.NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



481 



woinedj make a better appearance, — smarter, — 

 fail i" the long pull of life, ami come out, at the 

 end of the race, far in the rear ; or what is more 

 common, give it up at the. very commencement, 

 and leave a clear field to their better trained com- 

 petitors. S. F. 

 Winchester, July, 1852. 



Remarks. — We like the fresh and earnest man- 

 ner in which our correspondent discusses his sub- 

 ject, as well as the original views in which he 

 treats it. But he clearly shows that farming is 

 pr< Stable, in the true sense of the w r ord. It makes 

 true men and women, and affords a sufficient re- 

 turn to enable them to make other true men and 

 women. 



LIQUID AND SOLID MANURES. 



Charles Alexander, a careful and accurate far- 

 mer in Scotland, found that while 14 head of cattle 

 would make six loads of solid manure, the liquid 

 saturated seven loads of loam, rendering it of equal 

 value. He had repeated the experiment for ten 

 years, and found the saturated earth fully equal to 

 the best putrescent manure. How many dollars' 

 worth are thus lost annually, by each of the mil- 

 lion farmers in this country 1 And what is the 

 aggregate loss in the whole country taken to- 

 gether ? 



The above is from the Bridgeton Chronicle , and 

 is true to the letter. We know it by experience. 

 and as we have often before asserted, the liquid 

 manure of animals, if properly saved and applied, 

 is worth more than their solid excretia. It should 

 not be permitted, however, to run to cisterns, and 

 there become cold, but should be received while it 

 contains the animal heat, upon some easy decom- 

 posible material, which is at the same time capa- 

 ble of receivingand retaining the ammonia liberated 

 during the early decomposition of the urine. Pul- 

 verulent swamp muck, and all other organic mat 

 ter sufficiently carbonaceous in its character, is 

 suited to this purpose. — Working Farmer. 



So according to Mr. Alexander, as informed by 

 careful experiment continued 10 years, the liquid 

 excretions are worth more than the solid. So 

 good an authority as Prof. J. J. Mapes tells us 

 that this is true, every word of it. xind yet in our 

 own country, nearly all this is suffered to run to 

 waste. — Amherst Express. 



We do not know by any actual experiment that 

 " the liquid excretions are worth more than the 

 solid," but hardly doubt it, and believe that every 

 pains ought to be taken by the farmer to prevent 

 the liquid droppings from his cattle from running to 

 waste or being dissipated into the air. 



Ole Bull's Great Purchase of Land. — The 

 Coudersport (Pa.) Journal announces that Ole Bull 

 has purchased one hundred and twenty thousand 

 acres of land in that county, which is to be set- 

 tled by his countrymen immediately — thirty of 

 them have already taken possession. This section 

 of land, which is described as a wilderness, lies in 

 the south-eastern section of the State. 



DEEP PLOWING. 



The present season has proved to the satisfac- 

 tion of every observer, that in deep plowing is 

 to be found the principal security against drought. 

 Fields tilled only to the depth of six or seven in- 

 ches have suffered from the severe dry weather, 

 while side by side with them may be seen crops 

 that have not seemed to feel the drought at all. 

 In passing over several river farms a few days since, 

 we found pieces of corn where the leaf was rolled, 

 and the color was light and verging towards a yel- 

 low. On one of these we passed with a step from 

 corn of tins description to that at least a foot taller, 

 of a deep lively green, and a broad uncurled leaf. 

 Every thing indicated an entirely different crop. 

 We immediately turned to our companion for an 

 explanation. The seed was the same with the 

 single exception of the use of a subsoil plow on 

 this latter part. The gentleman had never used 

 the subsoil plow before, and tried it upon this 

 piece as an experiment. It was to him perfectly 

 satisfactory, (it certainly was so to the looker on) 

 and he said he should use it on all his form. 



We have no doubt that subsoil or deep trench 

 plowing would be equally beneficial in a season of 

 much rain. Of course when the supply of water 

 is from springs or the under current from higher 

 land, it must be cut off by draining. 



To prevent crops from suffering from the drought, 

 plow deep and stir frequently* the surface. — Gran- 

 ite Farmer. 



THE PROPER TIMS FOR PRUNING. 



A correspondent makes some inquiries relative 

 to the proper time for pruning apple trees, and re- 

 marks that it has been the general practice to prune 

 in the spring. Very small limbs may be safely 

 cut off at any season whenever it is convenient ; 

 and when the trees have the proper care and at- 

 tention, it will seldom be necessary to remove any 

 large limbs. But there are many trees which have 

 been badly neglected, and large decaying and pro- 

 fitless limbs should now be removed from them ; 

 and where this is necessary, fall is a more suitable 

 time than the spring, for the reason that the 

 wounds made in autumn will remain dry and sound 

 for years, and until the bark closes over them, 

 while wounds made in the spring turn black and 

 decay, leaving holes which frequently ruin the 

 tree. Mr. Cole, the author of the American Fruit 

 Book, prefers October, November, or even Decem- 

 ber, to the spring, which, he says, is the worst 

 season. 



"Just thirty years ago, in September," he re- 

 marks, "we cut a very large branch from an apple 

 tree, on account of injury by gale. The tree was 

 old, and it has never healed over ; but it is now 

 sound, and almost as hard as horn, and the tree 

 perfectly sound around it. A few years before and 

 after, large limbs were cut from the same tree in 

 spring ; and where they were cut off the tree has 

 rotted, so that a quart measure may be put into 

 the cavity." — Maine Farmer. 



GF Death of Prof. Norton. — It becomes our pain- 

 ful duty to announce the death, on Sept. 5, of John 

 P. Norton, Professor of Agricultural Chemistry in 

 Yale College. Mr. N. was a young man of high at- 

 tainments in his profession, and justly esteemed for 

 his moral and social qualities by a large circle of ac- 

 quaintances. — JVew Haven Register. 



