314 



FARMERS' REGISTER— xiSIlES ASA MANURE. 



ON ASHES AS A MANURE. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



From a letter just received from a correspondent 

 in Pennsylvania, we make the following extracts. 

 We are aware that many of our Genesee larniers 

 consider the use of ashes as a manure at least 

 doubtful, — ascribing its supposed inelficacy to some 

 peculiarity either in our soil or climate; but we 

 have not been disposed to adopt this opinion. In 

 fields which yield large crops, tlie ditFerence of a 

 ihw bushels to the acre, is scarcely perceptible; and 

 it follows that the value of a njanure which pro- 

 duces such difference, may be much under-rated. 

 Yet it is evident tjiat five bushels of Indian com, 

 added to the forty or fitly bushels which the land 

 would produce without manure, are ^voith as much 

 to the larmer, as when that addition is made to 

 the product of more steril lands; or when it in- 

 creases the crop from twenty to twenty-five bushels 

 an acre. 



We want experiments in the western parts of 

 this state, on the subject of ashes as a manure. 

 We believe that farmers, instead of selling un- 

 leached ashes at their doors for six cents a bushel, 

 would find it more profitable to keep them tor their 

 own use, and to apply them to their own corn fields 

 as manure. 



" I put a small handful of unleached ashes into 

 eacli hill of corn at the time of planting; and I 

 think this way is better than to put it on the hill 

 after the corn has come up. Last season, I dress- 

 ed a few rows of corn with it, and am satisfied it is 

 iuily worth seventy-five cents a bushel for this pur- 

 pose. These rows alternated with others, so that 

 the experiment was fairly tried; and the difference 

 was apparent through the whole season. There 

 was a gain of at least five bushels to the acre. 

 The ashes cost fifteen cents a bushel, the quantity 

 not exceeding'_three bushels to the acre. 



"This year, I bought potash for soap making, 

 80 that I might save my ashes for manure, unleach- 

 ed. I am satisfied that leached ashes are not Avorth 

 near so much; yet with the latter, the corn was 

 much better than in that part of the field which 

 had no ashes." 



PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING INDIGO IN 

 SMALL QUANTITIES FOR FAMILY USE. 



By Mrs. N , of North Carolina. 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 



Mr. Editor, — Cut the Indigo when the under 

 leaves begin to dry, and while the dew is on them 

 in the morning, put them in a barrel, fill it with 

 rain water, put weights on it to keep it under wa- 

 ter; when bubbles begin to form on the top, and 

 the water begins to look of a reddish color, it is 

 eoaked enougli, and must be taken out, taking 

 care to wring and squeeze the leaves well, so as 

 to obtain all the strength of the plant; it must 

 then be churned (which may be done by means 

 of a tolerable open basket, with a handle raising 

 it up and down) until the liquor is quite in a foam, 

 you must try when it is done enough, by taking 

 out a spoonful in a plate, and putting a small quan- 

 tity of very strong he to it. If it curdles, the indi- 

 go is churned enough, and you must proceed to 

 break the liquor in the barrel in the same way, by 



Eutting in lie, which must be as strong as possible, 

 y email quantities, and continuing to churn, until 



it ia all sufficiently curdled; care must, be taken not 

 to put in too much lie, aa that will spoil it. When 

 it curdles well with the lie, it musrt be sprinkled 

 well over the top with oil, which immediately 

 causes the foam to subside, after which it must 

 stand till the indigo settles to the bottom of the 

 barrel, whicii may be discovered by the appear- 

 ance of the water, which must be let oti' gradually, 

 by boring holes first near the top, afterwards lower, 

 as it continues to settle; when the water is all let 

 off, and nothing remains but the mud, take that 

 and put it in a bag, (flannel is the best) and hang 

 it up to drip, altervvai'ds spread it to dry on large 

 dishes. 



Take care that none of the foam, Avhich is- the 

 strength of the weed, escapes; but if it rises too 

 high, sprinkle oil on it. 



ON THE SELECTION OF SOILS FOR A VINE- 

 YARD. 



Hancock County, (Geo.) July, 1834, 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 



3Ir. Editor, — Six or eight years ago, a desire to 

 cultivate the vine, seemed to be spreading so ex- 

 tensively through South Carolina and Georgia, 

 that by this time it was expected we should have, 

 if not abundant supplies of good domestic wine, 

 at least such reports of progress as would furnish 

 valuable directions to adventurers of the present 

 day. For such reports I have looked in vain to 

 the pages of your useful repository, and other ac- 

 cessible sources of information. It was never pro- 

 bable, that every vine planted would succeed well, 

 because too little was known in this countiy of the 

 culture, eligibility of soils, or variety of the vine to 

 be planted. Except Mr. Geig-er, Mr. Herbemont, 

 and a few others in Carolina, and perhaps about 

 the same number in Georgia, I have heard of 

 no experimenter, whose achievements in wine- 

 making, can be regarded as at all encouraging. 

 Ev'eiy one has raised vines, which in the spring 

 season, give fair promise of fruit; but unluckily be- 

 fore vintage, mildew, rot, or some other form of 

 malady, seems, in most instances, to have destroy- 

 ed most or all of the crop. Such, at least, has 

 been the fate of mine, and several other small 

 vineyards Avithin the range of my observation, 

 though I have remarked a few notable excep- 

 tions. 



A knowledge of the causes of failure and of 

 success is in great demand by all who think of 

 prosecuting this interesting branch of cultivation; 

 and this cannot, so certainly and conveniently be 

 had, in any other way as by detailed accounts of 

 experiments, setting forth the mode of planting 

 the vines, the kind of earth in which they may 

 have grown — whether clay, sand, or loam pre- 

 dominates — the name of the vines, method of til- 

 lage and training, together with the experimenter's 

 own remarks on the subject. It is in the hope of 

 drawing from some of the readers and patrons of 

 the ylgricuUurist, that I ask the publication of 

 this article. 



It has been said, I know, that an annual exci- 

 sion of the superficial roots of the vine, so as to 

 force the plant to subsist and propagate fruit, by 

 the roots more deeply rooted beneath the surface, 

 would be found a security from mildew and rot. 

 This mode of treating vines is often practised in 

 this country, and poi^sibly with beneficial effects. 



