164 



iJI)c farmer's iHontl)lij bisitor. 



From Ihi- Snulln m (.'nllivaliir. 

 The Noilh-M est. 

 Michigan, Wipcon^ii), luuii, nixl llie wtiole le- 

 {zion tlitieul.oiits, would stem to he a very jiaio- 

 dise for <; ruin- j,'io«(M>'. The extreirie ferlililv ol 

 the soil, the elioriiioiis ( rO|is it produceg, t)ie 

 sinall oiitliiy of lahor iiceessury to . ninko aiicl 

 gather a crop — the lii;;h priro it eomriiulidti when 

 taken to tnarket, the .-ahihrity of tlie rlitii:ile, ev- 

 ery thinf,' seems to contpire to make ilie North- 

 west a most desirable region to iliose who can 

 endure ils cohh The Rncint .'lih'crtlsemaye: 



"Two fanners froin Jaciiesville in Kock Coun- 

 ty, wiiose farms adjoiii, last fall conjoinlly liad 

 200 acres of prairie hroken and sown in wJKtat^ — 

 the work heinif perliirlnei! hy two young men, 

 vvitli leu yokes of oxen, and two hoys to drive a 

 few weeks. Tliese "00 a<i< s of wheat have re- 

 cently lieeti cut In' means of a machine, occupy- 

 ini.' ci.ly T>i days, with an extra ex|')i;nse of fifty 

 cents an acre for hinding and stacking. 'J'fie 

 wheat turn<d oiil :iii a-yrejiale o'f 5000 lilishels, 

 worth $"'?,500, orau avera^je'of 25 bushels-to the 

 acre. On Fi iday llje' o» ncj' caiiie to Rtucine w ilh 

 two wagons; toaded with an a.Ei;regate or2D5 

 bushels of wheat, u liich he sold In ftlr. Richuioni) 

 at G2i cents the hushel." 



Then We have an account of the soil of this 

 regioii hy Mr. Whitney, who has lately none over. 

 it, from Lake Micliifian to the great bend of the 

 Missouri. He, it will be jememl)ored, lias been 

 lookiu:; out for the route of his great Kailroad to 

 Oregon. Hear what he says of the country : 

 [I'Voiil Mr. Whitney'." lilterin the Nat. IiKeJIigcnLt-r.-] 

 "Before leaving I'rairie Hii Chien J fixed 4ipon 

 a route I would like to- pass 10. the Missouri, and 

 with compass in lianii maiie it within five miles 

 of the point started for. 15y }5urr's map of Wis- 

 consin, embiaciug loua &c. (which J found more 

 correct than any I Ikivb seen,) we crossed Tur- 

 key river at F'ort Atklnsoti, north latitude 43^ 

 15'; thence we crwssed llie different hratiehes of 

 the Wahisipintca ai:d the Cedars in ahotii the 

 same latitude to Clear Lidie, in west .lonaiiude 

 93'' 25''; thence northwesterly until we catne to 

 ubrairch of the St. ]V;ti.-r's ruutdiig iMjrtheastejly 

 — and 1 will here; remark that we did trot tin. I the 

 Cedar's or St. Hi ler's branch to conespond " ith 

 Bun's or any map I have seen ; thence diie west 

 to the IJes Mi'ines, in lalilnde 43.^ i.'0', aiid wesi 

 loniiilnde 95 ■, which slreatns we cross-d hv fell- 

 iug trees tiir a hi id^'e ; thence due west to m nnni- 

 ber of small luanlilrd hiJ<es (in minj tlic head wa- 

 ters of the Little Sioux, and enplymg inm the 

 Mis.-onrij Ihmce m-ross FhjwI's nver ; thence 

 due; west across the hraiu'hes ol the Calumet ami 

 the CaluMjet ; thence to the \Vhitesl<M.e or \'ei- 

 million, iheiue Jiicrpies ri\er, and then lo the 

 gieat, the grand .Missouri, (ifleeii miles below the 

 greiit bend ; making-a dislaiue liom the Missis- 

 sippi of more than five hundred miles, over tlie 

 linest connH-y upon llie ^lohe, callable of sus- 

 taining more lliaii three-times the popiihition of 

 the Mime space ill any other (nrrt of the -world: 

 no swamps, no marshes, no fl.ioding of. rivers, 

 except in the viciniiy "f the VVahi,-i|)iMica, ;0:d 

 iheu only for a small dislanci', ami mrdouhtedly 

 the most heallliy couniry in the w'orld. 1 liave 

 never (bund the atnios|iJiere so pure ; the surface 

 gently rolling loan almost levid : always, how- 

 ever, enough undnhiliiigto let all the water pff. 



'•While on this sidg.-ci I jviJi remark that lioiie 

 of the rivers weMof the I'leat lakes are natural 

 rivers, bill have foniied themselves and beds \iy 

 the constant" wash of ilds vast and almost level' 

 pla'm. The soil of thin vast vvihh-rness is .is rich 

 us it can be— none richer in thj; wlnde (hstuuceT 

 I dill not see hall' an acre of usele.-s'or bad land'; 

 ull covcr-ed ivithlhe finest of grasses, and' when 

 cured, good hay. 'I'he iMrmer will want but the 

 plougivlhe stu^^d, the scvilie,'i'ind sickle. As !iir 

 as the Cedars (ninety imles west oT the Missif^sip- 

 pi) are considerable trncls. of good, timbei-, but 

 none bcyomi to the .Missouri, ami then very little, 

 tilhicaily down to-l'orl LeaV(UijVortli,;ind '111111 

 only a1)0iil three miles^wiih^ and sometimes no'ne 

 on the river; but coalp iTre abimdant, and the; 

 growth of timber so natural .tdiit, without tlje 

 fires, (which no,wsprcnd over the whole prairies 

 yearly, consuming every thing,) in fifteen years 

 the whole, fioni river tu rWer, would be one 

 dense liwest." 



[From tlic Alton Trlt:sra|ih.] 



■ "The quantity of Standing corn, wlitoh may 



be seen' from Mound Farm in Jersey county, un- 

 der twenty iiii!es from this place, cannot amount 

 to less tlialiTTi'C laindnd Ih'jvsn'rid bii.<!hels. Nor is 

 this all,' or the best. From Mr. B. A. Davidson's 

 residence on the bliitl', on the roaxl from Alton to 

 lOilwiuilsvilfe, and iifout seven miles from . this 

 city-, tliere may be si^en, " iihourmoviug from the 

 same spot, l>y" looking only iri two directions,^ 

 fields' of stainiing com, the probable yield pf 

 which is esiimated.it Dae mitiinn.J've hiinUreiHUou- 

 srnul hiishels. Beyt this who can.!" '•"■.' 



i;.\traordlnaiy as is the fei-tility of the soil in 

 that region,' ,>t)d liirge'as the Crops are that grow 

 on it, I irger croi's are gatbeii'd eliji^where from- 

 soil made fertile by the hand ol'the htish.andiuau. 

 .'J'he h'.ieq)Q<jl .'llhv.n slate's an instance in which 

 a man 'made at -the rate of 80 bushels M"- w:he;it 

 to'ihe .-icre. His land In-d betn prepared for 

 whi:i't by' the -previous cullurB of potatoes and 

 cabbage ; and it Imd been stirred in the ctilliva- 

 tiou of the. previous cr^ps to the djpth ol'^'oiir 



ftei. . - . . .. 



'J'o come nearer •home. — we find it stated in the 

 .Unkrimn Faroic-, that Mr. Smeltzer, of Freder- 

 ick county, Maryland, raised, of the '■ Oregon" 

 wheat', at tliO rate. of over 50 bushels lo the acre, 



■tlie-seed sown being iiot (piiCe onu and an luilf 

 l«isliels I'ler acri,'. 



The sanie gentleinah also raised the "China" 

 wheat, at tlie rate df 47 bushels per acre — ;i liew 

 kind which ripens eajly; and "is stiid not to he in- 



.jwred by the Hy, mildew.or'smiit. _ . . 



These are tlieic-suils ofcareflil ciiluvatinn and 

 ihuroiigh tillage of the soil. ■ In the English e,v'- 

 (imple, tlie soil' was, besides lieing made ricl.i, 

 loosened by trenching lo the depth of FO.UR'feet. 

 Tin's would see'ni to be useless labor, if We liai! 

 not the authorily of Full for the fact, that in 

 uroperly prepared *oil, the roots of Vvheal. Iiiive 

 been-tracetl'lo the depth of tfiTo feet. _ • 



From'the Jiivernoss (Scotch) C.'o'urier. - 

 Liquid Manme. 



It is now a pretty '^(•neral . belief_among fann- 

 ers, that there is " some good" in Ijipiid manures^ 

 •(ml, souie luiwor other; we fiever see much pre- 

 paraiioii either for the i-ollectiuii or apiilicaiion 

 ol'llli^, tlie chetipest and most •valu.'ihle of all ma- 

 nures, and we ve'ril.v belie\e t)i;it ihe siibj-i:ct i,-as 

 yet .scarcely lli()Ut;ht of— in a way to lend ti) any 

 praciicaliesnil, by one 6»«(/_/i(/e leiii-pay iiig liirm- 

 er, out of a llroiisand. No\v, 'having lor several 

 years hien an experimi'-nier in iliis way, and .sen- 

 sible of tlie very jireat mlporiance and value (d 

 liquid inaiiine.-, I .-hajl here take the liberly ol 

 throwing III my iml>- to tin- oi-nKnil luml, hycoui- 

 iiiniiic- lini! the little I have gained by e'xperience 

 to iiiy lelliiw -dirmers.. 



.As i di-card all cheitircal tiirmiila — the t.iiik, 

 watering-carl, anil other el celenis, from my s\s 

 tcjn, and atlacli the lerliji/iiig inj;ie.<lients to a 

 siihsiance w liicli farmers call actually work in 

 with spades and shovels, 1 have more liope that 

 my plan will be follnuvd. 



Chc'iiisls, gi-»neraMy, do not tell us) the- reason 

 wh_( lii|iiiil manut.'S will, not dojiHicli good wdien 

 applied in a fresh sfate, iriongh jliis is piMteclly, 

 .plain lb all rt^d.ecling Jiieu. Liijuid manure, if ap- 

 plied iipoi) a pervious X)r gi'avell.v'soil, in a freslj 

 stale, i.s not retained long eiiough for its decom- 

 position to lake place* m' for 'llie i-uots 'to drink it 

 np. Jt is-put ou a liipiid iimnnre, and runs ojf m 

 the s.-inie slate ; hill appl^ it to a soil rivli in de- 

 fiiyeil or decaying V(;getuble inalttrjaiid olj which 

 a vigorous vegclation'ls going on, and it never 

 fails of its e.Mraordiii.ai'y eliects. . The plafi of ad- 

 iiiinistiying bipiid. maiiures in a peViectly frisli 

 stale, is'prorialily the best of any, were it not for 

 ♦he continued <are and conseipieilt 'expense ne- 

 ce.^'saiy in supplying' our. crops with -saturated 

 wilier in all llicir lilages tinouglioiit the year, and 

 .wet'e-vve certain of tlij^ exact^.stienj^tb of- the so- 

 lution snijed to their wants.' As we, ihcuefiiie, 

 faniiot apply our li(]iiiil maliiirestni ihe'lTest pi in- 

 ciptes, on aci-nimt'nf Ike expense, we ini*t try 

 the ni'^tt licsl plan^ that of ih'.^oijiiiosing them by 

 the ajdol decomposed vegetirlile niftier; andlhis 

 c.iii ha|ipily he done, io great perii'mion, by \i\- 

 tlin^ing the vefjeUihle nial'tei'lo lln; state of carbon 

 or charcnal — w liicli \re make liom peat, as being 

 liilliili.' in etpense, easily piilrerizsd, and unlial 

 '1111 I'xcellenl iiiauuio of ilt^elf. 



We iTivide a slii«d into tw o com^iai tiiie'nls, une 

 ol' which we iiijike- water.-iighi, liy piidifling the 

 tide jvbIIs with clay lo the. h.eight, Buy of4wo feet, 



and separaterl fioiii the othe.- compartmeiit hy 

 low w;iter-ti;;ht v. all or boarding, 'i bis is my fer- 

 meufing tank, which is filh d half or iliree parts 

 full bf ptilvprizcd burnt peat, and the liipiid iiia- 

 nnrfc from the slabh', pig^stye.s, Sic., directed into 

 it. This is mixed ii|i -with the pulveri'/ed peat 

 anil iilhnveil in remain three or four weeks, till 

 the decomposition seems about coinjileled, being 

 occasionally stirred abour after the cohiposilion 

 Jias bccoim; alioiii the i;onsisrency of grn'el. The 

 .vvliole V- tlien ladled with n pole and bucket ovi-r 

 the low partilion into tlie second fioo'r, which is 

 also three parts filled w iMi .c.arboniz'i (I peat: and 

 as the second floor is mealil merely as 1, filter, we 

 Irive it low er 011 one side than the other, by w bich 

 means, in the cqujsu of a day or two, tie carfion- 

 ized peat is left companitively dry. The walei; 

 having' passed ott' at the lower side, tlie fiisi, or 

 ferineiiting floor is aiiaiii filled as Iicfore, and the 

 l-ontents of the second floor, if con.-idererl .s;itii- 

 rnli'd cMiongb, are then sjioveled up into a ctjiner, 

 an'd allowed to drip, .•mil f'uither dry till used, 

 which m,-iy be either immediately,, or at the end 

 of twenty' year.s, as scarcely any thing will afli-ct 

 iJ, .if not' exposed to the continind Mashing of 

 pure water, or exposed to ihe infineiici of the 

 riibls of f;rowiii^ plants. Hy heiin; tliinly .spread 

 on'a grainery fiiior,.il soon hecomcs perli^ctly dry;, 

 and snifid to |iass llupugb drill macbines. 



l;lie ini\iiig of the .caVlfonized |ieat with the. 

 riqiiid'manure on lite lirst'or ■fermjLiiiilg floor, it 

 will -be observed, is fipf hiy ing hold of the gaseous . 

 matters as they escape during the fermi^nialion ; 

 perhiips other substances liiay efli-i^i lliis more ef- 

 'fi>cliially, hilt none sii cheaplv, I ihiiik by this 

 (ilan it will be ohvious to every one th;il a great 

 iiiany ilesiderata are at once ohiained. In the first 

 place you geft'iee of about ?5|3 parts oi|l of everji' 

 1000 of the weight .-ui'l -ludk of manure, by tlig 

 exptdsion of w'jiter ;— w bile at the.same tiine you 

 liifk all liie fCrlilizing |)ropcities coniained in it 

 to one of the most handy vehicles^-light, clean- 

 ly, and' portable, and (le.sscssed of the iiLciiliiir 

 pro|ierly of liohliiig toi^ether. the most volatile 

 substances, till L'r.ai'hia1l.v CiJIed forth hy the e.\i- 

 f;encis of the growing plants. .Ijasl'y, Jou ^et 

 free of' the iiasiy lank, and iIh h.oiislnad aud jhe 

 watering-cart, v ilb all its append.iges, aid aie i,o' 

 more hotlieri'd ' w ilh oveiflowing tairk or over-. 

 fernieniing liiiiiid, w ilh wea'liei'-imsiiiit-d fur its- 

 apjilica'lioii. You have merely to shovel past the 

 .satii-iaicd charcoal, and shovel in a lill-le fresh 

 .sl'nftj a-nil ihe process goes - on again <pf ilsovMi 

 will; whib- tliH prepared stnfjs lie ready for all 

 cr'ips, alt sejisoio, and at all limes. 



The solid mailer in llie nriire ol' llie cow is es- 

 limaU-d hy very lii^li authority, to be iqnal in. 

 value to ils weiijht of Sonili American guano. 



I hei; my fellow llirmeis cleaily lo iinders'and, 

 that I make no pretensions 10 this plan of apply- 

 ing liipiid manure, being a new discoverx. Ii i.-i 

 merely a modification of your old and tried plan 

 of boiioming \o-nr dung hills wilh peat; Inil by 

 chairing, the pea] is freed of ils a'ntiseptic. quali- 

 ties, and tli-ns becomes of itself a lunch l.'eller 

 and speedier manure, and an admirable filler. ^- 

 Hiit even peat, thoroughly drii:d, and pei-fecMy 

 I'ldvci izeil, 1 have no doubt might answer the 

 end ii.ililferi'.iilly well. 



I-'-rom tlio I.imhIoii C.-.nlciii'ri' Juiiriril. ^ 

 J*t)liltry. 

 , The economy of poullry iliay be-classcd under 

 three li'eafls; first, in-iheir nairnfil stale, which is 

 the ih,|»anm(;iilof the nalinalist;? ; second, Ln their 

 (iomofiic stale, in llm coiiiiljy, 'with a liill .range 

 of the I'aiin'vanl and lields^in which the poullry 

 kee'per i's concerned, tin his profit ;.a(id ihird^iii 

 their artificial stale, iu or niar linMis, i-n pens or 

 yards, \\ h'lch %vilj chielh engage iiiy^ attention in 

 thcfircsent ajticle. The best a4id cheapest inefh- 

 od of feeding I must h'live lobe ihlailed by those, 

 who keep poultry in large qiyi'ntilie.s. • • 



iSHK.i.'rEii.— :l'"<i" Is sliouUI always be K'op'L in g, 

 dry, wilrui, sheltiled siliialion-^a southerly as- 

 pect is 10 be pieleircd^li»r they en.piy and liclie- 

 tit greatly by the " warms in the sun," as well as 

 reqnlrlng'iuofectloji lipni its scorching rays, and _ 

 a-iid a serine (siorm)slied llir rainy weiithcr. 'I ho 

 rBOStiiig-honse and la.ving-bon.'ie, if .separate, 

 shoiihl coyimiinrcate", that earLv layers may hav«_ 

 early iici.ess to.ilio nests, aiid ilso coinMiimi'-ale 

 with ihe rtorm-shiil lor ibe li.w Is lo 1 nn hi for 

 scMuity, if they t^hoiild lea\e.lheir rousts tin ly in 

 ihe'rnorliing. The nt-s'ts should be numerous, 



