®l)c iTarmcr's iUoiitl)!]) iHsitor. 



6t 



Diiiount is fVoiii Iliat owned by Thomas Gieei)- 

 leuf, iiiiii llio third tVoin a qiiany now worked 

 by an association of " strijies." 



Tlie prices paid for the stone, to the owners of 

 the lecL'es, an; very unetpial, depending much 

 upon the activity of business, and extent of the 

 demand. It averages, however, about ten cents 

 a cart loud in the rough, and Iburteen cents when 

 hewn. To these rates are to be added the cost 

 of blastiuf;, spMttin;,', hevvinj; and carting. All 

 large blocks of the granite, such as are used for 

 pillars, are held at u high value, and $2000 has 

 been paid for n single .sliafL It is diffieidt to get 

 them out, and more diflicuTt to safely transport 

 tlicin. One concein bad the contract to .supply 

 the Cu.stom House in Boston, with thirty-tii.'i 

 large pillars. They will cost the government 

 about S2(;00 each. Those who furnished them 

 it is sup[)0sed by good judiies, have doubled 

 their money. — JVewburyport Herald. 



From the Charleston Va. Republican, April 19. 

 A Remarkable Phenomenon. 

 Kakawha Salt Works. — It has been known 

 to the public foi' some two years that several ex- 

 tensive salt furnaces in the Kainiwha salt region 

 have been operated exclusively by gas. The gas 

 forcing up the water from the depth of a thous- 

 and to fifteen hundred feet, and then being col- 

 lected in a barrel, which serves as a gasometer, 

 it is conveyed by a pipe to the furnace, furnish- 

 ing all the heat necessary to carry on at the same 

 lime all the processes of the manufiictme of salt 

 to its completion in an establishment capable of 

 making a hundred barrels in a day, and at night 

 brilliantly lighting up the whole works; thus 

 saving the expense of a steam engine to pump up 

 the water, and all the fuel and lights. 



Last week, in deepening one of the wells of 

 Messrs. Dickenson & Shrewsbury, the auger 

 struck a stream of gas, at the depth of one thous- 

 and leet, that in (pianlity and force far surpasses 

 anything of the kind heretofore discovered here, 

 or perha|)s in the world. The auger was pressed 

 up with such force as almost to overcome the 

 exertions of the workmen to bold it down while 

 they could unscrew the detachments. The way 

 being cleared, the gas having full play, sent a 

 column of water one hundred feet, (and if tubed, 

 would no doubt raise it double that distance, )oc- 

 casionally discharging stones from the size of a 

 nuisket ball to that of a hen's eggalmost with the 

 force of a grape shot (iom a piece of ordtiance. 

 When we were there on Tuesday last, all hands 

 were engaged in active efforts to get down a plug 

 to check the force of the gas, so as to enable 

 them to insert a tidie. 



They have, we learn, jjarlially succeeded, and 

 in a few days both the gas and water will bo 

 turned to a good account. Serious apprehen- 

 sions were very justly entertained of the destruc- 

 tion of the furiuicps in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood, as well as the residence of Mr. Wm. 

 Tompkins, should this immense body of gas take 

 fire, which it was thought might occur from a 

 steam boat passing on the river, so extensively 

 was it diffused in the atmosphere. A strong guard 

 is kept up night and day to prevent such a ca- 

 tastrophe. On Saturday, the third well from the 

 one we are speaking of took fiie, and, with the 

 most active exertions, was not extinguished till 

 considerable damage was done to the woiks. 



That our readers may have some idea of the 

 extent of Natine's laboratory or gas manufactory 

 on the Kanawha, we will .say that enough issues 

 from this single well to light all the cities in the 

 United Slates, and we think we might safely 

 throw in London, Paris, St. Petersburg, and a 

 half dozen oilier big cities of Europe. 



Some entertain fears that both the gas and the 

 salt water will shortly fail ; but we incline to the 

 opinion ihat the upper stratum, the outskirts, the 

 surhurhs only of the treasures of salt and gas, as 

 well as many a siditerranean wonder, are just 

 now being reached. No matter whose domin- 

 ions down there may be encroached upon, wheth- 

 er those of Pluto or yEolus, our enterprising salt 

 manufacturers are as determined to explore them, 

 annex them, and revel in their palaces', as the 

 annexationists are by-and-by to revel in the halls 

 of the Montezumas. 



The Difference. — "He who produces a 

 bushel of grain, adds to the condVirls of human 

 life, and acts as a co-worker with God, vvhu, in 



the products of the earth, opens his liberal hand 

 to satisfy every living thing — while ho who con- 

 verts ihisiirain into alcohol to he draidt, becomes 

 a most tflicieut coadjutor of him, who, as the en- 

 emy of idl goodness, goes about seeking whom 

 he may destroy." 



The Soiling System. 



From an account of the farming of Mr. Pell, 

 of Ulster county, N. Y., i:i the American Agri- 

 culturist, we extract the following: — 



Treatment of Milch Cows.— During the 

 summer, Mr. Pell's cows are kept in the barn- 

 yard, soiled. They are fed three times per (hiy, 

 at slated hours, an<l in adilition to their ordinary 

 food, receive at )'2 o'clock, each day, about eight 

 quarts of wheat bran, wet with water. The gen- 

 eral feeding is dry hay, gnjeii grass, green corn- 

 sialks, occasionally a few potatoes, and salt Ivhen- 

 ever the cows feel a disposition (or it. Water 

 ilipy have access to at all times of the day and 

 niglil, and should never be without it. An ex- 

 periment was tried of giving the cows water only 

 three limes a day, immediately after eating their 

 food, and they seemed satisfie<l. They were then 

 constantly supplied, and drank freely nine times 

 in one day, taking apparently as much at each 

 draft as when allowed water only three times; 

 so that when permitted to drink only three times 

 a day, they must have suffered from thirst in the 

 interims. 



When the weather is very hot or rainy, the 

 cows have sheds made partially under ground, 

 into which they can retire and ruminate undis- 

 tuihed. With this treatment they constantly take 

 on fat, and secrete twice the quantity of milk that 

 they would if allowed to run at large. During 

 the last summer, the cows gave an average of \^> 

 quarts of milk daily, and in the fall were fit for 

 the butcher. 



In the winter tbey are kept in stalls in a warm 

 barn, littered freely, as occasion requires, and 

 daily curried and rubbed. When the weather is 

 fine, they are turned into the b;uMi-yard for exer- 

 cise, in the middle of the day. Twice a day they 

 are fed on cut oat and wheat straw, with a small 

 quantity of bran sprinkled over it, for the sake of 

 which they eat their allowance entirely up, and 

 once a day cut hay ; they are salted four times a 

 week, and liave roots, such as beets, carrots, po- 

 totoes, or turnips, once a week. By cutting the 

 straw and hay, cattle are enabled to eat their 

 meal in 2.3 minutes; whereas, if uncut, they are 

 engaged in masticating their food half the night, 

 the labor and fatigue of which deprives them of 

 the necessary time required for their rest. 



Advantages of thus Soiling Stock. — Mr. 

 Pell carted from his barn-yard 230 loads of ma- 

 nure, on the 10th of May, which was made in the 

 preceding six months. On the lOlh of Novem- 

 ber, from the same yard, he catted 23G loads more, 

 avinagiug 30 bushels per load, made within the 

 six mouths following Ibe lOlh of May. Five 

 cows only were kept, which thus made 4C6 loads 

 of good manure in one year. During the stnn- 

 mcr, leaves, siraw, &c., were constantly thrown 

 into the yard, and occasionally covered with char- 

 coal dust. Each cow voided in six months, 6,000 

 lbs. of urine, which was absorbed by the refuse, 

 and its strength retained by the charcoal dust, 

 gypsum, &c. ; the manure, therefore, was intrin- 

 sically worth the New York city price, viz., $1 

 the wagon load, or $4C6. 



In addition to making this great quantity of 

 manure, the other advantages of soiling are — I. 

 No cross-fences are required on the farm. 2. 

 The cows give twice as nnicli milk as when run- 

 ning at large. 3. They are fit for the sbandiles 

 in the fall, being fat. 4. They are always ready 

 to be milke<l. 5. They are never worried by being 

 driven to and from the pasture. 6. They eat all the 

 refuse grass, w bich would otherwise be lost. 7. 

 Eight acres will keep them longer and belter than 

 Ibrty would do pastured. 8. The fields are al- 

 ways in order, not being poached by their feet in 

 wet weather. 9. The person is not much longer 

 in cutting their food and giving it to them, than 

 he would be in driving them to pasture. 10. 

 Manure enough is saved to pay the interest on 

 a large farm. Numerous other good reasons 

 might be given, if the above are not considered 

 sufficient. 



'l"he above experiment of Mr, Pell, showing 

 the superiority of the soiling system, is strongly 

 corroborated by others madt" in F.urope, though 



probably unknown to Mr. Pell when he com 

 menced his. We quote from a speech recenib 

 made before a meeting of the Larne Farminj 

 .Society, in Ireland, by Mr. Donaghy, Superintend 

 cut of the Agricultural Department of the Lariu 

 National School : — 



"Mr. Smith, of Deanston, a gentleman whose 

 si-ientific and practical knowledge as an agricul 

 lurist, has placed him in the first rank of the im- 

 provers of the soil, is no mean authority in supi' 

 port of the soiling system. In the summer ol' 

 1841, he made an experiment on a dairy of twen- 

 ty cows, pasturing the one half and house-feeding 

 the other, lie selected thetn as equally as pos- 

 sible, ill point of carcass, condition and milking 

 quality. The result of his experiment was, thai 

 the cows house-fed gave their milk more |>lenli- 

 fidly and more uniformly, and continued ihrough- 

 out in excellent lieallb, and improved in condition 

 from 30.S. to 40s. per head over those at pasture. 

 The cows house-fed were kept on three-quarters 

 of a statute acre each, whilst those that were 

 pastured required one and a quarter aero of pas- 

 ture, and a quarter acre of cut giassand vetchea, 

 making one acre and a half for each; so that, 

 upon the whole, about one half the extent of 

 ground neces.sary for the keep of cows at pas- 

 ture, was sufficient for those kept Ijoused. 



" I could adduce abundance of otlnir proof) 

 fioni equally respectable gentlemen, in support 

 of the superiority of this system to that in gen- 

 eral use; but I shall content myself with merely 

 saying, that if, according to Mr. Blacker, a gen- 

 tleman who deserves the best thanks of the agri- 

 cultural community, three cows could be kept on 

 the same extent of ground as is at present required 

 to keep one — the benefit thus resulting to the 

 farming interest would be immense. But the in- 

 crease of milk and butler consequent on its adop- 

 tion, would not be the only resulting advantage 

 — the increase of the manure heap would be 

 equally advantageous. No farmer, I care not how 

 good his practice may be in other respects, can 

 farm profitably without a jilentiness of manure. 

 Now, it has been calculated, that on an average, 

 cows are not kept in the barn at present, more 

 than eight hours each day, throughout the year. 

 If such be the case, and I have no reason to 

 question the correctness of the calculation, would 

 not a cow that is house-fed summer and winter, 

 [uodiice three times as much available manure 

 as one pastured.' If, according to Mr. Smith's 

 opinion, two cows could be kept in the place of^ 

 one, six times as much manure could lie made — ; 

 if Mr. Blacker's views be correct, nine times asi 

 much manure could be realized. I contend, 

 therefore, that the general adoption of this sys- 

 tem would do away with a great deal of iho 

 poverty, privations, and misery, with which thn^ 

 small farmers are at present beset. And how? 

 Bv increasing the means of subsistence." 



Noxious Insects. — Cucumber vines have been 

 cleared of the yellow bug by covering their tops 

 with the finest pieces of wool left after carding. • 

 Speaking of the modes of dispelling noxious in- 

 sects both to vegetation and animals, there can 

 be no doubt that the smell of various substances, 

 both animal and vegetable, decayed or otherwise, 

 has a great effect in keeping them off"— as spirits 

 of turpentine, for instance, for the curculio on 

 the plum, and tobacco and other things for the 

 peach worm, and sassafras poles to keep off" lice 

 in ben-roosts. The general principle of the mat- 

 ter seems to be this, that any strong aromatic ' 

 vegetable substance or liquid will drive off' in- ' 

 sects or animalculffi that exist on animal food, 

 and any strong pungent animal effluvia will keep 

 off animals that derive their living from vege- 

 table food ; as the burying of a dead rat or toad 

 has kept off bugs from vines, &.C.— Western Gar- 

 dener. 



Lead Mine.— The St Louis Republican gives 

 the following siatement concerning the Mam- 

 iiioili Cave, recently discovered in Missouri, 

 which, it says, it believes to be the most valuable 

 Lead Mine in the United Slates. It has been \ 

 purchased by a company at St. Louis for nearly | 

 825,000. 



" The operatives are now at work in a rave, 

 the opening of which is about 250 feet from j 

 where the discovery was made. This cave is 75 ' 

 feet in length. The ceiling is of mineral, and It 

 is estimated that there are from 200.000 to 400,- 



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