Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-03-16

portion as the soil is prepared to al
propriate L.
In addition TO legitimate drainag,
deep culture is a sovereign remedy fc
the evils arising from too much we
Removing the superabundant moist
are from the soil aud subsoil, not onl
renders the existing fertility of tn
soil available, but indirectly adds fer
tility to it, 10y putting the land In
physical condition to appropriate tn
proper elements from air and water
Only adding here that the remedIe
for wet land and wet weather on DIR,
land, essentially differ; the remed,
for the former consists in a iudiciou
system OF underdrains, while that fo
the latter including both lands drained
and undrained, consists of deep cul
ture, we arrive at the consideration G.
the second topic in our subject
Drouth. As by wet in agriculture
porlance, we mean more water il
in the soil than is needed for the best
growth of crops, so, by the term, drv
is meant that there is IN the soil less
than a sufficient quantity of water need.
ed for that purpose. In discussing
the remedy for wet, it will be remem
bered, We proposed to put away, i'm,
mediately, the surplus of water, and
now, when the conditions are changed,
to the other hand, we propose to draw
upon our deposits to supply our wants.
When water falls upon the earth 1t
goes into the ground in just such COM
parative quantities as the condition of
the soil enables it to absorb--that is,
according to its capillary condition.
In dry and warm weather, this water
is again brought to, or up toward the
surface of the ground, and within the
reach of the capillary radicals of plants
by physical law, called capillary at-
traction. That this law performs a
wondeful function in the transmission
of fluids through porous solids, is in
disputable; but its functions have been
somewhat misconceived, and the man
ner of It's operations have been measur-
ably, misunderstood. Capillary attrac-
ton has been understood to be the
only power that elevates moisture from
the lower strata toward the surface in
case of droutn; but this to our mind,
is a misconception.
There is another agency employed
in this work whose good offices seem,
hitherto, to have eluded observation;
that power is vaporization in the earth.
The air of the atmosphere penetlates
into, and permeates and occupies the
earth to great depth, filing all inter-
stices and capillaries and pre,occupied
by the denser element of water. Cur
rents of air are found in the ground
mostly so mild and gentle as to be in
sensible; but these are sometimes goad
ed into violent currents, eddies and
miniature tempests by means of heat
and currents in the air; this subtera-
mean AERIAL ocean occupies and circu-
lates through the capillaries. =
What are capillaries? Small, hair
like tunes are found in animal and veg
etable bodies through which fluids cir.
ulate. In the animal constitution,
,apillaries in immense numbers are
.ound between the ends of the arteries,
which convey the blood from the heart
nto all parts of the system, and the be.
ginning of the vains, which return the
blood to the lungs for oxydization.
Capillaries are not of uniform nor
hape. Even the sanguiferous capilla-
les of the human system are not uni
orm either to form or capacity; and
he same is true of these little pipes in
IL organic matter. Capillaries, IN
pose ground, are simply little cavities
r interstices between the particles of
arth, which possess the same absorb
1g power as the regular pipes in Or
anlc bodies, where the capil AMY
haracter OF the pipe ceases, on account
: size, it is not easy to determine. A
,as or water main is certainly not
apiilary vessel, but at what diameter,
r by what philosophical phenomena.
be capillarity of tubular vessels is de-
is an unsettled question.
he lnterstices between fine shot and
but the spaces in cannon
all would scarcely be mistaken for
apillaries. Undoubtedly, the capilla-
es of the earth plowed ground) vary
nmensely in size and in the capacity
attract water; these vessels in fine i
1st are much smaller aud more num- v
'ous than in coarser, or more gradu- a
r earth. The finer the caplllaries, c
e slower the ingress of water, while t
eir retentive power is considerably ii
eater, for the reason that vaporiza- r.
On In such soils is less rapid than in tt
arser soils, because of the slower |,
,ssage of atmosphere through their c
bstance. perfectly dry earth be C.
fted 50 that the dust is all removed e.
d again sifted through a coarser o
9ve, so that what passes through the i
I'VE the second time, will resemble in i,
,e, grains Of wheat, and this put into ie
glass tube and less quantity OF wa Fl
r be introduced at the bottom than ~ ~
necessary to saturate the whole mass, ~
9 water will rise rapidly between T. Il
ese granular particles of earth, so ~ ~
at the water may be seen between =
EN-; but as the experiment proceeds, VI u
e water in the interstices will slowly "
tor tho ulahnloc Of dru oa a.4l oxI v