212 



Nitrate nf Soda as a Manure — Land Measure. Vol. IV. 



world, and yet talk of marrying!" but these 

 are the marriages that are sure to wear well ; 

 I never heard of a divorce or separation, du- 

 ring the time I resided amongst them ; and 

 there too, they still religiously observe, the 

 beautiful ancient custom of breaking a coin, 

 or some article of gold or silver between 

 them, when they betroth themselves; and 

 it is said, there is not an instance upon record, 

 where either party proved faithless to the 

 sacred vow ! 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Nitrate of Soda as a Mannre* 



In the last number of the Cabinet there is 

 a paper from the Farmers' Magazine, stating- 

 the mode of application and uses of tliis arti- 

 cle as a manure, all of which has been verified 

 by the writer of this, last season, though he 

 had not then heard of its application to agri- 

 cultural purposes either in Europe or this 

 country. It costs from three to four cents 

 per pound by the sack, and is much cheaper 

 than saltpetre. It should be sown early in 

 the spring on the grass sod at the rate of 

 about one hundred pounds to the acre, and 

 perhaps a heavier dose might answer better, 

 but experiment must determine that point. 



The nitrate of .soda, or cubic nitre as it is 

 often called, can be purchased in quantities 

 of the wholesale druggists. It exists natu- 

 rally, in inexhaustiblequantities, in the desert 

 of Atacama in Peru, South America, from 

 whence it is imported into this country, and 

 is used for various chemical purposes. It forms 

 a bed of variable thickness, covered with clay, 

 of one hundred and fifty miles in extent. 

 This article in the crude state in which it is 

 imported into this country, is in dirty-white, 

 saline lumps, rather soft and friable, and 

 damp on the surface. It attracts moisture 

 from the air, and dissolves very readily by 

 exposure to rain. 



From present appearances, it seems proba- 

 ble that this substance will soon be found to 

 be of great importance to the farmer as a 

 manure, and the ease with which it can be 

 transported will be a means of extending its 

 beneSts; and the greater the consumption of 

 it, the cheaper it will become, as it will then 

 become an object of commerce on a large 

 scale. 



If a number of farmers in diflx>rcnt sections 

 of our country would make an experiment the 

 coming spring with the nitrate of soda, and 

 communicate the results for publication in 

 the Cabinet, great good might arise from it, 

 and for the encouragement of those who are 

 disposed to try it, tlie writer of this can vouch 

 for its efficacy in promoting the growth of 

 grass. It would be well to try the effect of 

 it on corn, applied in small quantities on the 

 hill, and also on potatoes. 



The introduction of new manures which 

 admit of easy transportation to distant places 

 at a cheap rate, are invaluable to the agri- 

 culturist, and ought to be sought after, and 

 brought into notice by all who desire the 

 prosjoerity of our country. A. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 liand Measure* 



Whatever you do, do it well, not well enough. 



I was much pleased with an article headed 

 " A Useful Hint," at page 194, of the last 

 number of the Cabinet, pointing out an easy 

 and simple method of laying out land, so as 

 to enable the farmer to apply lime or any 

 kind of manure evenly at a given rate per 

 acre: this is a very important matter, and 

 many persons for want of a species of know- 

 ledge which they do not possess, have made 

 sad work in the application of various kinds 

 of manure, and more particularly lime; some- 

 times spreading it thicker, and at others 

 thiner than was intended. 



This has induced me to point out another 

 method, which some may think less trouble- 

 some than that refered to. Lay the land in 

 spaces each way of twenty-two yards or four 

 poles wide. This will form it into squares, 

 each of which will contain the tenth part of 

 an acre or sixteen square perches, and five 

 bushels of lime applied to each of these 

 squares will be fifty bushels to the acre, 

 which is a pretty fair liming, though some ap- 

 ply more, and many less than this quantity ; 

 four bushels to the .square will be forty to the 

 acre ; six bushels to the square, sixty to the 

 acre, &c., and in this way any given quanti- 

 ty may be evenly spread over a field. There 

 should be no guessing in matters of this kind, 

 and your boys noticing your care and circum- 

 spection in such matters, will come to regard 

 them as things of consequence, which they 

 really are, and it will be a means of inducing 

 habits of accuracy and care, which will be 

 of great consequence to them when they 

 come to act for themselves. 

 Teach your boys by example, as well as by precept. 



c. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Poultry. 



" Dear me '. what a jirice c^cs sell for." 

 Every person who is flimiliar with the habits 

 of fowls must have noticed their fondness for 

 animal food. Animal garbage, insects, slugs, 

 and worms are sought for and devoured by 

 them with great avidity. During our long 

 winter .-eason they are prevented by the frost 

 from procuring a supply of animal food, and by 

 many tills is supposed to betlie cause of their 

 ceasing to furnish us with the usual supply 

 of eggs. Some managing house-keepers, who 



