^I)c jTavmcr's ittontljln llisitor. 



25 



tlie nearest spot where lie coulil find loamy eiulli, 

 and this lie always took fioiii the surface of some 

 field tinder cultivation, he (iroceeded to fill it; 

 and found that, with three men and two horses, 

 he could easily acconi[ilish 28 cubic yai-ds \Kr 

 day ; and the whole expense of transporting the 

 earth did not exceed £41, lUs. When the work 

 was complete, he levelled the sintace of the 

 heap, in a line with the mouth of the sewer, 

 which conducted the mine from the interior of 

 the buildinc, oil purpose that it might he dis- 

 triliuled with regtdarily, and might saturate the 

 whole from top to iMilloni. The <jiian(ity con- 

 veyed to it, he estimates at alionl 800 ijallons; 

 but as this calculation was founded partly on 

 conjecture, for he measured mutlie liquor, it will 

 be better and more instructive to furnish tJie 

 DATA, that are certain and incontrovertible. The 

 urine was supplied by 14 cattle, weighing about 



24 stone each, and kept there for five months on 

 fodder and turnips. The contents of the (lit 

 produced 288 loads, allowing two cubic yards to 

 be taken out in three carts ; and he spread 40 

 of these on each acre, so that this urine in five 

 months, and from fovirteen cattle, produced a 

 compost sufficient for the fertilization of seven 

 acres of land. He states fuither, that he had 

 tned this experiment for ten years, and had in- 

 discriminately used in the same field either the 

 rotted cow dung, or the satmated earth ; and in 

 all the stages of the crop, he had never been able 

 to discover any perceptible difference. But what 

 is still more wonderful, be tiiund that his com- 

 post lasted in its tfFe<"ts as many years as his best 

 putrescent mamue; and he therefore boldly 

 avers, that a load of each is of equivalent value. 



" Conclusions of vast importance are deduci- 

 V)le from this statement; and 1 cannot resist the 

 feeliug, of placing them in a strong and advan- 

 tageous light. They speak a volume of instruc- 

 tion ; and if we are willing to learn, they ninsl 

 lead to a very material alteration in the con- 

 struction of our barns, ll appears, then, that in 

 five months, each cow discharges mine which, 

 when absorbed by loam, furnishes manure of 

 the richest quality, and most din-able effects, for 

 half an acre of ground. The dmig-pit, which 

 contained all the excrementilious matter of the 

 14 cattle, as well as the litter employed in bed- 

 ding them, and which was kept separate for the 

 purpose of experiment, only furnished during the 

 same period 240 loads, and these, at the same 

 rate, coidd only manure six acres. The aggre- 

 gate value of the urine therefore, when com- 

 pared with that of the dung, was in the ratio ol 

 seven to six ; so that we are borne out by these 

 premises in this extraordinary inference, that the 

 putrescible liquor which in this province, anil 

 under the management of our farmers, is wasted 

 and annihilated as far as regards any usefiil pur- 

 pose, is intrinsically worth more than the dung, 

 as an efficacious and permanent dressing: and 

 if we take into consideration, that this latter ma- 

 mu'e is not treated with any skill and judgment, 

 it will not seem surprising, that the culture of 

 while crops has never been carried here to any 

 extent, since we have dest)ised and neglected the 

 only means of creating them." 



For the Farmer's Montlily V^isitor. 

 Mr. Hill: — I have read in several of the ag- 

 ricullnrar papers, within a few months past, vari- 

 ous accounts of the value of ashes in agricnilure, 

 both leached and unleached ; and in most cases 

 their application was attended with decidedly 

 beneficial results. But there is a great difTerence 

 in the value of soapers' leached ashes, and those 

 frorii the pot or pearl-ash faclory. Dr. Dana says, 

 " the soap chandler, in leaidiing ashes, uses about 

 one peck of lime to each hnsliel of ashes." This 

 is used for the purpose of taking up the carbon- 

 ic acid in the ashes, which makes the lye caustic; 

 it then readily combines wiih ihe oil or grease, 

 and forms soap. The lime used with the ashes 

 is "ipiick lime," or in other words lime that has 

 had its carbonic acid driven olT by the process 

 of burning. After being leaclird it is carbonate 

 of lime, from the carbonic acid derived from Ihe 

 ashes, and is chemically the same as before be- 

 ing burnt. Then in 125 bushels from the soap 

 boiler's, we get 100 bushels of leached ashes, and 



25 bushels of carbonate of lime. The manufac- 

 turer of pot or pearl-ash covers the bottom of 

 his leach-tubs with swingle tow or straw, and 

 puts over it a bushel or two of slacked lime, and 



does not renew the lime again during the season 

 of making; consequently, there is no lime mjxed 

 with the leached ashes from the pot-ash. 



From the above facts, every one will see there 

 is a material difference in the value and effects 

 of the two kinds. Therefore the farmer that 

 uses leached ashes fiom the pot-ash, expecting 

 to realize the same results as those do that make 

 use of soaper's ashes, will be likely to meet with 

 disappointment. 1 have never seen Dr. Dana's 

 " Muck Manual," but have read a few extracts 

 as published in the agricultural papers. In one 

 of them, the Doctor goes into a calculation to 

 prove that soils are not exhausted of their lime 

 and ashes by cropping or cultivation. F'or by 

 his figures he makes out that an acre of soil to 

 the depth of six imhes " contains 3,021! lbs. of 

 lime, and 73,311 lbs. of pot-ash, or nearly 1| ton 

 of lime, and 36 tons of pot-ash." Well, every 

 farmer must say there is enough in all conscience 

 of lime and pot-ash in his soil ; — and I do not at 

 all dispute the Doctor, but if there is that amount 

 I believe it is nearly insoluble, and therefore of 

 little use. Liebig says the lands in Virginia, by 

 long cultivation, become entirely unproductive 

 in wheat, for tvant of pot-ash in the soil ; he says, 

 (if I recollect right, it being more than a year 

 since I have seen his book,) that there is 12 lbs. 

 of pot-ash, annually carried off the soil, in the 

 grain and straw of an acre of wheat — 1200 lbs. 

 in a hundred years. But according to Dr. Dana's 

 statement, there would be left thei-e, in the soil, 

 some 35 tons of pot-ash per acre. Now, Mr. 

 Editor, I am a "plain, practical, every-day farm- 

 er," and shall not attempt to decide, where learn- 

 ed doctors disagree. But being willing to con- 

 tribute my mite, for the benefit of our craft, 1 

 will state a few facts, and give my views, with 

 the hope that they may result in further investi- 

 gations, but not having the happy talent of say- 

 ing much in a Jew rcords, I hope you and your 

 readers will excuse the long yarn I am about 

 spinning. 



1 think 1 can furnish a few facts, to prove that 

 the application of ashes to the isoil in addition to 

 the 3b' tons, is attended with beneficial results. 

 1 believe also the |iart that ashes perform in ag- 

 riculture is not fully understood. The general 

 opinion is, that it acts as a stimulant to the grow- 

 ing plants, and a decomposer of vegetable mat- 

 ter in the soil, and |)erhaps the above opinion is 

 partially correct. I apprehend the most impor- 

 tant part ashes perform in agriculture is in de- 

 composing silica, anil rendering it soluble, so as 

 to be taken up by the rootlets of plants, and by 

 proper vessels carried to every part, and there as- 

 similated and applied to the various purposes for 

 which nature intended it, viz: to form the skele- 

 ton of the plant or tree — the glaze on the corn- 

 stalk and kernel, the outer covering upon wheat 

 and oilier siraw and grasses, &c. &c. The ma- 

 terial of this glaze is derived from that kind of 

 lock callerl quartz, (sometimes called rock crys- 

 tal, or white flint stone ;) it is dissolved and ren- 

 dered soluble by an alkali. Home kinds of trees 

 require a much larger quantity in their structure 

 than others, and produce a much greater amount 

 of ashes, upon being huriil. The burning of 

 wood converts it again to silica ; the insolulile 

 part of ashes is mostly sile.v. Oak retpiires a 

 much larger amount, as it is much heavier than 

 pine wood. To prove the solubility of silica by 

 potash, I will state a lew plain facts because we 

 common farmers want fiicts, and illustrated in a 

 way that we can nnderstaiid them. From the 

 fact that lye dissolves the silica in wood, tubs 

 for leaching ashes are usually made of pine, as 

 they are not so powerfiilly acted upon by the lye 

 as if they were made of oak. An oak tub, alter 

 having been used a few times for a leach tub, 

 would have its silica dissolved, and a stave lour 

 inches in width upon being dried would shrink 

 to two inches, wholly in consequence of the dis- 

 solving of the silica (uritty pari.) But the ashes 

 do not operate upon the vegetable tissue or fibre 

 of the wood. 



When it was the custom of fiirmers' wives and 

 daughters to spin their thread from fl.ix, the next 

 process was to boil it out in lije lo soften and re- 

 move the harshness of the thread by dissolving 

 the minute particles of silex, but it did not de- 

 stroy the strength of the vegetable texture. Maii- 

 ufiicturers of paper from straw go upon this prin- 

 ciple' : the straw is boiled in lime water or lye, 

 the glaze iqion it is dissolved, and the vegetable 



fibre is unharmed. From these fiicls, then, it 

 would seem the alkali acted upon the inorganic, 

 rather than upon the organic or vegetable matter. 



Dr. Dana's statement of the amount of [lot-ash 

 may be correct; but I will try to prove that 1 am 

 right in my conjecture, as to its being insoluble, 

 and therefore inert. Common g-raiiite is the pre- 

 vailing rock in New England, and is composed 

 of three different minerals — quartz, felspar and 

 mica ; quartz is supposed to be of an acid nature 

 — felspar contains 12 to 15 percent, of potash- 

 mica fiom 5 to 8 per cent, of potash. Chemists 

 tell US that the rootlets of living plants and trees 

 have the power of decomposing irnmite rock, to 

 oblain the jiot-asli we find in then- ashes. 'Tis 

 said, "the living plant is a consummate aiialist." 

 1 will, though with much diffidence, give you my 

 theory of plants decomposing rocks. 



The decomposition of vegetable matter always 

 produces an acid — or in other words the decay- 

 ing or rotting, or more properly the slow com- 

 bustion of vegetable matter partially converts it 

 into carbon. The oxygen of water combines 

 with the carbon and produces carbonic acid. This 

 acid in its liquid ami gaseous form having an af- 

 finity for the alkali in the rock, dissolves it; the 

 alkali dissolves the silica, (quartz,) and by theen- 

 dosmose principle of the living plant, the water 

 holding these in solution is drawn up by the root- 

 lets, and these salts disposed of and assimilated 

 to the purposes designed by the first great cause. 

 In proof of this position I forward you a piece 

 of rock, not acted upon by Ihe " living plant," 

 but by decomposing vegetable matter, and it will 

 convey to your mind a better idea of my mean- 

 ing than I can by the pen. 



In some situations, there is a superabundance 

 of alkali and silica — in others just ihe quantum 

 needed ; and in others a deficiency. These prop- 

 ositions 1 think 1 can explain to the satisfaction 

 of you and your readers. Upon the lianks of a 

 small river, running tliroujjh this town, there is 

 frequently a strip of land one or two rods in 

 width and sometimes several rods in length, a 

 few feet above the bed of the river. Upon every 

 overflow of the banks by a fi-cshet, there is left 

 upon them a deposite of gravel and fine sand; 

 yet every year these strips produce a tolerably 

 heavy crop of red-top grass, generally free from 

 any mixture. When secured in good order for 

 hay. It has every appearance of first-rate winter 

 fodder. Yet our cattle will not eat it unless 

 nearly driven to the borders of starvation. Again, 

 there is a similar kind of grass, only more wiiey 

 and jointed, growing upon our gneiss and gran- 

 ite ledges, and fiequently quite a thick growth 

 of it, where the soil is but tuo or three inches in 

 depth; it is red-top grass, but from its small and 

 narrow leaf and wirey appearance, but few per- 

 sons would siipfiose that it was the same kind of 

 grass, ihat was growing within six feet of if, 

 where the soil w;is deeper. The grass on the 

 river bank, fiom the conimniuted and fine parti- 

 cles of quartz, fii-ldsparand mica, lakes on and in 

 such a quantity of silica, that it is hard and diffi- 

 cult to maslii'ate, and probably it is not so nutri- 

 tious, as if grown where Ihep'e was more vegeta- 

 ble matter in the soil. That, iqion the ledges, 

 the roots of the grass rest ilirectly upon the rock 

 and decompose it: this contains more silica, and 

 is harder than that upon the river bank. This 

 establishes my first proposition. 



There are other silnalious where all the neces- 

 sary constitiieiits fiir a perfect developemeiit ap- 

 pear to be rightly hidaiiced. With such spots all 

 our farmers are fiimiliar. They are found wher- 

 ever the wash from rocky or gravelly roads is 

 carried over grass lands, the wheels of carriages 

 and travel on the road are continually grinding 

 lo powder the component parts of stones and 

 rocks in the road, which renders their sails solu- 

 ble. This with the animal and vegetable mailers 

 ;ire sprayed over the ground by every heavy show- 

 er ; the result is a heavy cro|i of grass. Herds- 

 grass in such places is freqiienlly found four or 

 five feet in height, standing perlt'ctly erect till 

 mowing time, and alliirdiiig palatable and niitri- 

 tiocs liiod fiir callle. This I offer lo sustain my 

 second proposiiioii. 



My Ihird was. ihat there were others, where 

 there was an absohile deficieiey of potash and 

 silica, but an abundance of nulrilimis mailer.— 

 Where a piece of land has the «ash of a l>;un, 

 the grass starts early in the spring, and bids tliir 

 to yield u great growth of grass; but for want of 



