AGRICULTURAL. 773 



Manuring— Its Advantages Shown in the John Johnston 

 Farm. — The editor of the Country Oeritleman gives the following account of 

 a visit to this farm at Geneva, N. Y. And as I believe it to be applicable, 

 generally, in all sections of our country, and of such great importance, I give 

 it a place. He says: 



"Mr. Johnston came to Geneva from Scotland, fifty-two years ago, with 

 little capital, comparatively; but having much of the economy, energy and 

 thrift necessary to enable any one to succeed in a comparatively new country, 

 fie is now, at the age of eighty-four, a hearty, vigorous farmer, able to oversee 

 his farm and farm bands, and apparently as capable of directing and conduct- 

 ing all the operations necessary to make a farm pay, as at any time during his 

 long life. 



"On being asked where lay the secret of his success, replied, 'manure, sir, 

 manure, and plenty of it.' The main object in his farming has always been to 

 make all the yard manure possible; and by its free use he brought his wheat, 

 which was then the staple crop in western New York, from 12 or 15 bushels 

 per acre to 30, and became celebrated as a farmer who would be sure to have 

 a crop sufficient to meet all obligations. 



"After some years he purchased fifty acres adjoining his original farm, the 

 owner of which said that manure would do no good on the land. In the barn- 

 yard there was three years' manure accumulated, which !Mr. Johnston ob- 

 tained with the farm. He paid $l,oOO for the fifty acres, most of which ha 

 borrowed, 'but,' said he, 'that manure paid every cent for the farm.' " 



Remarks. — If Mr. Johnston could double, or more than double, his crop, 

 by the use of manure, other farmers can do the same. The object of this 

 report is to induce them to do it. And until sufficient "yard manure" can be 

 made by keeping more stock, a judicious use of some of the '' fertilizers," or 

 "phosphates," as the manufactured articles are called, or lime, or a mixture 

 of lime, ashes, plaster, gait, and hen manure will be used- These were not 

 known in Mr. Johnston's days as they are of later years. 



Salt, Its Uses as a Manure.— A correspondent of the Country Gen- 

 tleman says his experience in the use of salt in agriculture leads him to the 

 following conclusions ; 



"It keeps the land cool and moist. It neutralizes drouth. It extermin- 

 ates all soil vermin. It prevents potato rot. It glazes and stiffens straw, pre- 

 venting crinkling and rust. It keeps the ground in such condition that the 

 berry of many kinds of grain fills plumply, however long-continued the hot 

 and dry weather may be." 



Remarks. — Unleacbed ashes, probably " stiffens straw" more than salt 

 does, especially if grain falls from over-manuring with stable manure. 



2. Salt as a Manure, Amount per Acre for Different Crops. 

 —The French and German agriculturists recommend, salt per acre, for 

 clover, 150 lbs. ; for wheat or flax, 250 ; and ^or barley and potatoes, 300 lbs., 

 to be sown broadcast early in the season. 



3. Ashes, Lime, and Salt for Wheat.— A Wisconsin -wheat grower 

 makes an important point on the use of ashes and iime and salt as a manure 

 for wheat. He plowed up sod and sowed twelve bushels of unleached ashes, 

 mixed with ten bushels of air-slacJjed lime, to three acres, before the whtat 

 was sown^ and when the wheat was up a httle. he sowed on also one barrel ^ 



