Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-02-11
Elements of Agriculture.
NO. VI-PL0WING.

The great purpose of blowing is to
oulver.ze the soil, and thus enable the
rootlets to search for food and the air
and water TO find Its way through its
pores. 1t gives the power of destroy
ing the life Of weeds, miugling them
with the soil and Fastening their decay.
Late autumnal blowing does much to-
wards killing insects and eggs or Larvae.
They often penetrate some incher below
the surface. Flowing exposes them to
the frosts.
Bnt the great object most farmers
have in view is to mellow the soil, ln-
crease its porosity and augment the
amount of air that may dislntegrate and
and decompose the vegetable, animal
and mineral ingredients and fit them for
nSurishing coming plants. We all
know how valuable is air 10 MAINTAIN
vegetable and animal life. Its oxygen
enables animals to breathe and live its
carbonic acid feeds and gives firmness
to living plants. The presence in the
air, or soil OF oxygen promotes The
starting into growth all seeds. Many
germs may remain dormant for many
wears. while excluded from the air, but
start at once when exposed 10 air,
warmth and moisture. The air also
begins the decay of the vegetable mat
ter in the soil and resolves it into sim
pier forms of matter, and evolves car
bonic acid and water that contributes
largely to the growth Of vegetable IN
fancy. If small amount only OF air be
present, decomposition may slowly oc-
cur but may generate new compounds,
that may iniure or retard the growth Of
plants. Exclude the usual percentage
of oxygen, and the vegetable matter Of
the soil abstracts oxygen from such
earthly matter as may decompose and
lose their usual state Of oxidation. II
takes oxygen from sulphates and chan
ges them to sulphides. These lower
oxides are harmful TO vegetation. We
prevent these injurious changes by
blowing. narrowing and loOsening the
soil so as to admit air freely to every
particle of soil. Give the soil all the
air it can bsorb and 1t will fit it for the
nourlshment Of plants. a poor supply
ofair harms plants as much as animals.
Compound mineral substances in soils
require constant supply OF oxygen to
hasten or promote their decomposition
and SO enrich the soil. These decom-
posing minerals yield large supplies 9
inorganic crops. Air, then, aids tie
decay Of this mineral matter and helps
to bring carbonic acid in contact with
plants. In this way We clearly see that
a porous soil and exposure to air fayor5
the growth of plants by presenting to
their roots a full supply Of organic and
inorganic food.
Ammonia and nitric acid are genera
ted in soils. They are Of great value to
vegetable life. They are the more
abundant, the more often the land is
plowed and narrowed. AL elements
that the surface soil absorbs from the
air will be tho greater the more and
ottener The entire soil is exposed to
oxygen. The better the farmer plows,
harrows and pulverEes his land, the
larger are his crops.
Ifsoils are peryious to the air, the
rootlets can easily penetrate the soil.
Their fbres spread far around and are
fully supplied with food. A well pull
verified and mellow SOIL, that can be
freely entered by air aud roots, will
yield larger crops than when a greater
depth, but less permeable soil exists.
A deep soil is always able to yield
larger crops than shallow one, other
conditions being the same.