The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-03-11
Elements of Agri.,,.

"i Agricnltu,.
Probably the majority Of -
have given this subject 'srmea
whence Does tb bu' IliS.
Derive its FoOdi" and ID, de,l Pan
many suppose that the soil o;Tiu!Otes
only source of plant food rs IS The
istry teaches us how to anal EaeN.
take apart and examine n" o.
ent parts of the plant H. olfer
general division we make is to mt
the different parts of the nI "s's
atmospheric, because deriypolSsn pant At
the air, and earthly becausa ~ I lion
from the soil. When we bO re,Vsa
vegetable matter a very larua aOl
of it disappears and escaIa pan
the atmosphere, and a yerv ' Into
portion remains which We 'ma.
ashes. The part which bprU NC cal
comes from the air, and tba, u awaY
remains from the soil. We v %IlcS
anime the atmospheric parts of *
plant. These constitute ne., Ne
of most plants, the 7shes for.5 a.
sometimes less than one par in
hundred of their dry weight. - NJ me
atmospheric portions f plants ~ r%
slst of one solid srostance car.
or charcoal, and three gases
gen, hydroge.i and nitrogen Az
one-half Of. the dry weight of nl., .,
is carbon, as can be proven l.
burning while protected from y
air when the carbon becomes rb .l'
coal. The carbon in plants i !.
rived from carbonic acid wb:I
constitutes about LIZ atmosnbs,.
and although all growing nlsa.
arc continually taking it IN ~
about half of all the yege,.T
matter in the world is derived r.
this source, its proportion in 4.
atmosphere is always about n.
same, for it is formed when eve.
bodies containing carbon are 4.
cayed or burned, and also bv 4.
breathing of animals, SO, althopgS
it is being continually used. the.
are millions of agents at work nm
ducing it. Every cottage fire, ever,
breathing animal, the wick of ever
burning lamp, and all decaying ar.
imal or vegetable matter is Do.
ducing this essential gas. Carbon,
acid enters the plant in two wav
being carried into the soil to n.
roots, and is also absorbed throuub
the leaves. So we see that he
one solid substance which plants
get from the atmosphere is derived
from this gas.
Let US now consider the three
gases-hydrogen, oxygen and nitro.
gen-which constitute the remain.
der of the atmospheric parts Of
plants. Matter is composed Of
hydrogen and oxygen, and plans
obtain their supply of these from
this source SO readily that we DO
not need to furnish them, and 50
we will pass to the consideration
of nitrogen, the only remaining at
mospheric constituent of vegetable
matter. Nitrogen is worth our close
attention, because first, it is neces.
sary to the growth and perfection
of all cultivated plants; second, il
is necessary to the formation of all
animal substances; third, il is often
deficient in the soil; and fourth, it
is liable to be easily lost from ma.
nures. Although four ffths Of the
atmosphere is nitrogen, it is almost
certain that plants get no nutrin ent
directly from this source; it is all
obtained from some of its com.
pounds and chiefly from ammonia.
Ammonia is composed of nitrogen
and hydrogen, has a pungent smell,
and is Familiarity known as harts,
horn. Farmers often notice this
around stables, whenever any body
containing nitrogen, burns or de
Gays, the nitrogen unites with the
hydrogen and forms ammonia, 50
that the atmosphere always contains
more or less of this gas. Plants
take up. ammonia through thell
roots, hence it must find its way
into the soil. Water has the power
to absorb many times its bulk o.
this gas, so we find that rain, de"
and snow absorb the ammonia o.
the atmosphere and carry it down
to the roots of plants. Althousf
ammonia is thus furnished Dy th'
atmosphere, it is on most souls o.
great benefit to supply it artitidaIly
and the value of barnyard manure
depends largely on the ammoni'
which it yields. For conveniene'
we will classify the earthly ingreai
ents of plants; they are as folio"
Alkali, acid neutrals, potash
phosporic chlorine, soda, sulphur. 4
oxide of iron, lime, m gnesia. SLICE
oxide of magnesia. L. BECK
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7 ouisviIIe Courier Journal.