34 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



he obtained it fi'om Williams &. Haxall, though 

 I don't know of what cargo.] But in the face of 

 such a cloud of ■witnesses, I am at a loss to per- 

 ceive how any intellic^ent man can risk his repu- 

 tation by publishing it as worthless. That there 

 will sometimes be failures, may very readily 

 happen. 1 have experienced them myself; and 

 I have sometimes found the best manure to lie in 

 the gromid entirely inert, without being able to 

 account for it. Colman, in his last number, ac- 

 knowledges there have been failures in Eng- 

 land : the only wonder is that with a new and 

 powerful article the failures have not been more 

 immerous, from injudicious applications, — die 

 testimony in its favor could not v/ell be stronger. 

 In a previous letter thou made sorne inquiry 

 as to the best time for applying Guano to corn. 

 In one of the discussions of our Agricultural 

 Societj', I submitted the inquii-y, in the hope that 

 some member might be able to give a satisfac- 

 tory answer, by refering to the action of other 

 manures. One of our best farmers stated that 

 he had frequently applied well decomposed 

 manure to corn, ^^ hen it was in the shoot ; and 

 even in silk and tassel, the etlcct had always 

 been to iucre;i.se the size of the ear without ad- 

 ding to the growth of the stalks. He added that 

 he had been surprised at the prompt action of 

 manure applied so late. Without any experi- 

 ence on the subject, my opinion is that there 

 should be two applications to com : one at the 

 time of planting or weeding, enough to give the 

 young plants a start, but not to force them too 

 much ; and the other about the time of shooting, 

 or a little before, according to convenience. 

 His is the Peruvian mode, and it is not likely 

 that Ave can adopt a better. I have heard of 

 several persons who have condemned the use 

 of Guano on tobacco beds. To show how easy 

 it is to raise tobacco plants in a manner entirely 

 different from the old way, I will give the ex- 

 periment I made. A tobacconist in Petersburg 

 having some veiy rare tobacco seed, requested 

 me to sow them for him. On the 1st of May, I 

 .^elected a piece of old but rather moist ground, 

 reduced it to line tilth, but neither manured nor 

 burned it. Having previously prepared the 

 seeds by sprouting them, I sowed them on the 

 bed, and in a few dayj? they began to come up. 

 I did nothing but apply a weak solution of Gu- 

 ano about twice a week, and keep the bed 

 clean ; and by the end of May there were some 

 plants large enough to set. I have never seen 

 a more nourishing patch. 



As the season advances I shall be verj" happy 

 to conmiunicate with thee, and exchange such 

 information as v^'c may acquire. 



I am mo.«t tiailv thy friend. 

 (.SiuTied) 'T.S.PLEASANTS. 

 To George Lavs', Baltimore. 



[Communicated to the Fanner and Mechanic for pub- 

 lication,] 

 Amkbican Institute, > 

 New-York Farmers' Club, June 17, 1845. 3 

 Col. Edward Clark in the Chair. 

 So much of the minutes of the last meeting 

 was read as related to tlie question of Culture of 

 Corn. 



Mr. Meigs read the following letter from 

 William B. Oddic, Esq., of Rockland: 



Rockland, June 9, 1845. 

 n. JIeigs, Esq., Sec'y : 



Dear Sir: I have ueed Guano in a liquid state to 

 steep ."eed in, juid find it fur before any prejwriition 

 of Ealt-petre, ammonia, &c. Kor com there is no 

 thing belter. I planted a newpiece of ground, plowed 

 (82) 



it for the first time this Spring, and dropped the 

 seed, after allowing it to soak two days in the above 

 mixture, and found that it came \\\) four or five days 

 before cora planted at the same time withoiu Gu::no 

 bemg used. The color of the leaf is a deep irrcen ;md 

 the slocks stotit, and, notwithstanding frost and 

 drouth, grows rapidly. I used one pint of Guano to 

 four gallons of blood-warm water, immersing the 

 grains, after straining well. You would be astonish- 

 ed to see what an admirable emetic it is for the 

 crows — they have visited the field once, but requiring 

 no more medicine they have since kept aloof— the 

 best scare-crow extant. I believe that Guano, used 

 as above, hn.s the temporary effect of giving the plant 

 a fine impulse, when, as its roots di.-lend, they have 

 the good old fashioned stable, cow or hay manure to 

 sustain them. Yours, respectfully, 



WM. B. ODDIE. 



On the question of its permanency fan im- 

 portant point) we took occa.sion, in the delivery 

 of a discourse in September last, at Wilming- 

 ton, Delaware, to remark : 



" It may be fair to presume, however, from 

 the promptness and energy of its action, and the 

 very moderate quantity usually applied, that it 

 will not be so enduring as a heavy dressing of 

 puti-esceut manure." 



But against that apprehension we find in Mr. 

 Colman's last Report he says: 



" It has been questioned v.-liether its effects 

 will be permanent. I can only answer, that I 

 have seen its obviously beneficial effects three 

 years after its application, upon grass. How^ 

 much longer it.s efficacy maj- be expected to 

 continue, experience only can determine." 



The cases of application this j'ear have been 

 sufficiently numerous and variant, and the ef- 

 fects, it is to be hoped, noted with sufficient ex- 

 aatness to .settle the question beyond all dispute 

 at what price it may be expedient to use it. 

 Any manure of a portable nature and condensed 

 efficacy, must be very valuable as applicable to 

 tobacco and other plant beds, where the embryo, 

 as it were, of large field crops are to take their 

 first growth within a very small space. Might 

 not planters of tobacco contrive always to have 

 plants by watering their beds with a solution of 

 Guano, or of the sweepings of pigeon and 

 poultrs' houses ? But nothing can be done out 

 of the common track without some personal en- 

 ergy and perseverance. The half very often 

 consists ill beginning to do a thing. 



Walnuts. — I beg (.says Juglans) to call the 

 attention of the public to the advantages of 

 planting those ornamental and productive trees, 

 the -wood being very valuable. With regard to 

 culture, .sow the nuts in beds, which should be 

 kept free from weeds, and at the end of three 

 }-ears plant finally 160 trees to tlie acre. Wal- 

 nuts will grow in the poore.«t soil, and mixed 

 with the forest trees fonn good belt.«. &c. In 

 the tenth year they will begin to bear, and tak- 

 ing the average produce per tree at only one 

 bushel, the value of which is 10s., they will give 

 i'80 per annum for the acre ; deduct Gd. per 

 buishel for picking, and £'i a year for the land, 

 and it will leave i'54 of clear profit. The ex- 

 pen.se of planting, fir.=t co.^t of seed, and every 

 expense included, will be about £2 per acre. 

 [Englisli paper. 



