r34 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 12 



which may be generally sufficient for an acre, 

 we nearly agree in the opinion expressed by the 

 Doctor, and collected from many other accounts, 

 that i'rom (bur to five tons are yearly requisite of 

 that kind commonly prepared, and in its usual 

 state of decomposition, as spit-dung. According 

 to that calculation, it must also be observed that 

 the course of*crops is supposed to consist-— on light 

 soils, of the alternate plan of corn and green crops 

 —on clays which do not admit of that system, that 

 the holding contain a proportionate quantity of 

 grass-land; and that the quantity of manure 

 should be supplied, not in small quantities annu- 

 ally, but in large ones, at intermediate distances of 

 four, five, or six years. Light soils, in the com- 

 mon course of husbandry, rarely require the ap- 

 plication of putrescent manure oftener than once 

 in four years, and in all cases where the clover is 

 allowed to stand during two seasons, it may be de- 

 ferred without disadvantage for another year. 

 Heavy soils may run six years without it, provided 

 that, the land be laid one year in fallow, and that 

 there be sufficient meadow to be reckoned, at least 

 as one crop in the course. It being, however, 

 clearly understood, that — whether on light or hea- 

 vy land — nothing but grain, seeds, and live stock 

 is to be sold off the farm, unless replaced with an 

 equal poriion of purchased dung; that the whole 

 of the green crops, the haulm of pulse, and the 

 straw of" corn be used in the most economical man- 

 ner; and that some of the live stock be either soil- 

 ed or fattened upon oil-cake: which plan, if care- 

 fully pursued on good soils, with capital sufficient 

 to secure an abundant working and fatting stock 

 of cattle, ought, under fair management, to fur- 

 nish an adequate supply of dung for any of the 

 usual courses of culture. 



Having thus submitted to our readers all that 

 occurs to us of importance on the subject of farm- 

 yard manure, we shall here recapitulate a summa- 

 ry of the chief points which we deem particularly 

 worthy of their consideration: — 



1. To bottom the farm-yard with furze, fern, 

 dry haulm, or any other loose refuse that takes 

 the longest time to dissolve; and over that to bed 

 it deep with straw. 



2. To occasionally remove the cribs of store 

 cattle to different parts of the straw-yard, in order 

 that their dung may be dropped, and their litter 

 trodden equally. 



3. To spread the dung of other animals, when 

 thrown into the yards, in equal layers over every 

 part. 



4. To remove ihe dung from the yard at. 

 least once, or oftener, during the winter, to the 

 mixeri. 



5. To turn and mix all dunghills, until tlje 

 wood} 7 or fibrous texture of the matter contained 

 in them, and the roots and seeds of weeds, be 

 completely decomposed, and until they emit a foul 

 putrid smell: by which time they reach their 

 greatest degree of strength, and arrive at the state 

 of spit-dung. 



6. To keep the dung in an equal state of mois- 

 ture, so as to prevent any portion of the heap 

 from becoming fire-fanired. If the fermentation 

 lie too rapid, heavy watering will abate the heat; 

 but it will afterwards revive with increased force, 

 unless the heap be either trodden firmly down or 

 covered with mould to exclude the air. 



7. To ferment the dung, if to be laid upon ara- 



ble land during the autumn, in a much less decree 

 than that to be applied before a spring sowing. 



8. To lay a larger quantity on cold and wet 

 lands than on those of a lighter nature; because 

 the former require to be corrected by the warmth 

 of the dung, while on dry, sandy, and gravelly 

 soils, the application of too much dung is apt to 

 burn up the plants. Stiff land will also be loosen- 

 ed by the undecayed fibres of Jong dung, which, 

 although its putrefaction will thus be retarded, 

 and its fertilizing power delayed, will yet ulti- 

 mately afford nourishment. 



9. To form compost with dung, or other animal 

 and vegetable substances, and earth, for applica- 

 tion to Tight soils. 



10. To spread the manure upon tiie land, when 

 carried to the field, with the least possible delay; 

 and, if laid upon arable, to turn it immediately into 

 the soil. 



11. To preserve the drainage from stables and 

 dunghills in every possible way; if not applied in 

 a liquid state, to throw it again upon the mix- 

 en. 



12. To try experiments, during a series of years, 

 upon the same soils and crops, with equal quanti- 

 ties of dung, laid on fresh, and afterwards rotted; 

 in order to ascertain the results of their application 

 to the land. The whole quantity to be first 

 weighed, or measured, and then divided. 



The fermentation of farm-yard manure is in 

 fact, a subject of far greater importance than is 

 generally imagined, for on a due estimation of its 

 value mainly depends the individual success, as 

 well as the national prosperity, of our agriculture. 

 The experiments to which we point cannot there- 

 fore fail to come home to the interest of every 

 man; they may be made without expense, and 

 without any other trouble than the mere exercise 

 of common observation and intelligence. Leav- 

 ing, however, aside the discussion concerning the 

 disputed worth of fresh or fermented — of long or 

 short dung — tet the farmer sedulously bend his at- 

 tention to the accumulation of the utmost quanti- 

 ty that it may be in his power to procure. The 

 manner and the time of using it, in either state, 

 must, however, be governed by circumstances 

 which may not always be within his control; 

 and every judicious husbandman will rather ac- 

 commodate himself to the exigency of the case 

 than adhere strictly to his own notions of" what he 

 conceives to be the best practice. In fine, whether 

 favoring the one or the other side of the question, 

 let him collect, all he can; apply it carefully to his 

 crops; and then, trusting to events — 'let ike land 

 and the muck settle it.' 1 



[To be continued.] 



13 THE CHINESE MULBERRY CAPABLE OF 

 BEIJXG PROPAGATED BY ITS SEEDS I 



In our last number (at page 674,) we copied from 

 Mr. Roberts' Silk Manual, the interesting letter of our 

 friend Gideon B. Smith, Esq. who maintains the prac- 

 ticability of raising the Chinese Mulberry from seed, 

 though he prefers propagating it by cuttings. No one 

 is better authority on this subject, and we believe that 

 to no one is our country more indebted for bringing 

 into use this valuable tree, than Mr. Smith. We shall 

 add below, a later piece from the author of the Silk 

 Manual, and editor of the Farmer and Gardener, in 



