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;'r'jt ' A$cuitur$thifa nery Government oxtght to jrotet ttery proprietor of lands to practice end
""y' ,k v. ? f - . every inquirer inio nature to improve,- onBoii. :)Kr-'.::-i'
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VOL.-!
RALEIGH, FEBRUARY, 1850.
HO. XI.
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NOETIIrCAUOLTM AKATOR.
Dk THOS. J. LEM AY. Editor k PnorniETbu.
; fco? Tkrms. -Published on ihoirsi of every month,
at oSB dollao , X XKaHj iri advancet'OT $1,50 not paid
until the :end of the tearr ; ;
XSAdvevtisemonts, not exceedihff twelve lines
for each and every, insertion,, one dollar containing
moro at the same rates. v f , . .
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CHEMISTBY: OFifAJJUUES. on fallows.
TiiKUfi is no need to remind you that the practice
ojyifallowing is of the greatest antiquity, for it will
beTeTOembcred by mosCof you that the Jews were
commanded to allov the land to rest every seventh
year.;heARoraana werp the (irstrto introduce it in
to thi3j?ountry ; neither was fallowing then,"noris
it notyy conned to any particular class of soils, it
r being aV common on light as on heavy land. His
Majesty, Kng George III, was in the habi$ of say-
Ing,--1.' that the ground, liko mau was never intend-
f Now, it appears to raeT that thp fallowing of light
soilss, pcrfectly'unnecessary;. (This, you must un-
dcrstand, I Advance, only as the rule I am perfectly
m awaroJUat'herQ'inay:be igw. exceptions to it, bui
, -.these occur only on strong undrained clays.) I'do
not allude to green crop' -allowing but naked fal
low8, for on light soils there is no. impediment to the
v successive growth of crops with-proper management,
; and as regards weeds they can readily be brought
: v under subjection J Jbut this is not so easily to be ac-
.. Complished Qn clayey; oils.4 The question, tlfen,
wjiicji natiirally-arisw is, to what kind of land is
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fallowing best adapted? Bnt previous to entering
upon this part of the subject, it mighf be as well
briefly to state the nature of fallowing, both in a
mechanical as wc!1 as a chemical point of tiew.
In the first place, then, the eflect of fallows, or the
period during which land is allowed to reroatn at
rest, . is to disintegrate the soil, or bring it into a
finer stale of division ; and, on account Miis being
thus, rendered more porous, this' Causes it to be more
susceptible of the influence of the atmosphere. By
means;of the action of tho atmosphere and the de
composing effects of tho sun's rays, certain substan
ces in the soil are made soluble which were prevl
onsly locked up amongst its mineml constituents,
such as the silicates of alumina, potash, soda, am
monia, k. This is accomplished by the action of
carbonic acid and. oxygen in the air, aided also byV
the presence of moisture and rain water, which agen- ; .
cies are raaJe considerable more powerful by the dlr;
rcct rays' of the. sun. There is much strong hjv
land scattered all over the country whlc Pthink
cannot be successfully cultivated without an inter-
yening fallow." I say 4his, hovcfer, advisedly, be- " ' .
cause I am quite aware of whatMr. Mcchi has done .
AiQ having proved, beyond all doubt, that wherejcx'
pease is not regarded, bare fallows are utterly un- i
necessary1! and .this, too, is consistent with all my
preconceived notions of tho nature and properties
of the soil. On poor sand land fallow is positively
injurious, becauso it tends to finish what little ";
organic matter it already possesses ; but on'the eon '
trary, on heavy, soils the improvement fs mechanicoj
a& well as chemical; Jt will bo noticed that proper
exposure to the air and the influenco of the. 8iU)'4
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