No. 8. 



Kilchen Garden — Preserving Manures, S^'C. 



247 



For tlie Farmers' Ciibinet. 



Kitclien Oardcua 



Did you ever see such a fine, nice, clean garden in all 

 your life ? 



My mother always loved a good garden, 

 and so do I. I never yet saw a person enter 

 a good, well cultivated garden, free from 

 weeds, and where the vegetables and plants 

 were in a healthy, flourishing condition but 

 what was pleased and gratified. Now is the 

 season for entering on the duties of garden- 

 ing, and be sure and work it right in the be- 

 ginning; for a good beginnin<r is important 

 in all things, and in none more so than in 

 commencing the operations of the kitchen 

 garden in the spring. I hope the boys and 

 girls will be alive to the importance of hav- 

 ing an abundant supply of the best kinds of 

 vegetables at the earliest periods which they 

 are attainable. In order to accomplish this, 

 the very best seeds of various kinds must be 

 obtained ; neither plant or sow any that are 

 not first rate, and the best plan that I know 

 of, for procuring thc-m, is to apply to G. M. 

 Coates, No. 49 Market street, or to Lan- 

 dreth's,* Chestnut street, Philadelphia ; both 

 of whom have acquired a high reputation for 

 selling the purest and best kinds; and the 

 best evidence of it is, that the gardeners who 

 supply the City of Philadelphia with such 

 fine vegetables generally procure their seeds 

 of them. The quantity necessary for an ordi- 

 nary garden of all the various kinds, cost but 

 a small sum. Dig your ground deep, and 

 manure it well ; see that the soil is thorough- 

 ly pulverized. Stint neither the manure nor 

 the labour necessary to bring the ground in- 

 to the finest tilth, or there will be cause for 

 repentance before the season is over. Bridge- 

 man's Young Gardener's Assistant is a valua- 

 t«e little work, and may be procured at the 

 seed stores; it will instruct and enlighten 

 the young folks on the subject of raising 

 plants and vegetables in the best manner, and 

 there is no danger of its doing injury to their 

 seniors, though they may think book garden- 



ing may be dispensed with, as they liave 

 managed to get along so far without it. Af- 

 ter the ground has been well manured, and 

 thoroughly dug up to a proper depth and com- 

 pletely pulverised, and your seeds sown in 

 the best manner, you may have a little respite 

 from your labours ; and 1 A\M postpone tell- 

 ing what is next to be done to keep things in 

 a right fix, for a future number of the Cabi- 

 net. Thomas. 



♦ We agree with our correspondent that those gen- 

 tlemen have established a well earned reputation as 

 Seedsmen ; and deserve, as they nu doubt are receiving, 

 a very extensive patronage. We also recommend to 

 the favourable attention of our readers the establish- 

 ments of Messrs. Hirst & Dreer, Chestnut street, and 

 Mr. M AUPEY, South Fifth street, Mr. D. O. Proutv, 

 Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store, No. 87 North 

 Second street. At any of these establishments, pur- 

 chasers can depend on the seeds being what they are 

 recommended ; we have heard several gardeners and 

 others who purchased their seeds at the latter place last 

 season, express their unqualified approbation of the 

 good qualities of the seeds. We perceive by the Cata- 

 Jogue of Mr. Prouty, that a fresh and large assortment 

 bas just been received. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Preserving Manures, &c« 



Mr. Editor, — The subject which I have 

 chosen for the present communication, has so 

 frequently occupied your columns, that if not 

 for its superior importance, would demand an 

 apology for again introducing it to your no- 

 tice. But I consider any language that I can 

 u.se to enforce the advantage of preserving 

 and applying manures to the practical fiirmer 

 as altogether superfluous. But while all 

 agree that manure when applied to the soil, 

 is the most efficient supporter of vegetation, 

 many diversified opinions exist as to the most 

 economical method of preserving it, to the 

 best time of applying, and whether to apply 

 it to the surface as a top dressing, or to in- 

 corporate it immediately with the soil. As 

 there are many difierent kinds of manure, I 

 intend to restrict my remarks to the most 

 abundant variety, viz. barn-yard manure. 



So much as has been written on this mat- 

 ter, and reformation on this branch of hus- 

 bandry so often urged, comparatively little has 

 been yet done to correct the existing errors 

 and prejudices. Some farmers allow their 

 stable manure to collect in large masses, heat 

 being produced, fermentation takes place ra- 

 pidly, and the gaseous materials are evolved ; 

 the most important of these are ammonia and 

 carbonic acid, both of which substances hu- 

 part nourishing principles to plants. And the 

 manure not being removed in the spring, but 

 being allowed to remain in the yards until 

 autumn to furnish a dressing for the lands 

 destined for wheat, the frequent rains falling 

 during the summer wash away all the solu- 

 ble particles that exist in the dunghill, and 

 leave a dry almost worthless residuum, to- 

 tally unfitted in such a state for the food of 

 plants. By the organization of plants, their 

 food is required to be presented to them in a 

 state of solution, or in a minute state of di- 

 vision, combined with water. Consequently 

 manure is valuable for nourishing vegetnbles, 

 only so far as it is soluble — or the insoluble 

 capable of being decomposed, and forming 

 compounds that'are soluble. By this state- 

 ment of the food of plant-s it will be perceived 

 that manures lying unprotected from air and 

 water during summer must lose much of its 



