Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-06-10
DUST AND ITS VALUE.
The FcriiIity of the soil Largely Due
In ihc Atnmn.

PEELED tu provide himself with food 10y
some other mears than agriculture.
You could not have garden or farm
without dust |. would not he possible
for u crop to grow unless the soil con
tanned AN organism capable of convert
ing nitrog, nous matter into nitric acid.
Nitrogen j. indispensable as plant food,
and plants can assimilate IL only when
presented in the form of nitric acid,
commonly known as aqua furtis. That
is incapab BILE uf autolocamotion. and can
be distributed only through the dust
which fails upon the soil and upon the
leaves of trees and plants hence dust
is essential IL the pursuit Of agricul-
ture aud if il wasn't being carried
about constantly on the breeze through
the mir we would simply have 10 quit
farming Animals would have nothing
to feed upon. and we weuld have nei-
thcr meat Lor bread nor vegetables
IL have been spending some wears.
continued Professor Wiley. lin the in
vesiigatiun of the agricultural value ~
| dust. and il is II v'ry important sub
| iect. The soil is Continually being re-
vived and enriched from the PARTICLES
that are iluatin. al'uut in the atmos-
| phcre. They come frum i've sources -
first. atoms e the eai th ; surface caught
up hy the wind aud distributed else
where. and cond. what we call cos
mic dust that is mineral matter of
metcurlc origin
I'VE are gcttin: gradually tu under
stand its quantity, its value and the
important part il plays in agriculture.
! The heavenly bodies are constantly
shedding fragments of iron and other
mineral substances. which fall with
! great velocity and when they reach the
| atmosphere that strruuhds ih, earth are
heated hy friction and catch fire by
contact with the oxygen They are
then burned to ashes and scattered in
minute and invisible atoms. Some If
the larger pieces that become detached
from ihr stars reach thu earth without
being entirely consumed. W. call them
mctrurs. hut the little PARTICLES that
pcrineate The air. because uf this per
prttIal and violent Commandment from
the stars. are composed nf rbusphoric
acid potash and uili,r chemicals. which
are absolutely essential i'll renewing the
fertility of the soil
"What we call terrestrial dust is also
Of great importance to agriculture. In
many places the soil Is almost entirely
composed Of PARTICLES that have been
left thcr" lv the winds This Is partic-
ularly true nf soils that are made up of
volcanic ASHES which are carri, i'm
mcnse distances from the CraitTs. \
considerable porc, nta2e of the soil on
thu earth ; surface was originally vol
canic dust. which has been distributed
bv that good friend uf man "" call the
wind Pumpeii and liercnlanrum illus
tratc tin great depth to which volcanic
dust may reach. These are called ASu-
lian soils
The dust from the streets of cities
is of a composite nature, and carries
all sorts of fragments and atoms in va
riuus stages of decay 1t has u high de
gree Of agricultural Significance, he
cause il is loaded with germs of all
kinds Some of them are very useful
and some are injurious. The effect upon
the pnhlic health Is not injurious except
where the dust carries pathogenic germs
that is the germs of disease. As an
illustration. the sputum of II consump-
tive. il cjrct.d on the sidewalk is re-
duccd tu dust when il dries. and is
then distributed through the air in the
form of germs If they find lodgment
in the lungs 0f human being whose
physical condition allows them L. re-
vive and grow. the disease gets Il foot
hold and can he conveyed from one to
another Cl.icago Record.
These Wen Were Not Modest.
\ modern scientist assures us that
men of real 9cnius are always pr"ud.
and he gives the following example as
proofs of tie truth If this statement.
When Mrahcau was dying, he said 10
his servant. Prop mp my head care
fully, for il j. the Iu,,st remarkable head
in all France
Michael Angelo wrote, III lIi2 "All
the difference between me and Pope
Julius arus" from the fact that Raphael
and BranIautc W,rr jealous of me and
Iilfl tft tN' ttt-fiN HIT lti fNfi
thu: Raphael knows about art he learn
J ed from m.
Russini n,i,ir,ss,d some of his letters
to his mother rs follows To Mrs Ros-
SIM. the mother of the distinguished
master
Finally Schopenhau.r, when he was
asked whore he would like To br buried.
repli,d. II ne pla," do. : not matter, as
wst,iiiy VIII know well enough where
to iind me.
Th,sc ar" certainly striking examples
hi sonc rcti,ci-. hut II would not he
dIihcult L. ma others quite a. striking
OF ral men If genius who were noted
for their mod">ly
They kncw.
Two men wcr" standing outside a
jewel,r' ; window admirins the gorgeous
display uf glIittring gems that lay he
al.