The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-12-28

country of ours, lnueeU, Whut III Is
in name, free, gloI ious, and en-
lightened nation.
ORIGIN AND FERTILITY OF THE
SOIL.
BY Rev. David II. Moore.
Soil is defined w be finely divid.
cd rock material miSed with de-
cayed vegetable or animal matter,
constituting that portion Of the sur
face Of the earth ia which plauts
grow or may grow. The origin OF
soil is dependent upon three things: !:
|. Rock. 2 Weather. 3. The re-
mains Of organic life. In His wis.
dom the Almighty God Creator of
the universe, prepared all the con.
ditiOns and regulations for what
we know as weather, before the
rocks were formed.
- Without going into details Of the
Creation as described by Moses,
aud which have been set forth in
the language of exact science |
deem it to be sufficient to give
merely the four periods distinguish.
ed in the gradual formation OF the
physical globe. Those four periods
are: /. The Nebulous. 2 The Min
cral Incandescent. 8. The period
of the hot oceans. 4. The period OF
the cold oceans. The first ocean,
were not only intensely hot; hut
largely charged with acid Those
hot and acid waters must have
wrought the decomposition of the
mineral crust and thus have pre-
pared the way through other chem
zeal combinations for the precipita
tion of the rocks. In the process
of the cooling down Of the hot mass,
which we know now as the earth,
there occurred what in geological
terms are known as subsidpuces.
AS tn result Of those suhSideuces
mountains and hills can IL be-.
All high hills and mountairs are
made OF rock. Exposed d surfaces.
and rilling into hills and mountains
show the presence of rocks. A
writer has said, that "the rocks are
the bones of the hills" In'the rocks
The evidence is found that some
me in geological history the ear Y
oceans leemeI with life. Mr.. DaM-
son has made the claim on purp-
orted discovery OF particles OF Car
bon in what are known as the
Az>ic Rocks, that some form Of
life existed during the formation OF
those rocks.
Thus, do we see, that, the mate.-
iaIs for the sell were treasured up
in the rocks awaiting the action oi
such an agent as the Creator Ii III
provided 10 reduce them TO that
state. That agent is the weather,
and The process by which the soil
has been made is called weathering.
Air, rain, heat, and cold have all
wrought, and are at work still at
work still to bring about the disin-
tegration Of the rocks, an the
pr, parhtion of that in which vege-
table life may thriv..
TIE Glowing from an authority
on soil, describes the process
whereby the rriineval hills were
fora down and denudrd. When the
first rocks appeared, they were
doubtless soon thrown or crumpied
up by HE shrinking Of the crust,
into heaps and ridges, These prim-
eval hills began at once to be
Wenthered, TO be torn down ANA
denuied by stormy winds, frost, ice
ram, torrents, and floods. The mo
ment there began to be Il rocky
ctu't to the world, destruction,
Rrrak, change and alteration be.
gan" The gcOlugist argues that
thi, must have been the process
from tne first appearance of the
LOCKS, for the reason that the same
process is gong on nov, and the re.
suit is soil.
AS remarked near the be- lining of
this paper, the remains Of urganic
life entered ms al ingredient inio
The rocks, aud have been trausmut-
I'd into soli through the process OF
wca.hering. In addition 10 this, il
may be remarked, that plants nn,i
living creatur, s of the nure recent
ayes, have contributed II share to
the making of soil Low forms of
plant life gtrrninnte and grow up3n
The face ul she rocks and by ia, ir
g,oWtiI cause the rock, t., disintts.
rate Plants and animals iive ma
die aud contribute their Remains to
the ulak Ing nf soil. The soil then
il II campus,te and consists Of "the
RENAL, y of Old rocks, the rrmaius
nf dead pInnia. ana! tnp remains uf
living creatures { ev~ry kiud."
Tne d hr,s which j. the result Of
iht tearing out aml 'uoMu uf the
hiilIand mountains, has u"vpr H. c,.
Suffered to renain in ia" places
y here it has tHlten / has bprn
moved and sorted. Thl- ncc,sSqr,
work IN nature hHS been hunr, aud
- sllIl briug done, ~ water.
Water Is the great soil mover,
and soitrr. The rain corrics
the pieces Of rock To the near.
est brock, and the brook to tire
river, and by the river they are ei-
ihtr left on the shores. or sirtpd
Il Iwp oV,r the land on which the
overflow of The river rests.
There is soil, aud sab. soil. The
soil Is that which constitutes the
outer surface Of the earth, and that
which Is ordinarily turned up for
tilluge by the plow. The sub soil
Is Of The earihs constitution inmed-
lately under the Sml, and may he
nara clay, or gravel, or a stratum
OF rock. 1T may not be rs rich IN
elements as the soil above, bu; fre-