The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-09-07

whatever it may be called, is by it's
presence and consequent chemical
a1tion,the only powerto permanently
enrich land where' no vegetable life
exist. That all land is rich with it
and no land rich without it, drainage
and culture Dsing equal, is proof
enough that it is all that is REQUIRED.
without saying that it is the Gre.
ator's choice and that He abundaptlv
provides it. stli - -
Sd. That all vegetable life through
the peptic power of roots, 10 convert
inorganic matter into plant food, is
more or less enabled to live and
grow below and beyond the life civ.
ing GENE This is proved by trees 5,
growing where there is little or no
fertility. Large live.oaks, blackberry,
cedar, etc, on pure she'll mounds
with no tree lime nor any Kind Of
earth and showing in their ash largely
of lime; large pines, both on wet
and arid land, large cedars in clefts
of frocks, willows in pure sand and
water, ETC., and that they do not live
mostly on air, is shown by the ina>
bility OF pines to live on rich land
and willows without water, and that
they both grow as well on poor land
as good, when supplied with water
which brings us back to the End ap>
plication. AS the leaves, limbs, and
ever growing and deepening rootlets
furnish us with the vegetable mold
that will keep our grandchildren
from the degrees of starvation.
From ny expariasents and obsef
vatlons, believe That lime may be a
permanent fertilizers for most soils. if
applied judlciously, but almost in it's
natural state, as carbonate of lime,
especially on open sandy land, other.
wise it acts too soon to be of a adj
vantage to growing crops. To be
sure, it corrects the acidity in wet, in
newly drained lands, but at the
expense of lots of ammonia by exhala>
tion aud liberation of newly develop.
ed GENE to useless depths in sandy or
gravelly soil With 90 bottom to ar.
rest it, and unless a fixed agent is
used tor the ammonical gas set free,
1t is sheer waste of iorce. Further.
more, l found that | had changed
the humus into insoluable geate OF
llme' requiring to lie long time be-
lore it again become plant food. Let
Nature do her perfect work. Per.
maps the best way to apply lime is to
rednce 1t by calcination, let it
thoroughly air slack to powder. back
20 its original state, as carbonate of
lime, thereby improving the texture
of coarse soils, and enable it to hold
moisture better. The same treat.
ment OF sulphate OF lime, or gypsum,
might dispel that noAlous element
sulphuric acid. Finally l am led to
the conviction that nearly all soils
contain as constituents latent mineral
salts in sufficient quantities and that
these are eliminated through the
chemical action OF organic matter.
feldspar, mica, albitie, and the green
sand of the cretaceous period hold
largely Of potash and soda. while
some soils have so much as to be un.
fit for vegetation except such as are
specially adapted to it-soda, grasses,
etc.
With these unfinished suggestions,
(for the subject requires amplitude)
and the hope that Mr.. Crozier and an
appreciative public will use all the
humus they can get, and
Throughout the land gentle ferment spread.
And give the people all their daily bread"
iSEMPRE VIvE.