Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-04-11
-AGRICULTURAL
For the Sentinel.
Improvement of land.
NO. III.

There is mode Of improvement often re.
sorted 10 on poor lands, viz: Burning and pa
ring OF the surface, which strikes me would
prove highly beneficial to The lands in this
section, treatedin like manner. The effect Of
This treatment cannot but be easily understood
The matted sods consist Of amixture Of veg
eiable, with comparative small quantity Of
earthly matter. When these are burned the
nsh-only Of the plant is left, intimately mixed
with the calcned earth To slrew this mix.
lure over the soil is much the same as to dress
itwith wood ashes, the beneficial effects of
which are almost universally recognized, and
the beneficial effect Of the ash itself is chiefly
due TO the ready supply Of inorganic food it
yields to the seed and to the effect which the
potash, soda, etc, which i, contains, exercise
either in preparing organic food in the soil, or
in assisting its assimilation in the interior of
the plant For instance, take n field upon
which several successive crops Of the grasses
have been produced. Why, after being plough
I'd up it is sometimes so full Of insects hiatt The
success of any corn crop put upon it becomes
very doubtful; on the other hand when pared
these insects collect in the sod, and are de-
slroycd BY the subsequent burnings.
Burned clay has long been recognized by
the practical farmer as a useful application to
his land, under certain circumstances, mixed
with vegetable matter Of any kind, and burned
slowly-stilf soils Of all kinds viii give black
ened heaps, which can be spread with advan-
1age as top dressing. TO the light porostv
OF the GARTH and the action Of the vegetable
ashes which are mixed with it, the beneficial
Influence Of this mixture is distinctly to be as
cribed. 1t acts both mechanically aud chemi-
cally mechanically in rendering the soil more
ifiable, so that i, can be worked with less la
Dor, and in especially aiding the culture CT
green crops-chcmically in considerably in
ereasing the production the reason--al
chys contain sensible qualities Of most Of the
mineral substances potash, soda, lime, mag
ncsia, phosphoric acid, Sc, which plants re-
qaire for their healthy growth. They are,
however, in comparatively insolube condi-
ton, which circumstances, united to the stiff
ness OF the clay, prevents the roots of the
plants from readily taking them up When
the constituents Of the clay is altered, and the
substances which plants require are rendered
more soluble. After the burning, both water
and acids will dissolve out more from the same
weight o! dry clay, and the matter thus dis
solved contains large proportion of those
mineral ingredients which all plants contain.
The use of lime is of the greatest Importance
in practical agriculture.
All animals hitherto examined contain in
The parts Of their bodies traces more or less
distinct of phosphorc acid, generally in com
bination with lime, forming phosphate Of
lime. II thus happens that limesones almost
invariably contain phosphoric acid, and il
usually increases with the remains of animals
shells, &c. Animals also contain sulphur, aud
this gives rise to the presence Of sulphurc aeid
in chalks and limestones. This acid exists in
them in combination with lime, in the state Of
gypsum. Carbonate of magnesa is also pres
ent. In the old red sandstone formation, beds
of limestone are met With which are rich in
magnesia. These are considered less valuable
tor agricultural purposes
The quantity OF lime which can be laid on |
al single dressing, and the frequency with |
which ii may be repeated depends upon the
Kind of land, upon the depth Of the soil, upon
the quantity and kind of vegetable matter
which the soil contains, and upon the species
OF culture to which we propose 10 subject H.
II the land be wet or badly drained, a larger
application will be necessary to produce the
same effect. But when the soil is thin small
er addition will thoroughly mpregnate the
whole, than where the plough usually descends
10 the depth of eight or ten inches. On red
pasture lands where the tender grasses live in
TWO or three inches Of soil only, a feeble dress
ing only will be required though in laying
down land 10 grass IL heavy first lining is of
len indispensable.
IN. arabic culture, larger and less frequent
doses are admissible. both because the soil
through which The roots penetrae must neces-
sarily be deeper, aud because the tendency to
sink beyond the reach of the roots is generally
e1unteracted by the frequent turning up Of the
earth by the plough. Where vegetable mat
Ter abounds, much lime may be usefuly ad-
ded, and on stiff lands, after draining, its good
effects are often remarkable; chiefly because
there is neither moisture nor vegetable matter
present in sufficient quantity on light lands,
large applications of lime are hurlful there
fore it is preferable to add it to such land in
the state Of compost only.
In my next shall speak of the chemical cf-
fecs of lime upon the soil both in its caustic
and mild FORMS
GLAUCUS.
EuLAlIA, Montgomery Co., Nd
CHOOSING MATCHING EGGS. Eggs for hatch