No. 1. 



Dialogue hehveen a Father and Son. 



15 



Boston with our corn and oats, obviatintr the 

 necessity -of selling to merchants, who, con- 

 tent with ^ small commission, obtain ibr us 

 the higfiipst prices. [?] The latter advantage 

 I consider of itself enhances the value of our 

 lands ten per cent., when a permanent resi- 

 dence is in anticipation. I have now enume- 

 rated some of the advantages incident to our 

 location; and apprehensive lest I have extend- 

 ed this communication even now to the ex- 

 clusion of much more profitable matter, I will 

 conclude by renewing my invitation to an 

 " Old Subscriber" to visit us and judge for 

 himself. Juvenus Arator, A. M. H. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Dialogue lietween a Father and Son< 



ON THE SPREAD AND APPLICATION OF MA- 

 NURES, &LC. 



Father. — This is the proper time to carry 

 abroad the compost on the meadows which 

 lie out ot" the reach of the watering system. 

 Here is a short table showing how many loads 

 are required to cover an acre, the heaps being 

 dropped at given distances. 



No. of heaps to a load. 



At ,5 yards distance. 



At 5i yards distance. 



At 6 yards distance. 



At CA yards distance. 



At 7 yariis distance. 



At 71 yards distance. 



At 8 vards distance. 



193J9G 

 IGOSO 

 13467 

 114 57 



4838 32 



33 26 22 



38 28 2; 



Frank. — I believe that persons are divided 

 in opinion respecting the proper state in which 

 stable manure should be carried on to the land. 

 Some say it should be applied in its fresh 

 state, others advise that it be dried to a " pinch 

 of snuti'." Who are right] 



Father. — I believe, as in almost every case, 

 so in thi.«, extremes are equally wide of the 

 truth. I do not consider that stable manure 

 in its fresh state, and before fermentation, is 

 properl}' the food of plants, and to carry it 

 abroad at that time is, I conceive, to deprive 

 it of a great part of its energy; while to dry 

 it to a "pinch of snuff," is to dissipate a large 

 portion of its bulk as well as energy. The 

 best time for use is after the first fermenta- 

 tion ; there is still sufficient remaining to 

 cause a partial action in the soil, which com- 

 municates vigor to the seeds and plants, and 

 they are, at the .same lime, supplied with a 

 pabulum fit for their sustenance. Perhaps 

 there might be somewhat of analogy between 

 this kind of fermentation and that which tikes 

 place on mixing sugar with water; this mix- 

 ture, you have heard, will produce spirit, or 



alcohol on distillation, but that it will not do 

 until after fermentation, and when that has 

 subsided it soon turns to vinegar ; so that, as 

 I said, extremes are bad. 



All animal and vegetable manures have a 

 tendency to rise in the soil ; this is owing to 

 fermentation, which takes place in those sub- 

 stances, by which they are rendered gaseous, 

 you see the steam or vapor flying off the dung- 

 hill in the yardl that is properly gas; it fol- 

 lows then that when manure is carried abroad 

 in this state it ought immediately to be turned 

 in, but as that cannot be done upon the mea- 

 dows, the dressing intended for them should 

 undergo a more complete fermentation; in- 

 deed, I always prepare a compost, and find it 

 more valuable for the purpose. You know 

 that compost means mixture — this: heap is 

 composed of ditch and bank earth, stable dung 

 and lime, and having been properly mixed 

 by turning, 1 value it equal to so much stable 

 yard manure. 



You know there are several kinds of ma- 

 nures, animal, vegetable, and calcareous, or 

 mineral. The first is by far the strongest, and 

 consists of flesh, blood, hair, wool, bones, &c. 

 and the dung c-btained from slaughter-houses 

 is, on this account, of three times the value 

 of the best stable dung. The second is com- 

 posed of peat, straw, leaves, and herbage of 

 all kinds; and the last of limestone, chalk% 

 marl, shells, &c., all which will effervesce in 

 acids, and burn into lime. 



Frank. — But you have not mentioned the 

 most common of all the manures — stable, 

 dung ; what ought that to be called 1 



rather. — It has been called animo-vege- 

 table. But, come, let us go in, the dew falls 

 heavily ; I see we shall have no rain to-night. 



Fra7ik. — I have often heard you make that 

 remark, but cannot conceive from whence 

 you draw your conclusions. 



Father. — Common observations have gene- 

 rally some truth ; and I often amuse myself 

 by inquiring into their origin. With regard 

 to the one of which we are speaking, I con- 

 ceive that the cause arises from what chem- 

 ists call ajjinity: that is, the desire which 

 two bodies of the same nature and density 

 have to unite, how, during the da}', the 

 warmth of the sun draws up from the earth 

 a vast quantity of water in the state of vapor; 

 this ascends into the higher regions of the 

 air, and remains in that state so long as the 

 upper atmosphere continues warm : that which 

 rises during the night, however, become.s 

 condensed by the cold evening and night air, 

 and falls back on the earth, in drops of dew 

 or water; but when the upper atmosphere 

 becomes colder than the lower region, there 

 is an inclination in the vapor contained in it 

 to condense, and then, the exhalations of the 

 ni"-ht arise through the warmer or lower re- 



