The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-24
THE TRUCK FARMERS GREEAEoE.
Beginning Of the investigation Into
the Effect Of tho Acid Fumes on the
Tto ,-,,, rv-ora he NarE.

Beginning Of the investigation into
the Effect Of tho Acid Fumes on the
Farm Crops on the Neck.
The committee appointed by the Agricultu-
raj Society to Investigate the foundation FOR
the complaints of the farmers that their crops
10 the vicinity of the phosphate works are
suffering Injury from the fumes Of the sui.
phurlc acid chambers, have, with the assist
ance of DR.. St. julien Ravenel on the partof
the phosphate companies, and DR.. Lewis b.
Glbbes for the farmers, recently commenced
Its work by visiting several of the farms al
legged to have sustained injury. The crops
upon these farms were found to be In dis
eased condition, but similar appearances were
also observed in the crops upon several other
farms beyond the reach OF the fumes. Very
good reasons, therefore, appear for supposlng
that the condition of the crops Ia due rather
to the influence of purely natural causes than
to the action of the fumes alluded TO.
This conclusion is also borne out By
chemical laws and by the evidence
afforded In patch Of vegetables which
were found to be in 8 fourlshIng- -cnn--
ditIon under the walls OF the Pacific Gnano
Company's Works. The fumes which arise.
from the phosphate works are composed
wholly Of nitric aud sulphurio acid gaseu, and.
1t Is q we'll established chemical fact that
these gases, instead of being Injurious, are
highly beneficial to vegetation. Numerous
Illustrations of this fact are to be found In the
suburbs Of Baltimore and other. Northern
cities, where all kinds Of vegetable life -four
ish Immediately around the manufactures OF
sulphuric acid. The supposition that the crops
on The Neck have been Injured by the sulphu-.
rio acid fumes appears to be based upon the
fact that, In the vicinity OF the soda manufac-
tories In England, where sulphuric aeid ID
made In large quantities. the vegetation over
Wide belt of country ls utterly destroyed.
But the English case is not parallel one to
oura, for the destruction Of the vegetation.
around the soda manufactures is due to q
very poisonous gas called chlorine, which Ii
generated In vast quantities. in the process
of making soda by the action OF sui
phuric acid upon common salt. for the pur-
pose of changing the latter to sulphate OF 90,
dium. Thus 1t Will be seen 1t Is highly I'M
probable that the farmers have been injured.
by the fumes OF the phosphate works. II is,,
however, more probable that the condition OF
their crops has resulted partly from the ex-
treme severity of the winter weather, and
partly from the removal from The soil, by ex-
haustlve cultivation, OF certain constituents (
essential to the well-being OF the plants. The
Investigations of the committee will occupy 9
period of over one month more In order to
observe the condition of the crops which WILL
spring up too late to be Injured by the coio,,
and the soils of all parts OF the Neck will be
carefully aualyzed by the accompanying chem
lsts to ascertain whether they contain all the
elements known to be essential to vegetable
life. As the matter is one ofgreat importance:
to both farmers and phosphate manufacturers,
the report of the committee will be anxiously
looked for.