THIi FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



perature of the soil as it filters through it to the drciins ; 

 and this is, doubtless, one reason of the fact I liave 

 often proved, of the higher temperature of the soil in 

 drained than in undraiiied land." Here is a second 

 benefit. 



The rain, in falling on the heated surface of the earth 

 in summer, conducts some portion of this heat down- 

 wards, and so equalizes its temperature. This, though 

 a benefit, is not partisularly a propos just now. 



J;".inston tefls us that thu rain carries down soluble 

 substances to the roots of plants. I would add to this, 

 that it not only carries them down, but perfectly dis- 

 tributes them; and here I indicate, without stopping to 

 discuss it, a third benefit. 



In red-coloured soils and some others, there are sub- 

 stances which collect from time to time, injurious to 

 the roots of plants. These the descending rains, like a 

 vigilant police force, bid to move off, and disperse 

 through the drains, retaining some of the most hopeful 

 for purposes of reformation. We have here a fourth 

 benefit. 



Lastly, the falling rains bring with them fertilizing 

 substances from the air. 



Various are the exhalations sent up as vapour from 

 the earth's surface. The sea sends up a portion of its 



common salt, &c., and the land numberless foriiis of 

 volatile matter arising from decaying matter; and these, 

 instead of being allowed to pollute the air, are dissolved, 

 and brought again to the earth ; so that the rains thus 

 purify the air, bear moisture to parched vegetation, and 

 organic nourishment to its roots, &c. 



Having thus indicated the heads of the consideration 

 which gave peace to me, it only remains for me to say 

 that, next morning, I found a new pleasure in observ- 

 ing the water pour from the eyes of my drains, and 

 determined to act upon the opinion expressed by one of 

 the fathers of modern drainage, who was heard to say, 

 while watching the success of an experimental cut, 

 " Varrily I do believe the whole arth should be 

 drained !" 



Nor was I disconcerted by the thought that, pro- 

 bably, much more rain must fall before the equilibrium 

 is restored.* During the last four years we have lost 25 

 inches, or one entire year's fall ; and if the same amount 

 of rain falls every seven years, we need not expect to 

 throw away our ursbrellus just at present, though, 

 every now-and-then, a bright, unclouded sky does to 

 the sanguine portend an eternity of fine weather, and 

 an early peck of March-dust. 



F. R. S, 



ON COMPOST AND VEGETABLE EARTH 



by m. boussingault. 

 [translated fkom the "journal d'ageiculture pratique."] 



In rural operations, of whatever importance they may 

 be, a spot of ground is reserved, on which are accumu- 

 lated the sweepings of the yard and granary, the mud 

 scraped on the highways, the weeds collected round the 

 dwellings, dead leaves, mould from the bottoms of 

 ditches, turf gathered in dressing the meadows, rubbish 

 from ruined buildings, ashes from peat, coal, and wood 

 ley, the ligneous stalks of colza and Jerusalem arti- 

 chokes, the residue of distillations of apples and grapes ; 

 in a word, this reserved spot is a receptacle, a common 

 sewer, into which is accumulated everything that does 

 not go upon the dunghill. A constant moisture is 

 maintained in the mass of rubbish by drenching it with 

 the washings from the house, urine, or, in their absence, 

 water. 



At the end of a year or two, the compost is ready. 

 Its appearance, as may be supposed, is as variable as the 

 materials of which it is composed. Generally it is of a 

 deep brown colour, and friable enough to be immediately 

 spread over a meadow, where it will at once produce 

 the most beneficial effects, because it renews and moulds 

 up, as well as acts as a powerful manure. It is beyond 

 a doubt the most economic pulverescent compost for 

 top-dressing, when not required to be transported to 

 long distances. The brick rubbish, sweepings, mud, 

 ditch earth, old sward ashes, &c., must serve as the 

 foundation of the compost ; I have always done so with 

 them, as being earthy matters, useful to vegetation, but 

 containing very few organic substances. But that we 

 should add to them the weeds, straw, residue of fruit, 

 and, as is frequently practised, the refuse of the butchery, 

 dead animals, blood, urine, &c., is what I have long 

 considered as eminently disadvantageous, and founded 

 on a principle too absolute perhaps, that everything 

 susceptible of putrefiiution should be thrown into the 

 dung-pit. As to the privies, it seems to me that when 

 it is intended for the irajirovement of a meadow, it is 

 preferable to spread it directly as a liquid manure, rath( r 



than sprinkle it over an enormous mass of rubbish, in 

 which it must lose in time a great part of its fertilizing 

 principles, chiefly soluble and volatile. 



For twenty-five years I have reflected in this respect, 

 upon what is practised on the farm ; but during that time 

 have taken no steps, first, because the results obtained 

 were most satisfactory, and next, because I considered 

 that on a point essentially practical, on an operation, 

 the efficacy of which was confirmed by the experience 

 of a century, the opinion of a whole peasantry was 

 of more value than that of a single academician. 



From the time of my investigation on vegetable earths, 

 which by revealing to me the importance of the pheno- 

 menon of nitrification in culture, had proved to me the 

 analogy existing between a nitrate and a soil manured 

 and strongly dressed with lime or marl, I began to think 

 that there was no reason to regret the wreck of vege- 

 tables, the purin which we introduce into the composi- 

 tion of compost ; and it became evident to me the hun- 

 dreds of cubic inches of earthy matters mixed with 

 organic substances that I had before my eyes constituted 

 a true nitrate, that they differed in nothing from it, 

 unless it be in some imperfections of the details in 

 the management. In order to show ray convictions in 

 this respect, ic will suffice, I think, to call over some of 

 the precepts, contained in the instructions on the manu- 

 facture of nitre, published in 1777, by the stewards 

 general of gunpowder and saltpetre. 



"All earth is proper for the manufacture of salt- 

 petre, provided it is not too compact, or too sandy. 

 The earths procured from stables, cellars, ruins, &c., 

 have the preference, the ooze from ponds, street mud, 

 &c." 



" Collect under a shed in which we would form a nitre 



* I have just received intelligence from the Superintendent 

 of the Kew Ob3£rvatory, that the rainfall from the let Or'fober, 

 1859, to the 31gt Janua'v, 18tiO, ^as 9.-)25 inches. 



Z 



