Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-05-09
-AGRICULTURAL.
For the Sentinel.
Improvement Of Land,
No. V

the question now arises Why one crop may
grow and another fils2
Suppose, for example, a crop 10 require a
peculiarly large supply Of potash, il may grow
well il the soil abound in potash; but il the
soil be deficient in potash and abound in lime,
then the crop may scarcely grow at all upon
it, while another crop 10 which lime is espe-
oially necessary may row'luxurianuy Also
il two crops Of unlike kinds be sown together,
their roots suck in the inorganic substances in
different proportions; the one more potash
and phosphoric acid perhaps, the other, more
lime magnesia or SILICA. They thus interfere
less with each other than plants of the same
kinds do, which require the same kinds Of food
in nearly the same proportions. If each crop
demands special substances, or these substan-
ces in quantities peculiar 10 itself or in some
peculiar state of combination, the chances that
the soil will be able to supply them are greater
the more distant the interval at which the
same crop is grown upon it. Olher crops do
not demand the same substances or in the same
proportions and thus they gradually accunu-
late in the soiluntil it becomes especially ia
grow. Suppose the soil to contain a certain
average supply IF all these organic substances
which plants require, and that the same corn
crop is grown ulion it for long series Of years;
this crop will carry off some of these substan-
ces in larger PROPORTION than others; or that
year by year the quantity of these which are
thus chiefly carried of will become relatively
less. Thus, at length. the soil for want of
these special substances viii become unable to
bear corn crop AZ all, though it may still
contain a large store of the other inorganic
substances which The corn crop does not espe-
cially exhaust. Suppose bean or turnip crops
raised in like manner for a succession of years,
they would exhaust The soil of different set
of substances until it became unable to grow
them probably, though still rich in those
parts which the corn crop especially demands.
But grow these crops alternately, then the one
crop will draw especially upon one class of
substances, the other crop upon another; and
thus much larger crops of each win be reaped
from the same soil, and for much longer pc
riod of time.
The organic part of soils is derived chiefly
from the remains Of vegetables and animals
which have lived and died upon the soil. The
inorganic part Of soils, that which remains be-
hind when everything combpstible is burned
away. It consists Of two portons-one saline,
the other earthly.
In this section, the surface soil of our fields,
in general contains very little soluble matter
in faII ,fs- 1t,,t
and descends again to the subsoil In dry
weather it re-ascends. Hehce the surface soil
of any field will contain hrger proportion of
soluble organic matter in the middle Of hot,
dry season, than in ono of Extraordinary rain,
Also the fine, dry weather. which in early
summer hastens the growth Of corn, and later
in the season favors its ripening, does so, pro-
badly, among its other modeS of acting, by
bringing up to the roots from beneath, a more
ready supply Of these saline Compounds which
the crop requires for It's beautiful growth.
tbs believed that the admission Of frequent-
ly renewed supplies of air intd the soil is ia
vorable to its fertility. This, ihe descent Of
rain promotes. When it falls Upon the soil il
makes its way into the pores and assures, ex-
polling, of course, the air whah previously
filed them. When the rain ceases, the water
runs or BY the drains and as II leaves the
pores Of the soil empty above it, THE air fol-
lows and fills with renewed supply the nu-
merous cavities from which the descent of the
rain had driven it. Where land remains full
OF water no snch renewal of air can take place.
AS the rain falls through the ar itlacquires the
temperature of the atmosphere If this be
higher than that of the surface soil the latter
is warmed by it; and if The rains be copious
and sink easily into the subsoil, they viii car
ry this warmth with them to the dep!h of The
drains. Thus the undersoil in wen drained
land is not only warmer because the evapora-
ton is less, but the rains in the summer season
actually bring down warmth from the heavens
to add to their natural heat
The sun beats upon the surface of ahe soil
and gradually warns it. Yet, even in summer,
this direct heat descends only few inches be-
meath the surface. But when rain falls upon
the warm surface and finds an easy descent, as
it does in open soils, it becomes itself warmer
and carries its heat down to the undersoil.- /
Then the roots of the plant are warmed and
general growth is stimulated. When rain falls
upon heavy undrained land, or upona land
into which it does not sink rapidly, its runs
over the surface, dissolves soluble matter and
carries II into the nearest ditch. Rain thus
robs and impovershes such land. But let il
sink where il falls, then whatever it dissolves
1t will carry downward to the roots---it viii
distribute uniformly the saline matters which
have natural tendency to rise to the surface,
and it will thus promote growth by bringing
food everywhere within the reach of plants.
Rains never descend empty handed. They
bear with them gifts, not only Of
moisture to the parched heritage, but of or
ganic and saline food, by which its growth is
promoted. Ammonia and nitric acid, together
with the many exhalatons which are daily
rising from the earth surface come down in The
rains; common salt, gypsum and other saline
substances derived from the sea, are rarely
wanting, and thus the constant descent from
the heavens may well be supposed to counter
balance the occasional washings from the earth
GLAUGUS.
CLEANING 0LD CLOTHES Grease spots should
hrst be taken ont with liquid ammonia, and
then apply one or two ounces of common 10.
I'LL. ,e 1