THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



45 



trough before they drink lioarty. 



The ox should have a dry floor well bedded with 

 straw or poor hay; and in this way the quantity 

 and quality of the manure is greatly increased. 



But I f?ar I am trespassing by the length of this 

 article, and will therefore only say if any one should 

 derive any advantage from the foregoing sugges- 

 tions, it will be to me a sufficient reward. 



Yours, &c. M. C. PILLSBURY. 



Concord, Feb. 28, 1330. 



rroin the Plyniuutli Ruck. 

 Bone Manure. 



In this section of the country, where nature has 

 not been profuse in the distribution of fertile fields, 

 rich alluvials, or verdant prairies ; and where we 

 h.^ve no overflowing Nile to meet the drafts annu- 

 ally made by the husbandman, on the soil he culti- 

 vates, it is a question of no small nnportance to the 

 farmer, how he can, with the least expense and in 

 the most permanent manner, restore his fields to their 

 wonted fertility. This subject has engaged the at- 

 tention of many able writers in^the agricultural pe- 

 riodicals of the day, with incalculable benefit to 

 the community. Lime, plaster, ashes, marl, salt, 

 &c. have each their advocates, and there remains 

 no doubt that they are all valuable as a manure, 

 when properly applied. But as my object at this 

 time is to treat on bone manure, I will confine my- 

 self to that subject. 



Having seen many favorable notices of bone ma- 

 nure, I was induced early lait May to send to the 

 manufactory of Mr. Ward, at Roxbury, and pur- 

 chase twelve bushels, in order to test its utility on 

 crops. It was too late in tlie season to expect any 

 satisfactory result on wheat or grass land, and the 

 severe drought which nearly destroyed my corn, 

 rendered it impossible for me to judge of its etfica- 

 cy on this crop. But of its good eftect on mangel 

 wurtzel, ruta bagas, beets, beans, &c. I can speak 

 with confidence. 



In order that the bone manure might acquire a 

 degree of heat, about a week before applying it I 

 mixed four bushels of crushed bones with an equal 

 quantity of ashes, and having sprinkled it sufficient- 

 Iv with water, let it remain in a heap. On the 2iid 

 of May I selected about one fourtli of an acre of 

 light sandy land, and after giving it a liberal dress- 

 ino- of good mud compost it was ploughed, rolled, 

 harrowed and drilled for mangel wurtzels. The 

 preparation of bone manure in the incipient stage 

 of fermentation, was strewed in small quantities in 

 the first row (a single handful for the space of three 

 feet) and omitting it in the next, it was placed only 

 in alternate rows ; the seed was then planted and 

 carefully covered With a hoe, which, owing to its 

 being gathered before it was perfectly ripe, did not 

 germinate well, there was not half plants enough 

 where the bone manure was applied, and where 

 tliere was none, not half as many ; in due season 

 tlie vacancies were planted with ruta bagas. These 

 came up well, but through the season of drought 

 those rows which received a. ■sprinkling of bone ma- 

 nure, exhibited a decided superiority of appearance, 

 — although its long continuance had nearly destroy- 

 ed my hopes of a crop worth harvesting, whan on 

 the 2.5th of August, we were favored with a boun- 

 tiful shower of rain and hail, and although the hail 

 made sad havoc with the leaves, which had the ap- 

 pearance of having been in a pitched battle, yet 

 trom this time their growth was very rapid, at har- 

 vesting we had four l)ushels of mangel wurtzels, and 

 two bushels of ruta bagas in each row where the 

 bone manure was applied, and in those rows where 

 it was omitted, we had but one bushel of each, and 

 tliis diflVrence was uniform through the whole. 

 My whole crop measured about one hundred bush- 

 els ; iny deductions from tliis experiment are these: 

 Had I applied bone manure to the whole crop which 

 would have cost in addition about one dollar and 

 fifty cents, I should have raised fifty bushels more 

 of those vegetables, which would have cost me 

 three cents per bushel, and which are worth at 

 least twenty-five cents per bushel for stock ; mak- 

 ing a diftercnce of eleven dollars, on this small 

 patch. A like difference was observable where ap- 

 plied to beets, French turnips, and beans. In all 

 these experiments the effects were truly astonish- 

 ing, and established in my mind the fact, that 

 " bone manure is one of the most povt^erful stimu- 

 lants, that can be applied to the earth as a manure." 



horacp:: co;.lamore. 



Pembroke, Ms. Jan. 21, 1830. 



whole United States ; and the same may be said of 

 September, with a few exceptions. Large quanti- 

 ties of rain fell in the spring, seriously retarding 

 and injuring the crops. A frost was felt more or 

 less severelv over almost the whole of the northern 

 and middle States, as well as the western ones, on 

 the third of September ; in many places severe e- 

 nough to destroy the potatoe and melon vines, and 

 injure corn that was not beyond its reach. Octo- 

 ber was remarkable for the quantity of snow that 

 fell during the month, the whole being more than 

 two feet. It fell more or less over the whole coun- 

 try north of the thirty-fifth degrees of latitude ; and 

 in elevated districts lay for weeks. The coldest 

 day ever known in this country in November, oc- 

 curred on the 2.jth of that month. At Otisco, On- 

 ondaga county, at 7 o'clock the mercury was at 0, 

 at New York"l2d. at Philadelphia •>> il., at Balti- 

 more 18 d., at Boston 7 d., at Susquehannah, Pa. 

 .^ d. below 0, and in a number of other places from 

 3 d. to^7 d. below zero. The coldest days that have 

 occurred in fifty years before in November were in 

 178fi, 18 d., and in 1707, 17 d. What the efl'ect of 

 so severe a frost, on wheat and other plants when 

 unprotected by snow, will be, remains to be seen. 



Gcficsfc Farmer. 



The season of 1S38 will be remenibered as one 

 singular in many respects. January was compar- 

 atively mild; February was severely cold, and 

 March was in proportion more mild than April or 

 May. The summer months from the middle of 

 June were remarkably hut and dry throughout the 



Geology of Maine. 



nr cnjiRLES t. jackso.v, m. d. 

 Capabilities of soils — Vegetable Physiology. 



It is evident that plants are not endowed with 

 creative powers, and consequently are unable to 

 produce any new elementary substances ; hence 

 the various substances which enter into their com- 

 position, must be derived from air, water or earth. 

 All the saJine and earthy matters which they con- 

 tain are readily traced to their origin in the soil ; 

 while the carbon, hydrogen, oxigen and nitrogen 

 that exist in them, are elements which they draw 

 from air, water, and the animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances used as manures. 



The atmosphere is composed chiefly of the two 

 gasses, nitrogen and oxigen, mixed together in 

 aeriform solution, in the proportion of four-fil'ths 

 nitrogen, and one fit\h oxigen, besifles which gass- 

 es there is always a certain proportion of carbonic 

 acid gas, amounting to 1-10000 part, and variable 

 proportions of aqueous vapor. 



From the carbonic acid gas of the atmosphere, 

 plants derive a large share of their carbon, which 

 IS the basis of all vegetable matter. Some of it is 

 also furnished by the fermentation of vegetable and 

 animal substances, which decompose in the soil, 

 and this gas is either decomposed by the leaves of 

 vegetables, or is carried into their roots by aqueous 

 solution and absorption. All fresh growing plants 

 decompose the carbonic acid of the air, take up its 

 carbon, and exhale oxigen gas, and tliis operation 

 goes on more rapidly while the sun shines upon 

 them. In darkness, plants give out carbonic acid, 

 but the quantity is relatively small, when compar- 

 ed with that which they absorb during the day. So 

 that if a plant is grown under a bell glass, contain- 

 ing air mi.xed with this gas, the carbonic acid is 

 soon removed, and replaced by pure oxigen. 



Thus vegetation is continually removing a sub- 

 stance deleterious to man and all animals, and re- 

 placing it by pure vital air — a gas absolutely ne- 

 cessary for their respiration. This beautiful law 

 of nature should never be lost sight of by the farm- 

 er, n«r should he ever forget the relation which 

 the green woods and fields bear to the healthful- 

 nessof the country. 



Seed will not germinate, without the joint action 

 of air, water, light and heat. Without these es- 

 sential conditions, the germ remains, as it were, 

 asleep for an unknown length of time. Seeds, 

 taken from the tombs of ancient Thebrs, in Egypt, 

 where they had remained in a dry, dark and s**- 

 questered spot for more than three thousand years, 

 were found still to possess their vital properties, 

 and when planted in a botanical garden in London, 

 sprang fortii, to flourish in the present age. How 

 long a seed, tlius immured in darkness, shut out 

 from all the causes which would produce germina- 

 tion or decay, would remain alive, is wholly un- 

 known ; but from the known facts respecting spon- 

 taneous rotation of crops and of forest trees, it 

 would seem that the si.-ed remain buried in the soil 

 for enormous lengths of time, before the circum- 

 stances necessary for their putting forth, arrive. 

 Dead leaves of tlie forest shut out light, and pre- 

 clude, in some measure, the influence of the at- 

 mosphere, while the sombre foliage hangs over 

 the soil, and serves, by its shade, as an additional 

 cause preventing germination. Thus, I suppose, 

 the seed, buried in the forests, remain dormant un- 

 til the removal of the shade trees, or the burning 

 of the leaves, gives free access to the causes re- 

 quisite for germination and growth oi the hidden 



plants ; and we consequently perceive a new 

 growth almost invariably follows the removal of 

 the primeval forests. According to Decandole, 

 plants exude from their rootlets certain substances, 

 which have the property of eventually eradicating 

 their own species, while they are not a preventive of 

 the growth of other plants ; hence he accounts for 

 natural rotation. It is probable, also, that one kind 

 of vegetaliles may exhaust their proper nutriment, 

 and thus render the soil inca]>nble of supporting 

 their kind, while there are other principles left, 

 suitable for the support of diiferent species. This 

 subject is, however, the most obscure department 

 of vegetable physiology, and one which demands 

 the labor of modern chemists and botanists. Thus 

 much we know, that the conditions above stated 

 are es-^ential requisites to healthy vegetation, and 

 that the soil must furnish certain eubstanccs ni;.t 

 attainable alone from air and water. W^hen we an- 

 alyze a plant, we always find a certain quantity of 

 silex, alumina, lime and potash, forming a large 

 proportion of the ashes which is left on burning 

 the plant. All these matters are contained in the 

 soil, in greater or less proportions, and some of 

 them are essential to the growth of the plants. 

 The coating of wheat, rye and barley straw is sil- 

 ex, and gives the necessary strength and hardness 

 to the stalk. 



The analysis of the grain of wheat gives a large 

 proportion of the carbonate and phosphate of 

 lime, and we know that this grain only thrives 

 upon a soil containing calcareous matter. It was 

 long ago observed in Massachusetts, and is also 

 seen in certain districts of Maine, that wheat straw 

 grows very well, but the grain does not fill and 

 present a plump and solid appearance, but looks 

 wilted, and is not heavy. This was formerly sup- 

 posed to be owing to the climate, but on more care- 

 ful examination, it is found to arise from the want 

 of lime in the soil. Many animal manures contain 

 a little of this substance, and it accordingly ap- 

 ])ears, where a farm is well manured, that 

 wheat will grow well upon it, but a large annual 

 expenditure is required for the purpose. It is ob- 

 served, that all the grain regions of the cauntry 

 have soils more or less calcareous, and we fiiui, 

 that by adding lime to the ssiil, we may produce br 

 art the material wanting ; and it appears by the a- 

 nalyses here presented, and by the results of cer- 

 tain experiments, which have been made in France, 

 and repeated here, that a very minute proportion of 

 lime is aiHply sufficient for the purpose. Thus one 

 or two per cent, of carbonate of liine will answer 

 the ])ur])Ose, and this small quantity costs so little, 

 that any farmer can well atford to apply it to the 

 soil. Indeed, I do not see how he can afford to do 

 otiierwise, since he will be a loser, and his more 

 skilful neighbors will be enabled to supply the 

 market, whili; he will not be able to recover his 

 seed. 



It is a great mistake to suppose, that wheat will 

 grow in any soil, for I know, that in many instan- 

 ces, the crop raised the past season, which has cer- 

 tainly been very propitious, did not equal in value 

 the seed sown ; and these instances all occurred 

 where the soil was destitute of lime, and was not 

 largely manured. 



Unless you wish to waste your labor upon barren 

 and unproductive fields, attend carefully to the na- 

 ture of your soil, and supply those elements which 

 are wanting, in order to vender it fruitful. 



When lime is moistened with water, it becomes 

 hot, swells, and falls into bulky white jiowder, cal- 

 led by chemists the hydrate of lime, it Ijeing coin- 

 posed of water combined with that sub.itancc in a 

 solid state. This powder, if the lime is of good 

 quality, will amount to nearly three times as much 

 as before it was slaked, so that one cask of lime 

 will fill three casks witli hydrate, or water-slaked 

 lime. If, on the other hand, the lime is exposed to 

 tile action of the air, it will attract carbonic acid 

 gas, and become air slaked, wiiich operation re- 

 converts it into its original chci;*.ical state. The 

 hydrate also attracts carbonic acid iVom the air, and 

 is likewise converted into the carbonate, which will 

 weigh nearly twice as much as the quick lime, 

 from which it is made. 



I mention these evident facts, in order to assure 

 the farmer, that when he buys a cask of lime, it 

 will make about three of the article which he uses 

 as a manure, and consequently, that it is not so 

 expensive as he might imagine, since it increases 

 in bulk, and will cover a considerable surface. 

 Moreover by a skilful management, the farmer may, 

 by the use of lime, form a vast number of valua- 

 ble composts, and may destroy, or not, as he pleas- 

 es, the seeds and insects in his compost or barn ma- 

 nure. It also has the power of decomposing ani- 

 mal and vegetable substances, the extent of which 

 operatiohs, a skilful hand can regulate at will, and 



