FARMERS' REGISTER 



621 



kitchon floor, where it is attached to the lower end 

 of a small pump. Thus, plenty of rain water is 

 at all times at perfect command. The cistern is 

 between 6 and 7 feet in diameter, about five (eel 

 deep, and holds about 40 barrels. Care should be 

 taken to procure good water lime, failure often 

 arising from bad material. — 



BONK DUST FOR THE CULTIVATION OF GRAIN. 



From the Repertory of Inventions. 

 The exportation of bones from Germany to 

 England constitutes a singular epoch in the annals 

 of commerce. Myriads of tons have been already 

 exported without glutting the market, or causing a 

 cessation of the demand. In the North Sea, mills 

 have been erected to pulverize them. This bone 

 powder or bone dust was long ago exclusively ap- 

 plied to the purposes of hot houses by Germ.an 

 horticulturists; but the English, emboldened by 

 their riches, have extended its use to general ob- 

 jects of agriculture, and fertilize, by these expen- 

 sive means, their cold, humid, and poorest land ; 

 and have thus brought the uplands of Notting- 

 hamshire, the western parts of Holderness, &c., 

 into the highest stale of cultivation, both in point 

 of extent and intenseness of fertility. There is 

 consequently, a proverb "that one ton of German 

 bone dust saves the importation often tons of Ger- 

 man corn." As Malta formerly covered her naked 

 rocks with foreign soil, so does England now 

 fertilize her clay and sandy heaths with German 

 bones. Near the sea coast even the churchyards 

 are robbed of iheir venerable relics, which is only 

 ironically excused by rendering the German bone 

 trade popular. An agriculturist, being rendered 

 attentive by this vast exportation, instituted pri- 

 vately some comparative experiments, tiie results 

 of which prove that bone dust acts in the cultiva- 

 tion of ground, as compared to the best stable ma- 

 nure, 1. In respect of the quality of corn, as seven 

 to five. 2. In respect to quantity, as five to four. 

 3. In respect to ihe durability of the energy of 

 soils, as three to two. It produces several colla- 

 teral advantages: 1. It destroys weeds. 2. It 

 diminishes the necessiij' of suffering the land to lie 

 fallow. 3. This concentrated manure, or substi- 

 tute for manure, is more easy of conveyance, less 

 laborious to spread, and can with lacility be applied 

 to the steepest vineyards or other inaccessible 

 lands, either mountainous countries or wet meadow 

 land. 4. It renders agriculture practicable with- 

 out cattle breeding, grazing, &c. 



THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



From the Carolina Planter. 



Now that the all absorbing interest o( our elec- 

 tions is over, and the excitement diminishing, will 

 our friends think a little of our Agricultural So- 

 ciety. 



Last winter we made a favorable commence- 

 ment — the large delegation of planters and farm- 

 ers to the convention seemed to promise better 

 things for agriculture. The renewed attempt to 

 establish a general society, to enlist the influence 

 of gentlemen throughout our whole state, is wor- 



thy of our most strenuous exertions to advance. 

 Our people are so much in the habit of commen- 

 cing every important matter on a grand scale, and 

 then giving way, that it becomes us to look well to 

 this mailer, and impress upon our members the 

 necessity of a continuance of their efforts. 



In the fluctuating condition of the value of our 

 staple products for several years— in the general 

 adversity which prevails throughout our whole 

 country — with our commerce embarrassed — our 

 finance deranged — our crops short, and a necessity 

 for rigid domestic economy, our policy certainly 

 is to give greater attention to our produce which ia 

 consumable amongst us. With the extremely 

 low price of our staples, wesiill have to furnish the 

 same amount of meat, clothing, medical atten- 

 dance, &c. to our negroes— our children's educa- 

 tion has to be paid for, and the ordinary expenses 

 of living have to be met— our taxes to the slate 

 are not reduced, and the calls of charity are in- 

 creased, and what more valuable means can be 

 adopted to aid us in our broken Ibrlunes, than 

 with unanimity and earnestness to put our shoul- 

 ders to the wheel of domestic agriculture, and im- 

 prove our condition at home. If we cannot pro- 

 duce as much saleable material as wc desire to 

 bring us in money, we can save a great portion 

 of our expences by attending a little more to our 

 immediate necessities. 



Although many of our planters who have good 

 lands, large forces of negroes, and are free li-om 

 debt, can afford to make cotton at the low prices 

 which have lately existed, still there is a numerous 

 class who cannot compete with them, or wiih the 

 planters of the fertile west. It is the interest of 

 all this class to look more now to farming than to 

 planting— to improving their lands, dividing their 

 staples and giving their energies to the culture of 

 the necessaries of life. This class of planters, 

 whose lands are worn, have either to dispose of 

 their lands and negroes, or remove to oiher and 

 more productive soils, or to be satisfied to use 

 such means as are within their power to renew 

 the capacity of iheir lands. It is becoming every 

 year a question of importance whether our landa 

 can compete with the west in producing cotton — 

 and when the immense extent of country is consi- 

 dered which is yet to be brought into cultivation ; 

 and the necessity for laborers to work that soil, it 

 is doubtful whether we can produce cotton at the 

 prices which the steadily increasing products will 

 necessarily induce. 



The number of negroes in the southern states is 

 limited — the lands extensive: in the south wes- 

 tern states it is a well known fact that the increase 

 is comparaiively trifiing- not at all lo be compared 

 with that in the southern and middle states. The 

 tendency of the demand lor slaves is towards the 

 new lands of the south-west, and a continuance 

 in the depressed price of our staples, will necess- 

 arily lead our planters to send them where the 

 product is such as will enable profits to be made if 

 that staple is alone to be depended upon. 



When ihe present embarrassment of the coun- 

 try shall be relieved, and the difficulties of the 

 south-western plan'ers removed, there not being 

 enough negroes in the country to cultivate one 

 half of the western lands, their value will be en- 

 hanced. The loss from the climate and the small 

 increase of ihat class of laborers in the west and 

 south-we?t, will cause a constant demand Ibr 



