at great /
er expense from a distance; and on the /
other hand, how by means of railways
they may be brought at cheaper rate l
from distance of twenty or thirty /
miles than from nearer sources of sup
ply whence he is hauling them with |
his own hOTses.
Such are some Of the questions |
which agricultural geology is required |
TO answer. To some of the most i'm /
Dortant of them, which relate to the /
Of soils, it is unable in its
present state to give more than very
answers, because the greater
part of the data necessary for their So /
luton are yet uncOllected. Forinvesti-
cations embrace two classes Of facts
the distribution and composition Of the (
rock formations, and the distribution /
and composition of the drifts of erratie |
tertiaries. Geologists have occupied /
themselves too exclusively with the /
former ; the latter, from their superb
3ial position and the extensive areas
which they cover, are of the most i'm
mediate Importance In an agricultural
point of view.
Almost every where 10 Ohio we ind
5he drift is only two feet thick, il, in
many cases, constitutes both soil and
3ubsoil; when 1t extends to seven feet,
It is greater and deeper that the deep
est drains of the deepest drainers. |
There are places-like MassillOn, in
Stark county, where the drift is more
than a hundred feet thick or deep, in
such cases the sUbstrata can have no
agricultural value.
But an agricultural survey at the
same time takes cOgnizance Of the sys-
tenn of agriculture adopted, and de-
whether or not it is the best
'or the soil and locality-an approx
mate analysis Of the pasture grasses,
md forage plants will be made, to de-
,ermine the comparative nutritive val
1e of these plants. The function per-
'ormed by red clover In agriculture
will, at least, be attempted to be ez-
planned.
THIS approximate analysis Of grasses
| hold to be q contamination of the
7eFy greatest Importance TO the farmer.
V cry few farmers are aware of the
mount of beef an. acre of good and nu-
iritious grass will produce. In some
grasses the first growth contains the
greatest proportion of nutritive matter
n others, the most nutritive is found /
u the aftermath. 1t is very possible
hat this analysis will demonstrate that
iome grasses will not yield 10 exceed
five or eighty pounds Of beef
Der acre, whilst others will produce
wo hundred pounds of beef peraore. Ofl
course this can be determined only by
chemical analysis.
You will perhaps, object and say
hat all this is too scientific and not
practical for the farmers Of
Ohio Well, remember very we'll in {
.849, when the FIRST reaping machine
vas brought to Stark county, the far
ners objected to il on the ground that
here were too many stumps in the
country, aud would require a greater
legree of mechanical knowledge to 9
kbs, kha tnwnaava rranow / Ii