The Republican. [volume] (Maryville, Tenn.) 187?-187?, 1875-02-13
FABM AND PLANTATION TOPICS.
Prom the Rural Carolinian.

IN Its relation 10 agriculture, lately
showed us two interesting specimens Of
dried plants. Ona was the common
oat, which the botanists class among
the GrGRlineG, OF grasses, and the other
vetch, a leguminous plant, allied to the
garden pea, the bean, the lupines, and
the clovers. The plants had been grown
in fower-pots, from which the ball of
earth had been taken and carefully
washed away from the roots, leaving
thsm unbroken and entire. The oat
plant, or, rather, clump of plants, pre-
sented a mass of roots which would be
likely to astonish the unobseIving farm
err and open his eyes to the necessity
of giving his crop breadth and depth OF
soil, as we'll as something to feed upon.
The bulk and weight of the roots was,
we think, two to one at least as COM
pared with the parts growing above
ground. in the vetch, on the contrary,
the proportion was reyersed-the roots
making not more than one-third of the
entire bulk. Now the vetch, like the
clovers, is found to be exceedingly rich
in nitrogen, and therefore very valuable
as a green.soiling crop. When plowed
under, it enriches the soil by supplying
the required heterogeneous plant food.
Where and how this and similar plants
get the vast amount of nitrogen, which
they store up to enrich the soil, is, per-
haps, an open question. 1t was former
ly believed that plants like vetch, gar
den peas, buckwheat, etc., whose roots
are comparatively small and of limited
extension, absorb ammonia directly
from the atmosphere through their
leaves. Late experiments seem to show
conclusively that this is not the case.
They get it through the roots exclusive
ly, but it still appears certain that it
must be the atmosphere that supplies
it. II is Tin its elements) in the air, the
rains and the dew which permeate the
soil, and in that laboratory of nature,
and decomposed and made available in
the form of ammonia. These facts, thus
briefly and imperfectly stated, teach
several lessons of immense practical
value TO the farmer. l. That different
classes of plants have different modes of
feeding, as distinctly shown by their
roots. 2. That certain leguminous
plants, and probably all of them, in
greater or less degree, are great pur-
veyors of heterogeneous plant food, and
should therefore be made use of as
green soiling crops to enrich the land
for the grains and the fibre. bearing
plants, the lime and other ash elements
being cheaply obtsinable to complement
them. 3. That in view of the fact that
the fertilizing clements which are elab-
Grated in the soil come so largely from
the atmosphere, il is of the utmost i'm
portance that the land be we'll broken
UP and the soil kept loose and porous
by judicious and frequent cultivation,
80 that air and moisture can freely pene
trate it.
IMPROVEMENT OF CIAYEY SOILS.
One of the principal defects of clayey
soils, especially where they rest upon
subsoil Of the same nature, is the ex-
cess of water which is held in them.
The only effectual way in majority of
cases to get rid of this is by thorough
undertaking. This draws off by i'm
perceptible degrees all the excess of
water and opens the soil to the free ad-
mission of the air, which in its passage
through it imparts warmth and such
fertilizing gases as it may contain.
Open drains or bitches, though less
effectual, are useful. In some cases
water burrows, terminating in some
ravine or ditch, serve good pupose.
Lime is exceedingly useful as an ameli-
orator of clayey soils, inducing chemi-
cal combinations, the mechanical effec
of which is to break up the too great
tena,ity of the clay, while it adds, at
the same time, an element of fertility
which may perhaps be wanting. Gyp'
sum, or plaster of Paris, has the same
effect in still more powerful degree.
Ashes, coarse vegetable manures, straw,
leaves, chips, etc., are also very useful,
adding new materials to the soil, and
tending to separate its particles and de.
stroy their strong cohesion. Clayey
lands must never be plowed when wet.
CLOVER AS AN ACCUMULATION CFSITRoGEN.
We find it stated that DIR. Voelcker,
by series OF the most exhaustive an
alyses of soils and of plants, has discov-
cred and established the fact that an
immense amount OF heterogeneous food
acoumulates in the soil during the
growth of clover, especially in the sur
face soil amounting, including that in
the clover roots and tops, to three and
half tons Of nitrogen per acre; equal
to four tons and third of ammonia.
If this DO a fact, the wonderful effects
of clover vetch and similar n1onta nm