The Red Cloud chief., 1885-06-12
CIVILIZATIONS OF THE soil.
The OBJECT - Saeh CsleisatIos Not thl
Deseruesloa Of Weods Only.


The OBJECT - sseh csiavssios Not sA>
D~esersesios of weeds Only.
II . farmer were asked why be hoet
Or cultivated his crops, such IS corn,
potatoes. beans, roots. etc, he would
in nine ont Of ten eases say il was done
for the purpose Of destroying weeds
In this he would be quite right As to the
purpose most frequently intended. bu!
altogether wrong as TO the real eAe ci
produced by the working Of the soil
For il there were no weeds. and the
soil were perfectly clean and free from
them. cultivation Of all these crops
would be indispensable for their profit.
able growth II is a great mistake
made by American farmers universally,
and English and European farmers tor
the greater part, that every crop-even
the small grains-is not as well worked
Is are corr and the various root crops.
for those crops need the benefits which
accrue from frequent stirring Of the soil
quite as much Is these do. and where
the small grains are cultivated in q
methodical manner the Yields are as
largely increased as are those of corn
and other sO-called hOed crops. Wheat
rarely yields thirty bushels an acre un.
der the usual system of cultivation. but
has produced more than twice as much
when hOed several times in the earlier
stages Of its growth. Oats have yielded
eighty bushels per acre when drilled in
rows twelve inches apart. using only
n bushel of seed per acre. and have
been worked with 3 suitably devised
horse hoe which siirs the soil between
the rows. Potatoes which have been
hOed every third day through the grow
ing season have yieldedat the rate of
twelve hundred bushels per acre, and
corn cultivated every week for eight
weeks and then hoed bv hand until the
corn was glazed has Welded one hun
dred bushels and over per acre.
1t is interesting 10 consider how these
results are produced by this frequent
stirring of the soil. We have often in
these columns mentioned the analogy
which exists between the vital functions
Of animals and plants: how in their SEX
ual differences. their productive meth
DDS, their modes of feeding. and their
manner of deriving substance from the
atmosphere, plants closely resemble an
imals. The fundamental principles Of
life seem to be similar if not the same
for all creatures. animal or vegetable
whose life. started by a creators act.
in whatever light We may view the ere.
alive act whether by a distinct and
singular process. or by gradual evolu-
ton from q primitive germ. springs
into action. exists for a period. and ter
inmates by the Operat IN of the same
laws. Thus while animals take food
into = stomach where it is digested.
pass it into the circulation where it is
assim;lated and changed into blood.
which is kept pure and fitted for con-
version into tissue by the effect of the
atmosphere inhaled by the lungs. SD
vegetables take food into their sub
stance by the roots and pass il into tho
circulation, where it is acted upon by
the atmosphere and prepared for assim-
ilatiOn into the cellular tissue. Now, it
is known that the greater part of the
solid substance Of a plant consists of
carbon, and the next larger portion is
made up of nitrogen. We also know
that the atmosphere is the sole
of carbOnic acid and of the
nitrogen which originally furnished
all organic matter with its supply. and
that it is also largely the source
from whence growing plants procure
this part Of their food. We have
learned, too. that the roots are the
feeding organs of plants. and these
must be supplied from the soil. We
begin now to perceive how necessary il
is that the soil should not only be made
actively absOrptive, but tenac;ously re-
of the carbOnic acid and the
nitrates from which plants derive their
This. however. can only
be done by making the soil ex-
tremely porous. A porous body is an
chemical agent: we know thus
far; but precisely how much further il
may act than u present knowledge
indicates we = not tell Porous bodies
are such active Oxidizing agents that they
not only maintain q slow combustion. but
actually produce it in many cases. and
some cases cause active Inflammation (
and confiagration. Then. when We
make the SOL porous by frequent cult
sation and stirring of the surface. we
produce a constant circulation Of airin it.
which effects such changes in the exist
Ing organic matter as to make available
Iarge quantities Of plant food: it also
sets free \ large quantity of nitrogen
which may form combinations rs We
know it does with mineral matter. and
20 produces food for plants: it also lib
rates large quantities Of carbOnic acid.
If which plants need such = large guam
.ity. All these facts go to snow that
we're there not q weed in existence We
nevertheless cultivate our crops.
Ind that this process is as requisite for
he good of every crop Is it is good for
! single n Henry SteUart, IN n. ].