This comprehensive agricultural encyclopedia from the 19th century represents a major reference work on practical farming methods used particularly in France, England, Germany, and Flanders. Volume 1 focuses on agriculture proper and covers fundamental topics essential to rural practitioners. The work addresses climate and its agricultural influence, soil properties and composition, soil amendments and improvements, fertilizers and their applications, and basic agricultural operations needed to prepare land for cultivation. It includes detailed chapters on general soil treatments, sowing and planting techniques, maintenance operations for cultivated land, irrigation and water management systems, crop rotation principles, harvesting methods, produce conservation, rural transportation infrastructure, and boundary structures. The encyclopedia contains over 2000 illustrations representing agricultural tools, machines, equipment, animal breeds, plants, trees, buildings, and rural structures. Written by a collective of agronomists and practitioners from French agricultural societies, this volume serves as a practical guide for small farmers, tenant farmers, estate managers, and landowners in the exploitation of rural domains.

Table of Contents:

Climate and its influence on agriculture .... page 1
Of the atmosphere and its influence .... page 2
Chemical action .... page 2
Physical action - Winds .... page 3
Means to know the pressure, force and direction of air .... page 3
Of humidity, dryness and their influence in agriculture .... page 4
Humidity and dryness of the soil .... page 4
Of the atmosphere .... page 5
Clouds and fogs .... page 5
Of rain .... page 6
Instruments to determine humidity or dryness of air .... page 6
Of temperature and its influence in agriculture .... page 7
General effects on vegetation .... page 7
Duration of summers and winters .... page 7
Intensity of heat and cold .... page 8
Cooling and freezing .... page 9
Means to determine temperature .... page 10
Of electricity and its influence in agriculture .... page 10
Lightning rods, hail rods .... page 11
Influence of situation .... page 11
Of latitude or climate .... page 11
Of elevation .... page 12
Soil and geological constitution .... page 14
Of exposure .... page 15
Of inclination and shelters .... page 15
Means to judge climate by plants .... page 16
Means to predict the weather .... page 17
Forecasts from instruments .... page 17
By the stars .... page 18
By the atmosphere .... page 18
By plants .... page 19
By animals .... page 18
Various signs and forecasts .... page 18
Climate of France .... page 20
Of the soil, its properties and diverse nature of lands .... page 21
Formation of soils .... page 21
Composition, qualities of different soils .... page 21
Nature and qualities of soils .... page 21
Composition of soils in cultivation .... page 22
Substances contained accidentally in soils .... page 24
Different kinds of lands and their classification .... page 25
Clay soils .... page 25
Sandy soils .... page 27
Sandy-clay lands .... page 29
Quartzose and gravelly .... page 30
Granitic .... page 30
Volcanic .... page 31
Sandy-argilo-ferruginous .... page 31
Heather sand .... page 31
Pure sand .... page 32
Dunes .... page 32
Gravel or sand from river banks .... page 33
Calcareous soils .... page 34
Magnesian soils .... page 36
Peaty and marshy .... page 36
Physical properties of soils .... page 39
Density or specific weight of lands .... page 40
Tenacity and plastic quality .... page 40
Permeability of soil .... page 41
Faculty to absorb water .... page 41
To dry out .... page 43
Diminution of volume by desiccation .... page 43
Effects of capillarity of soils .... page 44
Absorption of humidity from air .... page 45
Of lands for gases .... page 46
Faculty to absorb and retain heat .... page 46
Influence of electrical state of soils .... page 47
Of subsoil and its influence .... page 47
Notions of geology and geognosy .... page 47
Impermeability of subsoil for roots .... page 49
Mixture of subsoil with vegetable layer .... page 49
Impermeability of subsoil for water .... page 50
Principal subsoils encountered .... page 50
Phorometry, agronomic appreciation of degree of fertility of lands .... page 51
Functions of soils in vegetation .... page 54
Means to appreciate qualities of soils .... page 55
By aspect and physical properties .... page 55
By plants growing there .... page 56
By chemical analysis of soils .... page 57
Of amendments .... page 59
General considerations .... page 59
Preliminary studies .... page 59
Importance of use of amendments .... page 60
Results of use of amendments on French soil .... page 60
Calcareous amendments .... page 61
Liming or use of lime as amendment .... page 61
Lands to which lime is suitable .... page 61
Various means to employ lime .... page 62
Limings in use in various countries .... page 62
Care to take in liming .... page 64
Different qualities of lime .... page 65
Second limings .... page 65
Doses of limings .... page 66
Conduct to follow in chalky soils .... page 66
Effects of lime on soil .... page 66
Quantity absorbed by vegetation .... page 66
Exhaustion of soil by lime .... page 66
Of marling .... page 67
Composition, research and choice of marl .... page 67
Marling processes in various countries .... page 67
Doses of marl to give to soil .... page 68
Care to take in marling .... page 69
Second marlings .... page 69
Exhaustion of soil by marl .... page 70
Culture of soil after marlings .... page 70
Improvement produced by marl .... page 70
Use of plaster or demolition debris as amendments .... page 71
Sanding or use of shells as amendments .... page 71
Stimulating amendments .... page 72
Plite, sulfate of lime or gypsum .... page 72
Different kinds of ashes .... page 73
Wood ashes .... page 73
Peat and coal .... page 74
Pyritic, or black ashes, red .... page 75
Seaweed, ashes of seaweed, sea fertilizer .... page 76
Saline substances .... page 77
Sea salt or sodium hydrochloride .... page 77
Muriate or lime hydrochloride .... page 79
Sodium sulfate .... page 79
Potassium nitrate or saltpeter .... page 80
General remarks on salts .... page 80
Amendments by mixing with lands .... page 81
Of fertilizers .... page 82
Circumstances favorable to their action .... page 82
Of humidity .... page 82
Of heat and porosity .... page 83
Stimulants and their general effects .... page 84
Action of various fertilizers .... page 86
Different fertilizers .... page 87
Fertilizers from plant kingdom .... page 87
Terrestrial plants .... page 88
Aquatic plants .... page 91
Animal fertilizers .... page 92
Some little-used substances .... page 92
Hooves, horns - Feathers, hair, bristles - Meat .... page 92
Dried blood .... page 93
Washings, refuse and waste from intestines .... page 94
Explanation of their effects .... page 94
Liquid fertilizers .... page 96
Fabrication and use of poudrette .... page 98
Disadvantages of impure fertilizers .... page 99
Animal black and animalized black .... page 100
Fabrication and use of disinfected fertilizers .... page 100
Imitations and falsifications of animalized black .... page 101
Mixed fertilizers, or manures .... page 103
General mode of use .... page 104
Stable manure or litter .... page 104
Fertilizer produced by grazing .... page 106
Bird droppings .... page 106
Mud from ponds and pools, and slime .... page 107
Soot from chimneys .... page 108
Composts, or mixture of lands and manures .... page 109

Rural House of the 19th Century: Practical Agriculture Encyclopedia Vol. 1

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