83 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 2 



The mode of preparing the compost \b simple 

 enough : 



1st. A layer of green stufi' taken from a pond. 

 2d. A layer of quick-lime, ashes, and soot. 

 3d. A layer of straw and green grass. 

 4th. A layer of quick-lime, ashes, and soot. 

 These layers are repeated until they reach a 

 cart load at least. Holes are then made through 

 the several layers, and a quantity of water is intro- 

 duced, sufficient lo saturate ihe mass, and cause 

 a thorough mixture of the vegetable matters with 

 the alkaline and sooty substances. According to 

 M. Quenard, this produces a perfect compost. 

 The second preparation difiiers from the other, in- 

 asmuch as the dissolution of the alkaline substan- 

 ces are first obtained by means of a prepared lye, 

 which is used to saturate the matters which are to 

 be transformed into manure. The following are 

 the proportions to be used in turning 1500 Jbs. of 

 straw into manure. In a vessel, possessing greater 

 breadth than depth, pour in — 

 1st. 800 pints of common water. 

 2d. 125 pints of oven-ashes, if they can be pro- 

 cured, as they have the property of potash to some 

 extent ; if not, you must use the common ashes. 



3d. 75 pints of soot, if possible, from kitchen 

 chimneys, tor this soot contains more of animal 

 matter, and is more soluble in water. This mix- 

 lure must then be well stirred up, and made to in- 

 corporate. 



4th. 20 pints of powerful lime, which must be 

 first slacked with the usual quantity of water. 



Tile whole of this must now be well stirred to- 

 gether again so as to insure a perfect amalgamation 

 of the several matters. From lime lo lime, during 

 twenty-four hours, this mixing must be renewed, 

 and at the end ot that time, the dissolution of the 

 whole will be effected. This liquid will be found 

 exceedingly powerful, and capable of producing 

 fermentation. Plunge into this liquid, while moved 

 quickly about, in order to hold suspended the in- 

 soluble particles which usually settle at the bot- 

 tom, the quantity of vegetable substances, which 

 it is desirable to turn into manure — no matter whe- 

 ther they are dry or green, easy to be dissolved or 

 refractory, in with them. When they shall have 

 been well saturated with theliquid, place them in 

 a trench, prepared beforehand, with a channel 

 through the side, to let the superfluous moisture 

 run off. This you can receive in vessels, as it 

 will be of use again. As many layers of the stuff 

 thus perleclly welted may be placed as may be 

 required. Care must be taken to stir the llquiLJ 

 well, each time that new vegetable substances are 

 put in. As each layer is put on the heap, it 

 should be well beaten down. The more the 

 whole mass is united together, the quicker will be 

 the result. At the farthest, the delay never exceeds 

 36 or 18 days, according to the temperature of the 

 place. The heat may be increased, and the iermen- 

 taiion quickened, by surrounding the heap with 

 whatever substances may be lying about. At 

 the end of three or four days, the Ifeap is welted 

 with the liquid, fi-om time to time, up to the six- 

 teenth or eighteenth day, when the manure is 

 found ready for use. It is important to preserve a 

 certain quantity ofthe first preparation, to mix with 

 the mass alterwards, to promote fi^mentation. 

 Time and quality will both be gained in this man- 

 ner. This part ofthe liquid, thus preserved, may 

 be considered, for manure-making, what mother 



is in vinegar, yeast in beer, or baum for baking. 

 M. Quenard declares, that he has lor years tried 

 this pre[)aration, and that it never, by any chance, 

 has been (bund to fail. We place il bel()re our 

 readers, leaving them to try the experiment on a 

 small scale. 



From tlie Journal of the American Sillc Society. 

 EXTRACTS FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF 

 THE SILK CONVENTION. 



ON THE FITNKSS OF THK UNITED STATES FOR 

 SILK-CULTURE. 



Mr. G. B. Smith, of Baltimore, said, with the 

 consent of the convention, he would offer a few 

 remarks in support of the resolution now under 

 consideration. Tliat silk may be grown in all the 

 United States, not only lor domestic purposes, but 

 as a valuable article of commercial export, he 

 knew from his own experience, and from the testi- 

 mony of the most respectable people in every 

 state in the union. I have now, said Mr. S. been 

 twelve years engaged, more or less intimately in 

 this business. For seven years, I kept an experi- 

 mental cocoonery, for the express purpose of ob- 

 taining and diffusing information on the subject; 

 and during the whole of that time not a single in- 

 stance of its failure had been made known to him, 

 which could in the remotest degree be attributable 

 to either climate or soil. On the contrary, he had 

 been able to prove, conclusively, that the climate 

 of our whole country was better adapted to the 

 silk-culture than that of any other county, except 

 China; and ours suffered nothing in comparison 

 even with that. The great desideratum in a cli- 

 mate suitable lor the most successful production of 

 silk, said Mr. S. Is dryness j and the more marked 

 the climate of the country in this respect, the bet- 

 ter is it adapted to the silk-culture ; and the fiir- 

 ther it is fi-om it, the less is it fit lor the business. 

 Ifgenllemen would take the trouble to examine 

 the writings of the Chinese, as translated into 

 French and thence into English, and embracing 

 a period of upwards of four thousand years, 1 be- 

 lieve, they would find that a dry atmosphere has 

 aiways been considered essential to the silk-busi- 

 ness. He had found it necessary in this place, to 

 employ stoves to expel dampness. He considered 

 England nearly equal to France as (o tempera- 

 ture, but the atmosphere is too damp lor the suc- 

 cessful culture of silk. Even in Ireland, where 

 the climate is much more salubrious than that of 

 England, and the temperature unobjectionable, 

 the culture of silk cannot be pursued. He had 

 been surprised to see a publication made in the 

 north of the successful use of even wet leaves — 

 leaves even dipped in water. It had been stated, 

 that worms ted with leaves thus wet, had made 

 bettersilk, and moreof it too, than when dry leaves 

 were used. He begged to caution ihis convention 

 against the practice. It might succeed in a single 

 experiment, when all other circumstances com- 

 bined in its favour; but as a regtdar practice, it 

 was highly dangerous. He had twice lost his 

 whole brood of worms from feeding wiih leaves 

 only slightly wet with dew. On the contrary, he 

 would make a fire in his cocoonery in even damp 

 weather, no matter how warm the weather might 

 be, and especially at the time the worms were 



