52 



^!)c iTanncv'ii iHonti]lij bieitor. 



F'roin the iSew Er.gbnd Farmer. 



Experiments in Soaking Sred Corn in Muriate 



orAinmouiiii 



Some time last May, I arcidentully saw :i no- 

 tice ol' some mode ()t'|)re|)aiin;r yeed lor |)lanl- 

 inir, invented in Germany, wliicli was said to in- 

 sure pood crops, even upon poor and barren 

 lanil, at a very tritiin;r cost. Wliat llie prepara- 

 tion was, the discoverer refused to make known. 

 Wliile lliinkiui;' over llic various suljslanees that 

 liad lieen or mi;jl)t lie used witli advantaf;e, it oc- 

 curred to me tlial .Muriate oC^mmouia, the com- 

 mon Sal Ammoniae oftlie (h'ujgists, might an- 

 swer well fur (he iiurpose required, hotli tVom 

 the nature ot' its hase and its acid; and I deter- 

 inine<l to try the experimejit ofnsinp; it. 



I aL'Cordin;^ly dissolved a small piecB, wei<;h- 

 ing hy eslimate 4 or 5 grains, in almut halfa cot- 

 fee-cnp of water. Into this a small haiKilul of 

 good sound corn was thrown, and sulTHred to re- 

 main 4 or 5 hours, and then planted. By the 

 side ol'each liill, ata proper distance, was planted 

 another hill with corn ii-om the sann; ear, but 

 unsoaked. Generally in each spot only one hill 

 of each kind was planted ; but in one place a hill 

 of the soaked corn was jjiaced on each side of 

 the unsoaked. The particulars and results were 

 as follows, viz : 



No. 1. Planted irj g<ood light soil, into whi<'ii 

 a lair dressing of coarse long stable manure had 

 been ploughed ; about 5 fiertiels were [jlanted in 

 each hill. Result: 



Soaked. Unsoaked. 



8 ears, 6 good, 2 small. 4 ears. 



No. 2. Tlu-ee hills — 2 ofsoaked, and between 

 tliem 1 of unslaked corn. Soil dry, sandy, and 

 close to the edge of a p:iili wheie liltk'orno ma- 

 nure tell in the spreading of it. Result: 



Soaked. Unsoaked. 



n. 5 ears, 3 of them good. § good eare. 



b. 5 " 3 " *< " 



No. 3. Two hills — in a dry sandy bed, oecii- 

 ))ied for a dozen years by "looscbcny hl^sbes, 

 Vvliich were rooted tip about two years belijre. 

 During all that time, the ground hart never been 

 manured, otherwise than that a dressing cf rot- 

 ten chips had several limes been put aiiaut the 

 bushes, which were well trimmed and kcjft clear 

 of weeds. During liie two last years, it had JKu'iie 

 cabbages, which were watered a number of times 

 with soap-suds and the drainingSgOf a sink wlierc 

 dishes were washed. Result. 



Soaked. Unsoaked. 



3 large good ears and 3 3 rather poor ears, 

 abortive ears. 



No. 1. Two hills — on the edge of a sandy 

 equarp, reserved for several years past lor squash- 

 es, which were manured in the hill, so that the 

 jilace where the corn was planted, had no bene- 

 fit from it, being at least four feet tiom the Hear- 

 esthill. Result: 



Soaked. Unsoaked. 



3 good ears. 3 rather poor e?>rs. 



No. .5. Three hills — in a moister piece of 

 ground, into which a liuht die.<sing of coarse sta- 

 ble mamire had been <Im'.' with a spade, but jiisi 

 nnder the edge of the hoiishs of some lurge hon- 

 ey locusts, the roots of which fdled the giGmul, 

 and exhansteil the soil so, thai 1 have feiind itdif- 

 ticult to make atty lliing valuable grow -there but 

 early bnsh be.ins. Result-; 



Soaked. Uiisoaked. 



. 4 good ears. 8 poor ear.s. 



The laud where all the four first exneriments 

 were tried, was light and dry, and .sMflcred c«n- 

 sidiiralily from droui;lit abtiut the time the ears 

 were forminsr. rotaioes tor early use, in the im- 

 mediate vicinity, were rom|detely flopped in 

 their growth about the last of Jiily, tliehjlls l>e- 

 ins iiiM-fectly dry to the bottom, and not eetling 

 fliirly moist again for a period of three weeks. 

 Owins to this, the produce of the ce-rn was less 

 than it would have been witli seasnuahle rains; 

 but in ail cases, the hills, the seed in which had 

 been soaked, manifested a decided siiperloritv, 

 not only in prodnnlveness, but in ihe size .-uul 

 vigor of the stalk and leaves'; as was remarked 

 by several of my friei i-;, whose opinion 1 askei! 

 without informing tliciij ol any difference in tiie 

 seed. For all the tn d^ but the first mentionefl, 

 poor spots were taken pitrposely, that the eflect 

 of the soiikinjr miglii be oliserved free from the 

 inHiience of mannre. 



Tiuee or ii);ir soaked kernels were also plant- 

 ed in a spot near the door of a shed, where sprout 



ed cuttings of grap'-vines had been several times 

 set, and all which had perished from the miited 

 eti'ects of drouglit, barrenness and heal. Even 

 here 1 obtained three good stalks, and two good 

 ea rs. 



S.\M'r, WEBBER, .M.D. 

 Charkslown, .Y. H., Feb. 19, 1844. 



fur tlie F.u-.iv-r's Monthly Visitor. 



The Americitu i'lechnnic. Improvement in 



Machinery, 



Mr. EuiTOR :— It may be justly said I think fty 

 the mass of people, that the American Mechanic 

 is one of the happiest beings that the world af- 

 fords, if he would only realize it. The great ad- 

 vantages whicli ht; p.is.-esses over other laborers 

 of bis class, in other comitri-^s should justly ren- 

 der him proud of his occupation among a free 

 people. Yet it seems us though they did not 

 consider the peculiar privileges whlc-ii they en- 

 joy in this eoluttry, in regard to receiving a good 

 and fair compensation fur their labor. This we 

 have notifc;d is peculiarly the case when mechan- 

 ical labor has been cut down ii; price by thednll- 

 ness of the times in late years, which lias affect- 

 ed all kinds of business more or less. Yet many of 

 our jnechanics, because they could not get a dol- 

 lar and a half or two dollars a day for their work, 

 felt as though ihey were-, ground down by the 

 sway of the capitalist. Now if our mechanics 

 will just contrast their oivn situation with tlie 

 sittiation of their class in (les|iotic countries, 

 where the difference betwixt capital ami labor is 

 so great that the tree is almost separated by 

 "caste,"' then our mechanic would not complain, 

 though his w.-iges fell oif a little at times. In no 

 country in the. known world, does mechanicaHa- 

 bor as a general thing pay so well as it dues in 

 the United Slates, .^nd tliat nmloubteiHy is the 

 reason why our nieclmnics sujicrcede all others, 

 in their skill, ingenuity and workmanship, in the 

 articles which liiey make, and mamifactme. We 

 are among tiiose v\|-,o believe that the Ami.rican 

 people should i.nake Mul manufaclme and j-ro- 

 duce all that tliey po.ssil.ly can witlun themselves. 

 .\n<l in order to do this successfully we nnist be 

 able to compete with the panper labor of Eu- 

 rope, aiid mamifaclnre our owi; articles at home. 

 And lhi:i will need a "prelection" of some kind, 

 liow much, however, it is altogether out ef our 

 " line of linsiness" to say. 



The great improvenient in machinery in me- 

 chanical labor wiiJfiu tlie last few years has caus- 

 ed ma'^hinery to do the work \\hich it formerly 

 required many bands to do. The difference m 

 the price of cotton thirty years ago and at tiie 

 present day is perhaps owing inainly to the in- 

 vention ofthe cotton gin by Whiine'y, and other 

 improved niachiiiery in manuliicturing tliesna- 

 p!e. It has been thought by us that every indi- 

 vidual who inventeil a labor savitig machine add- 

 e<i^o the real wealth of the country just in pro- 

 portion to the amrnint of mantial labor saved. 

 This doctrine is objected to by many, and possi- 

 bly it tn-iy re;;d beltor-in theory than' when carri- 

 ed out into prticlice in after years. 



The article of horse siioes is now inannfactur- 

 ed in any quantity, by Mr. Burden of Troy, N. Y. 

 all done by mai-hiiiery, and well done ton. In 

 conversation a short -time since with a black-smith 

 of thi^ town, he said that he m:ide trial of .'Mr. 

 Burden's horse slioe,«, and he bad tonnd them 

 ■to be made of first r;Ke iron, and well and hand- 

 somely made. Rut he says we ought not lo use 

 them ; we onjjht to make our own sliees, alfhongh 

 it is cheaper to Iniy Bin den's shoe.-'. As to his 

 own business, it will make no material difference. 

 But he says, "Suppose a hmse sUoer in the city 

 of New Haven has done a btssiness sufficient to 

 keep ten men employed co«sttintly in n;aking 

 mid selling shoes. Bnt ivo.v since the introduc- 

 tion of Burden's shoes, he can shoe the same 

 nunilier ef horses with the assistance of five men, 

 which he cr.iild do formerly with the hel.ji often 

 men. Now the consequence is, five r,f the.se men 

 are tnrned out of employ., and what are they .go- 

 ing to do? Horseshoeing has been their busi- 

 ness, and they -know no other trade. ^So this 

 msfi argues. 



We confess that tliere -is sometlwng in this 

 doctrine which wr cannot see the end of; iind 

 whether ii will be better in iheeiKj, .Hn- the cone- 

 try at larixe. time will drierniine. On-i- tl.inj; is 

 cerium, tl.al i.*, people do not labor as tliey used 

 to do thirty or forty years ago, and a great nin- 



ny people want to earn enough in three days' 

 work to last ihem through the week. And ma- 

 ny are tietermined not to do any thing for a liv- 

 ing, if they can help it; but howihey will come 

 out ill the end is another thing. Perhaps you 

 have studied the above suiijects considerably, 

 and we should he glad of your opinions and ex- 

 perience in these matters. 



Yours Irulv, 



■ L. DURAND. 

 Derby, Conn. March 18, 1844. 



05^ We go in decisively for every change — 

 iinprovenicnu we call it — which saves labor. — 

 There is little danger that labor will be so saved 

 tiiat men and women need not wcnk at all. Say 

 the Burden invention of makimr horse shoes, sa- 

 ving one half the expense, shall throw five men 

 directly out of employ, and these five men at 

 present not qualified liir any other business. Sup- 

 pose they never could quality themselves frjr oth- 

 er employment, but must remain idle all their 

 days. Here is a case of suffering resnlliiig from 

 the clian;»e in favor of labor-saving lliat some- 

 times does hapfien ; but the suffering bears no 

 coiiqiarison to the ultimate benefit. Half the ex- 

 pense saved by the new method, nobody iifter- 

 wards will learn a trade in which the labor 

 •costs double. The future learner will of course 

 be instructed in some business which will be a 

 full reuimieration to labor. The men who mnko 

 hoise shoes will be taught to make somelhiiiif 

 else that shall add to the capital and the com- 

 forts of mankind ; anil the iniilliplicalion ofthe 

 means of subsistence will never tiiil lo bring with 

 it an inr'iease of population with every thing that 

 shall belter tlie condition of man. The elieap- 

 etied horse slioe may enable the owner lo keep 

 anaddllionalhor.se: with this .'iddiiioiu'.l horse 

 be may give employ-nient to another man as good 

 ns that of the workman in smith's shoes taken 

 out of employ by the labor-saving inveniinn. As 

 trii.^ as any 111 in ipganls the increase of proper- 

 ly ami the crealiou -of the rje.ansof comfort to be 

 desirable, so trie is it that heoii<{lit to encourage 

 every invention which goes to save labor. 



BciLDisG IN Switzehlasd. — A correspondent 

 ofthe New York Triinme, thus describes ihe ar- 

 rangement of bnild-ingsand side walks in Berne, 

 Switzerland: 



"Nearly all tire streets disjilay tinifiirtn ranges 

 of houses of stone, all four stories high, all sur- 

 moniued by heavy projecting eaves, an<l all un- 

 deriniued by aivades. To realize the effect of 

 this most striking feature, imaijino that all the 

 houses in Broadway have their hist or lower sio- 

 ries set back fifteen feet, leaving a covered ]ins- 

 sage ofthat wjdthi iiik! that the place ofthe low- 

 er lionts is sl■l{^plied by low massive r.rches, al- 

 ternating with slo|iing piere of immense sortdtiy. 

 All the shops retreat thus far ti'om the street, 

 leaving this arcade for promeiiaders completely 

 slielteicd from sun aiKl rain. Umbrellas are nev- 

 er neetled, except to cross a str<'et; and in llie 

 most violent stoints citizens can transact their 

 business as eomfoitalily as -liy their fire-sides." 



The same writer describes an iron suspension 

 bridge acwss the Saari-ne, at Freybur^', bv wliich 

 carriages now pass a cha.sm on a level in hve Riin- 

 lites, which formerly occupi-^d y.n hour of (jiiigne 

 a i>d danger. This bridge is the longest of (be 

 kiml in the world. Four iron cords, eight inch- 

 es in diaHiettu' swing.acre.<--s the gorge, In a sin- 

 gle cmi'e, and from llicse hangs the pl.ufiirm of 

 the bridge, nine hundred and liji-iy fei't long, and 

 one hundred and eight feet above the valley. Its 

 enirineer ie Mons. Clialej' of hyous.—Pfaine 

 Fanner. 



For the F.irmpr's Ahinthly Visiter. 

 5Large Tiimips. 

 I lioiiced in your October Visitor a notice of a 

 large potato which jou raised that weighed two 

 poumJs aiKl si.t ounces. We have raised this 

 yeaj; four tnrnipg which together weighed 19i 

 j-Miimd.-', whicli is a little less tlian five pounds 

 Kpiece, These turnips were self sown in com- 

 post manure in a potato field, iind (hey had all 

 the season to grow. They ueie of the flat red 

 top variety. 



Yours triilv, 



L. DURAND. 

 Derhj, Conn., Feb. 14, 13^. 



