Joseph Smith as Scientist: A Contribution to Mormon Philosophy

by John Andreas Widtsoe

II.

"Science moves, but slowly, slowly, moving on from point to point."—Locksley Hall.

A plant feeds in two ways—by its leaves, and by its roots. The leaves feed from the air; the roots from the soil. In the air is found a colorless, heavy gas, known as carbon dioxide, which is made up partly of the element of carbon, or charcoal. When an animal or a plant is burned at a low heat, it first chars, showing the presence of charcoal; then if the burning be continued, it disappears, with the exception of the ash, as the gas, carbon dioxide. Since animal and vegetable matters are constantly being burned upon the earth's surface, naturally the air contains a perceptible quantity of carbon dioxide. The leaves of a living plant, waving back and forth, draw into themselves the carbon dioxide with which they come into contact, and there break it up and take the carbon away from it. The carbon thus obtained by the leaves is built into the many ingredients of a plant, and carried to the parts that are in greatest need. The plant is able to do this by virtue of the peculiar properties of the green coloring matter in all its leaves, leaf green; which acts, however, only in the presence of bright sunlight. Since one-half or more of the dry matter of a plant is carbon, the importance of the leaf-air-feeding of a plant may be understood.

The water which a plant contains and the incombustible portions, the mineral matters or ash, are taken directly from the soil by means of the roots. The old idea that vegetable mould and other corbonaceous matters are also taken from the soil by the roots has been shown to be erroneous. The mineral portions of a plant are of the highest value to the life of the plant—without them, in fact, it languishes and dies. If a soil on which a plant is growing contains, for instance, no iron, the leaves become pale, soon white, and finally they lose the power of appropriating carbon from the air. If potash is absent from the soil, the plants growing upon it will develop in an imperfect manner and finally die. It has been found by careful experiment that seven mineral substances must be found in every soil, if it shall support the life of plants, namely: (1) Potash; (2) lime; (3) magnesia; (4) oxide of iron or iron rust; (5) sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol; (6, phosophoric acid, and (7) nitric acid or aqua fortis. The fertility of any soil or soil district is determined by the quantity of these indispensable ash ingredients contained by it.

All soils are produced by the breaking down of the mountains under the influence of weathering. The broken down rock is washed into the hollows and lowlands by the rains and floods of melted snow, and there forms soil. Soil may, therefore, be defined, in a general way, as pulverized rock. Nearly all rocks contain the elements above enumerated as being essential to a plant's life; and nearly every soil will, consequently, be in possession of them. Rocks, however, in being subjected to the action of weathering, undergo other changes than mere pulverization. The potash, lime and other plant foods held by a rock are in an insoluble condition, and can not be taken up with any ease by the plant roots. As the rock is pulverized in the process of weathering, it is also made more soluble, and the juices of the plant roots can then absorb the needed foods with greater facility. This process of making the soil more soluble, continues while time lasts, and every year will find the soil more soluble than the year before, if there are no opposing actions. Therefore, the fertility of a soil is determined not only by the quantity of plant food it contains, but also by the condition of solubility the soil constituents are in.

According to the facts above given, it would be fair to infer that a soil becomes more fertile with every year that passes. This would be the case were it not for opposing tendencies. First, the crops grown upon a soil remove considerable quantities of mineral plant food. This alone would not seriously affect the fertility of a soil did not other forces act in conjunction with it. The most important cause of lowering the fertility of soils is the loss of plant food due to drainage. In districts of abundant rainfall, as, for instance, the Eastern United States, sufficient rain falls to soak the soil thoroughly and to drain through and go off as drainage water. The water, in passing through the soil, will dissolve, as far as it can, the soluble ingredients, including the plant foods, and carry them away into the rivers and finally into the ocean. This action, continued for many years, will rob the soil to feed the ocean; in fact, the saltness of the ocean is due, largely, to the substances washed out of the soils. Most of the poor soils of the world have been rendered infertile in this way. If, on the other hand, only a small quantity of rain falls upon the soil—an amount sufficient to soak the soil without draining through—the water will gradually be evaporated back into the air, and there will be no loss of plant food. In such a district the soils, if they are treated right, become richer year by year, even though subjected to tillage, if the tillage be according to our best knowledge.

In every rainless district, or in every district where the rainfall is so slight as to render irrigation necessary, the soils would be expected to be richer than in a place of abundant rainfall. Leaving out of consideration differences due to local conditions, this has been verified by the study of soils from many parts of the world. The soils of an arid district contain more soluble plant food than those of a humid district, and, with proper treatment, will not only raise larger crops, but remain fertile much longer. They will also bear harsher treatment, closer cultivation, and are in every respect superior to the water-washed soils of a humid country. A recent study of the soils of Utah has shown that the fertility of our soils is exceedingly high, and that they will endure long and close cultivation; that is, that because of the peculiar climatic conditions of the State, they can support bountifully a large population.

Several years ago Dr. E. W. Hilgard, an eminent student of climate and soils, threw out the suggestion that upon the facts just discussed rests the explanation of the historical datum that the great nations of antiquity on this and on other continents sought for the abodes the rainless, arid stretches of the world. A large, active population, which does not depend on other peoples for its support, must of necessity possess the most fertile lands, which are found only in districts of limited rainfall. In the whole history of the world, the great granaries of the world have been located on the arid stretches; and on our continent, the great West, largely arid, is becoming the source of the food staples of the nation. Utah is the heart of the arid region of North America; her soils are heavy with wealth of plant food. If the time comes that her valleys be filled with people, crowding in from the nations of the earth, her soils, responding to the better treatment which science is developing day by day, will display their strength, and feed the world, should the demand be made.