1825.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



29 



climnle favournble to a crop they cnnnol raise,! 

 Ihe Indian corn ; a crop not only profiialilo in [ 

 itself, bill one wiiich frees ihe ground jVom j 

 wGp(b, and leaves it in a g'ond condition lor al- 1 

 nio-t any other crop. Oiir grass land* are said 

 to lie as good. We have a? fine » sun as thev, 

 nnd a fiir belter atmosphere for making hay, — I 

 a crop of all others the most ini|iorlant to our| 

 farmers of the present day. Wlioie then lies j 

 the difference ? It mu-t l>e here — tlieir sii|)eriorj 

 skill, llieir unceasing industry, and llieir rigid 

 economy. "Hero all our orrur lies." They 

 have learned to nnile chcm;s^ry with agririil- 

 tnre, and economy with mdnstry — and taken 

 special care tint the price of labour should not 

 exceed Ibil of their products. And while thoy 

 have been .ipplving the Oxygens, the Hydro- 

 gens, and the Niirogi-ns to many of the arts of 

 Hiisliandrv, with the tiappiest res ill Is ; wehaxe 

 been making a most liberal use of the Holland- 

 gin^, Wostindia-gins, nnd the New England-gins, 

 — the bane of industry and ccnnniny. and the 

 curse of all arts. If a Farmer wisln-s less work 

 to be done in a given lime, and In have it done 

 in the worst manner; then let him give bis 

 workmen a liberal supply ol' ardent spirit; and 

 tliH more liberally he does this, he more cf- 

 fervu.illy will he acrompli;l) bis purpose. A 

 libepil ii»e of ardent spirit, not only renders 

 men li-ss failbt'ul ; and less capable of perform- 

 ius ; but it often make? tbein immoral and pro- \ 

 f.MiP, and ripens them lor the commission of 

 llie bhukest crimes. I will venture to say that 

 within twenty years past, inoie injury has been ^ 

 done our farms, and more lives ofoiir labourers 

 have been destroyed by this evil spirit, than l>y 

 all the fevers, frosts, and mildews which have 

 hajipened in that period. If indeed it ran be 

 said of him, who is instrumental of producing 

 two spears of grass, where but one grew be- 

 fore, that he is a benelactar to society ; — it may 

 with much moro propriety be said of him, who 

 shall cause but one glass of rum to be drank, 

 tvhere two were drunken betbre, that he is a 

 greater. 



We are fierhaps also wanting in some oih'r 

 respects. The Dunghill is the grand pabulum 

 of the farm. We are grossly negligent as to 

 this. 



The situation and construction of our barns 

 and barn-yards, of our hog-pens and hog-yards, 

 of our drains, and in fact every place wh^re 

 manure can possibly be made, or saved, should 

 be more carefully attended to. Oiir barns or 

 stables should if possible be so situated as to be 

 easv of access and have a well consinicted yard. 

 Thev should also be provided with a suitable 

 and secure cellar directly underneath where 

 the horses oi cattle stand, into which every 

 thing should be thrown,! which foils from them. 

 Into this cellar all the surplus manure of the 

 barn-yard may be deposited during Summer, 

 with much salety, as it will not be so likely to 

 ferment and waste, as in almost any other situa- 

 tion. A consideration worthy the attention of 

 every Farmer. 



A little esira expense for the convenience of 

 always having water in our barn-yards for the 

 free use of our cattle, should not be regarded. 

 Jliich will be saved in the article of manure, 

 more in fodder, and more in escaping the inju- 

 ries to which cattle are liable when forced from 

 tbeir yards in cold, stormy, slippery weather, 



(o a bronk, or watering place, nearly half a! 

 mile distant, as the manner of som<? is. I 



Our hog-yards should be plentifiiHy and sea-! 

 sontjbly supplied with proper materials for' 

 making manure, and in this way a vast deal can 

 be made. 



1 wish not to be too tedious on Ibis subject. 

 Yet such 18 Its iinporlance to the farrnr>r, lliat it ' 

 may not be improper here lo dwell a I. lib' 

 upon the manner o( applying, as well as on that 

 oi m.iking It. I 



Much difference of opinion has been enter- 

 tained as to the a|)plic.ition of manure; wliplh- i 

 er in ils short or long slate ; fermented or un- ] 

 lermenled. The latter seems lo be gaining i 

 adherents ; and I frankly confess it now ap- 

 pears to me the most economical, and most pro- j 

 titable way of using It; allbough I was formerly 

 ol a different opinion. 



Mr. loiing, who wrote an Cssay on Manures, 

 which gained h.m the medal of the Bath .\gri- 

 ciiltural Society, Fngbind, adduces many hiu:li 

 authorities in favor of' this |ilan. And Mr. Ci ke, 

 an highly distinguished English Agricuitur.si; 

 who had long been in favor of iermeiited m t- 

 nure, has now entirely given it up, and u«ed 

 unlermenled. His crops, he says, h ^ve i'een 

 since, as good as they ever were, and that hi^ 

 manure goes nearly twice as lar. liut this 

 practice is not to be carried Ion t.ir, o-p ti i!lv 

 in compost and barn-yard manure, where there 

 is a variety of woody fibre in liie litier. Sir 

 Humphry Davy says a slight incijiient fer- 

 mentation is undoubtedly of use in Ihe dung- 

 hill ; for by it a disposition is brought on in the 

 woody fibre lo decay and dissolve. .Another 

 important advantage is this, if manure be used 

 while in a slate of fermentation, especially if 

 lime or ashes lie a considerable ingredient, 

 worms will not be so likely to meddle with the 

 corn in the hill — and it will probably be less 

 infested by weeds, as the germinating power of 

 their seeds will in a great measure be destroy- 

 ed. But all our manure lor which we have 

 not an immediate use, if not put into cellars, 

 should be boxed up, where it will be least lia- 

 ble lo ferment or evaporate. If carried into 

 the field in the tall, it shinild be laid into large 

 heajis, and lailhfully covered with earth. This 

 will prevent lermenialion, and ihe escaiie of 

 its more volatile parts by the winds. 



Next lo stalile manure, in point of impor- 

 tance, we may consider Lime. No soil, il is 

 said, is entirely destitute of calcareous matter. 

 But it is so sparingly supplied in some, that it 

 cannot be detfcteil without chemical analysis. 

 The soil in New Hampshire protiably possesses 

 less than almost any other in New England, or 

 perhajis in the United States. 



Lime stone, it is believed, does not much 

 abound in New Hampshire. It has not been 

 found, so far as 1 can learn, except in two or 

 three places in any considerable quantity. A 

 bed or quarry, liovvever, was not long since dis- 

 covered in the north part ot' this town, (.Am- 

 herst) adjoining Bedford, which promises to be 

 of considerable utility to this vicinity. It has 

 not been sufficiently investigated. Bui should 

 il on further examination, prove lo be as good, 

 as there is now reason lo hope, il will be of 

 great use lo the adjacent country, both as u ce- 

 ment and as a manure. As a manure il is per- 

 haps one of the best of the fossil kind, especially 

 to reclaim worn oiit soils. It waa this, *' which 



caused to start into new life Ihe most insert nxiA 

 '^teiilc soils of Great I'litain. Il v.as the first 

 thing, which raised Scotland lo opulente and in- 

 dcjiendence." " It is considered to be of such 

 a n.ilure, as to be useful lo any or lo all soils. 

 When mixed with a sandy soil, il there lenders 

 it more adhesive, and increases ils capacity for 

 retaining moistnie. When applied to a stiffcluy 

 soil, which requires the aildilion of sand or cal- 

 careous earth to open, or In make il pervious lo 

 the roots ol' vegelalion; it there operates mere- 

 ly as calcareous earth. v\hirh quality is consid- 

 ered as essential to srive lo all soils the capaci- 

 tv of altaininir llie highest degree of fertility. 

 When niixpil with a strong, cold, heavy loam, it 

 there prninotes the deconi[>os:tii.n of the abun- 

 dant vegetable fibres, which have long been froz- 

 en, and generates a gas, which increa-es vege- 

 tation beyond what It ever liel'ore exhibited." 



Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris. This mineral 

 seems not as yet lo be well undeistood. While 

 some extol it highly, others condemn il as use- 

 loss. We probably are not yet sufficiently ac- 

 quainted with ils true tests, to enable us to se- 

 lect the best kind ; and we sometimes apply it 

 to lands and lo crops not the most suitable. As 

 a general rule, plaster of (laris benefits all grass 

 lands and all broad leaved plsnts ; particularly 

 clover, corn, potatoes, peas, &c. — Bui il is not 

 considered an useful application on soils near the 

 sea coasts — nor on calcareous soils. — The rea- 

 son assigned by Srv Humphry Davy is, that 

 these soils are already supplied witji their due 

 proportions. Yet il is stated lo have answered 

 well as manure in Berkshire county, Mass. on a 

 ralcareous snil — and on soils near Connecticut 

 River; and in some other places it far excels 

 other manures. If on further experience it 

 should be found to do well in this county, il will 

 be a valuable acquisition to the list of manures — 

 so small a quantity being required to answer the 

 jiurpose. — From one lo two bushels is sufficient 

 for an acre; and from one lo two spoonfuls for 

 a hill of corn, or potatoes. 



Salt. — This mineral has also had much said 

 in its favor as a manure. But like Gyjisum ils 

 utility is not universally acknowledged. The 

 soils near the sea shore possess a sufficient quan- 

 tity naturally ; and there are but few, if any en- 

 tirely destitute. Il may act well as a stimulant 

 in sbme soils; but should never be applied di- 

 rectly lo the plant, exce|il of the marine kind, 

 as it would prove deslrusiive. 



{To be conlinutd .") 



WOOL. 

 The increased duties laid on foreign woor, 

 thereby withholding lo a certain extent ils im- 

 portation lo this country, operate favorably to 

 agriculturists. The large quantities that have 

 passed through this place from Vermont and N. 

 Hamjishire to the Manufacturing esiablishments 

 in this state and Rhode-Island, attest satisfacto- 

 rily the increasing attention that is cf late bes- 

 towed on this productive and profitable branch 

 of trade. The discour.iging interference o( for- 

 eigners in supplying our market is now in a 

 measure done away, and the cnniliuling assur- 

 ance that wool will hereafter command a steady 

 and regular price, will constitute a sufficient in- 

 ducement for the farmer lo make the raising of 

 it among the objects of agricultural industry. 

 The exertions that are n&w in operation to ino- 



