474 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Qg^ We have no apology for reporting pretty 

 fully the business of these local meetings ; as the 

 interests which they are intended to promote are 

 world-wide, and are as important to our readers 

 everywhere else, as in the State of Massachusetts. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SPENT TAN FOR STRAWBERRIES. 



Mr. Editor. : — Within a year or two, as you are 

 well aware, much has been said of the beneficial 

 effects of tan upon strawberries, both as a fertilizer 

 and a mulcher ; and not upon strawberries only, 

 but plum trees, grape vines, gooseberry bushes, 

 &c. I do not mean now to cite the testimony of 

 others in favor of spent tan, as I might do, and 

 perhaps with profit ; but I propose to give you a 

 few items of my own experience, — what I have 

 seen and know of the good effects of spent tan for 

 strawberries ; for I have applied it to nothing else, 

 though I mean another year to experiment exten- 

 sively with it. 



During the latter part of November, 1851, I 

 served my strawberry bed, — which is a small one, 

 being only about twelve rods long by ten feet in 

 width, — in the following manner ; the first eight 

 or ten feet I covered with tan, without any ma- 

 nure, about an inch and a half deep ; the next 

 eight or ten feet I covered over to a greater depth 

 with well-rotted horse manure and mud, about 

 one-third mud. In this way I went over about 

 two- thirds of my bed, applying the tan and ma- 

 nure alternately; the other third I covered exclu- 

 sively with tan. Nothing more was done with the 

 bed until the strawberries were ripe, except to pull 

 out a very little sorrel that made its appearance, 

 as it always will on a strawberry bed. 



Before giving the result of this experiment, it 

 seems necessary to speak of the soil, location and 

 season ; the soil is a hard, dry, gravelly loam, not 

 deep at one end of the bed, but deeper at the oth- 

 er ; the subsoil is gravelly, yellow loam ; the sub- 

 stratum, blue gravel ; located on the side of a hill 

 sloping to the southeast ; the season has been one 

 of the best to test the tan as a mulcher, as it has 

 been very dry. Now for the result. Firstly, it 

 protected the plants in winter, and prevented them 

 from being thrown out. Secondly, in regard to 

 the time of ripening, I noticed a difference in favor 

 of the tan of three or four days, though this I ac- 

 knowledge is of no great importance. Thirdly, 

 there were more and larger berries where the tan 

 was applied. Fourthly, the berries were not cov- 

 ered with dirt, as they often are where no mulcher 

 is used. And lastly, though not least, there were 

 but very few weeds among the tan. The reason 

 why there were more and larger berries on the 

 tan, was because it was "moister" under the tan 

 than under the manure ; in fact, so great was the 

 difference in this respect, that in the middle of a 

 hot day — and I believe we had some hot ones in 

 the strawberry season — it could be distinctly seen 

 where the tan left off and the manure begun, ten 

 rods distant. To this very obvious difference I 

 called the attention of a neighbor of mine, who is 

 a strawberry grower, and I think he was fully sat- 

 isfied that tan, as a mulcher at least, was valuable 

 on dry lands. 



It must not be inferred, from what I have said, 

 that wherever tan is used there will be so percep- 



tible a difference in its favor ; still I think it can 

 be used advantageously, whatever the soil may be. 

 All strawberries do better if protected in winter ; 

 this is just the article to protect them. Where 

 tan is used, I think the plants will not be thrown 

 out, as they often are without it ; then it supplies 

 them with tannic acid, which we are informed is 

 one of its component parts ; and furthermore, it 

 keeps the fruit from the ground, which is quite an 

 advantage, for where the vines are thin the crop 

 is often unfit for use, the rains covering them with 

 dirt. 



Allow me to say, in conclusion, that this winter 

 I shall pursue a somewhat different course in the 

 application of my manure and tan to strawberries ; 

 [ shall first cover the bed with well-decomposed 

 horse manure, then put on from two to three 

 inches of tan ; this, I think, is the best thing that 

 can be done to a strawberry bed. Good friends, 

 give it a trial. J. f. c. ii. 



Newton Centre, Aug. 6, 1852. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 COAL ASHES— BLACKBERRIES. 



Mr. Editor : — In your weekly paper of 12th 

 June, I notice an inquiry from a correspondent, 

 "whether coal ashes can be used with any benefit 

 in agriculture?" And as I have not seen a reply to 

 this question in any subsequent number of the 

 Farmer, I will venture to give my own experience 

 in the matter, small though it may be. 



About the year 1840, while publishing the Far- 

 mer'' s Gazette at New Haven, I found a heap of 

 anthracite ashes in my garden in the spring — the 

 accumulated siftings from two stoves during the 

 previous winter. Having seen the suggestion 

 in some agricultural paper, that these ashes were 

 of some value as a fertilizing agent, it occurred to 

 me that I might try the experiment without cost. 

 Accordingly, when about to commence the opera- 

 tion of gardening, I spread the ashes over the sur- 

 face of the garden, as evenly as possible. There 

 were some two or three cart loads of them, and 

 they had lain in a snug heap near the centre of a 

 small garden of not more than four or five rods 

 square. Across the spot where the heap had lain, 

 I had a bed of common blood beets and a few 

 rows of string beans. The general effect of the 

 ashes on all parts of the garden was evidently 

 good ; but on the particular spot which had been 

 occupied by the ash heap, the result was really 

 surprising. The growth of beets and beans, in 

 that part of the beds, was nearly double that of 

 the same vegetables beyond the limits of the heap. 

 So marked was the difference, that it was promi- 

 nently perceptible to the eye as far as the garden 

 could be seen. The soil at New Haven, as you are 

 probably aware, is a light sand. 



I have no doubt that coal ashes are worth some- 

 thing as a fertilizer ; and that on farms within two 

 or three miles of any of our New England cities, 

 they will pay for carting. Generally, I suppose 

 householders in cities will be glad to give them to 

 any person who will take them away. I think of 

 trying their virtues on a portion of my mowing, by 

 spreading them either this fall or early next spring; 

 and if they have any material effect, you may pos- 

 sibly hear from me again. 



And now, Mr. Editor, in my turn I would like 

 to ask a question. Can you, or some of your cor- 



