INDIANA FARMER
DEVOTED   TO   AGRICULTURE,    HORTICULTURE,   MECHANICS,   AND   TITE    USEFUL   ARTS.
VOL. l.j RICHMOND,   IND.,  JUNE  1, 1852. [NO. 20
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Indiana Farmer.
Scientific agriculture—no. 7.
I have said that hydrogen, when combined
with oxygen forms water. Water, then, is nothing cls'S than a chemical combination of these
BY PROFESSoT"^ LAWRENCE. j tW° SaSeS*      When UnitC(1   with Carlj0n    alone»
 , it forms the most  inflamablo  substances; such
This is the thirdLbst»pSce hi'the catalogue of! as alchohol, spirits of turpentine, and all vol-
org<*nic elements. It exists in greater or less j atile oils. These are the fixed oils, fats, and re-
quantities in all animal and vegetable bodies|siiis. All these substances likewise consist of
but in the mineral kingdom, it is unknown, ex- j the same three elements.
fc'ept ai* a constituent of coal, and a few other       It is not a little strange and wOrlderful that the
substances of a kindred nature. jsame three   elements  which   form   the   above
it exists uncombined only in the form of alnamed substances.also form -woody fibre, starch,
gas, and is the lightest of all known bodies; it > s'uSar* 8"™. &<=., the principal difference be-
beingmore lhan fourteen times lighter than air. >Uvecn them consisting in the different arrange-
Like oxygen it is invisible, and without color, rn.ent of their particles. It will be seen from
taste or smell. On account of its great levity what lias been said that hydrogen, though it exit is used for inflating balloons, because while ists in smaller quantities in most organic sub-
it occupies the space, it has not the weight of! stant*cs* than either carbon or oxygen, plays an
common air. It is not found in nature by it- ^ equally important part in the organic world
self but is always combined with something.— V/ith either of them- Much of the cheerfulness
Combined with oxygen.it constitutes one ninth of home> as wel1 of societ>' in general, is at-
part of the weight of water; and it can easily !trib"ted to itsagency. It is this which hi-ikea
be separated from that combination, and obtain- <the blazinS fire uPon t1le domestic hearth, and
ed in the form of gas, colorless, tasteless, and j S'vcs flame t° the lamp or candle to dispel the
and inodorous. It does not form tls large a por- \ £lo°my darkness of night. How Wonderful and
tion of animal and vegetable substances, asj how happily adapted to the wants and the hap-
either carbon or oxygen; yet itis more or less . P*ness of mali* D0"'1 they testify that their
abundant in them all.    It is thc  characteristic I oriSin is divine?
element in almost all combustible bodies.    It is j     r>        T~~7     ■    ?i " ^7"   » _.
Red   Antwerp  RasPbsrrV.—Wg  heat t>t
what makes the flame br blaze   of fire,   when? ._■      .    .        r   ,  , ,,
, ., *,. ._      ... 'magnificent returns for labor, and land, and cab.
wood   or  other   vegetable   matter, bituminous'.,  , ,       .   , .    .,.       ,     ... ,   . '      ,     **.
.       . -it. ,       .      *ital devoted to this splendid fruit.    Ono  hortl-
coal, and many animal substances are burning. 5     ,,   ...    n ..    _       ,.     , .„„
,., ,   . ,.     c       .      .       , . ° Jcultunstin Oonnecticut realized $800   for his
Substances capable of combustion, but contain-  ,    _ , ,   ... ,.,,..
,    . .... ... ,       I-last year s crop on half an acre, while the htick-
taming no hydrogen, will glow witn intense heat    .     .       , , .,    , .
...   ,       .      ,    .     .,,   . . ,.,,.,    jsterto  whom   he  sold  them gained nearly as
while burning, but will give out very little li**ht,<        , m        _, ,   .  ,,      . ,
.       - ,        . ,        ,      .      ° , .much more.    Ihreo thousand dollars is rather
and no flame, such as charcoal, anthracite coal, i_ ....      - r        ,, ,   .   ,
,        . tal picking for an acre of small fruit, but at pn-
and peat. .    ., .  . . i-
J ces in the eastern market it is sometimes realiz-
Some substances  both from the animal ahd - e(j
vegetable kingdoms contain a large quantity of j     The red Antwerp Raspberry, cultivated so ex-
hydrogen, which can always be known by their hensively and successfully by the Eastern gar-
burning with a great quantity of flame and light\ deners, differs from  that generally   cultivated
such as tallow, lard  and all kinds of animal i rnder that namo-    !t is lcss hard-y and the frult
and vegetable oils; also tar, pitch, turpentine,  IS S,Uch •finer• ,,,. -n;, ,-„„,„   „_A „__„,
° l       '      i J     the vines are usually laid uown  and cover-.
rosin, &c, and bitumen ormincral tar.    Hydro • | C(j with earth in the fall in order to protect them
gen is the essence of flame, and is largely con-i from the severity of the frost.
cerned in   the  production of light in combus-i     A furrow is plowed alongside the   rows and
tion; so that the relative portion   of hydrogen  J1"5 PIa"ts are laid doy"   a,n<j C0Jered ?*-n
,     ... ,   ,    ,    r     ,    .   ,    {   ,c     (hoe.    One man accustomed to the work will
in any combust.blo body may be judged of ap- j cover nn ncro in throe (*n;,s.    In light soil( the
proximately by the quantity of flame which  it!Workis done  with facility.—Louisville Jour*
produces while burning. < nal.