^\]t laxinaB iHoiitl]i» faigitor. 



i/a 



i-i>irioves like a horse hair. The silicate pi-cveiits 

 honey (lew and rust. Silex to the jjlaiil is a coat 

 of mail. Mr. JSanlelt, ihe President, Cuniislies 

 this proleclioii l()r his iilaiils ainoiig the materials 

 of his compost heap. I^ilex, potash ami lime, 

 each in its laiious stale, is drawn into the corii- 

 po.-itioii ul' llje plant. 'I'hc sails of lime are all 

 converlihle. 



'i'lie coiivertihie manures are such as may he 

 converted to the use of the plant. Examine a 

 barren or exhausted soil, and it will he found that 

 gome of the essential>lenients of veyetaliori are_ 

 ahseiil. A fanner iirriorant of the tendencies of 

 these necessary in^'redienls may put in what is 

 not wanted, anil thus injure the ground lie would 

 improve. For instance, a iarmej- of ftJassachu- 

 seiis spread upon liis land a large cpiaiuiiy of 

 frromul bones: this, there, did no r.iore;,'ood tlum 

 so tmich .sand, because the material there sn|i- 

 plicd, already existed in abundance. 



'I'lms, sand alone on most kinds of peat bo;,' 

 will do no fjood : lint hard sulisuii will do ii. The 

 President has ma<le a i,rriuul improvement by 

 makinji- up bis compost from niicacioiis loam 

 as a material iugre(iient. He adverted to the 

 Jiuin of Jinli-'e Hayes ol" South iJerwick, on the 

 borders of New Hampshire, whicii be had vis- 

 il<.'il. On that iinm be has Ibnnd the tneaiis of 

 reclaiming on an exiiansled bog swamp— of 

 clian;;iug it fioni a little sour gi'^ss to the pro- 

 duciion of raid; jrood En^disb bay, berds^rass 

 and clover, by overspreading it with micacions 

 loam. A meadow of good extent by these arti- 

 ficial moans is made to produce two to two and 

 a half tons of hay to the acre.' The same en- 

 liiihtcned gemleman :\nd scientific farmer like- 

 wise makes use of marl with jjreat effect. 



The principle, said Dr. J., is universally true 

 lliat all veuelable matter produces acids. All 

 animal matter produces aniinotiia. Good farm- 

 ers mix the two, as the true theory of conipost- 

 inj;. 



To make goorl compo.st, take all kinds ot* veg- 

 etable mailer, such as peat, leaves, weeds, tufts 

 of firass, chips from the yard, &,c. : this is put in 

 as the basis uf tlienianme heap. It is necessary 

 there should be vegetable decomposilion ; for 

 peat inits crude slate will produce yellow vege- 

 tation. Ii had been averred that some faruier by 

 followinir Dr. .]ackson's directions, had killed bis 

 corn. D\: J. aveired be bad killed it by not fol- 

 lowing his direciiohs. iSis rule was, first a layer 

 of peat — ibeii a layer of the barn yard manures 

 — ihi'ii iixjiiids and all urinal materials — then an- 

 other of ^leat — then run through the plough deep 

 in all directions. Pile the heap in a round pile. 

 It commences decomposition. If disagreeable 

 scents escapes, this cannot be spared. 'Vhrow on 

 plaster to retain them. Dig over the wdiole in 

 the following spring. Sprinkle in tine slaked 

 lime at this lime. Then pile up again. 



Lime scarcely fails to be a good ingredient. 

 A Rhode Islanii (in-mersaid to him that the more 

 lime he iiiv(\, the blacker the soil becomes. 



It has been i'ully demonstrated by Col. Phin- 

 iiey and conceded by others, that three loads of 

 black uHK-k, one hjad of stable! manure, and one 

 bushel of lime mixed together, make excellent 

 manure. 



Another method is to mix twenty tons of peat 

 uith barrels of mine and one ton of plas- 

 ter. This compound will absorb an immense 

 quanlily of ammonia, and become tin; most ef- 

 fective "manure. It has no odor. This compo- 

 silion is used and handled by ladies for the ben- 

 ellt of their flovver pots, vvbo have no suspicion 

 of the poweii'ul malerial whicli gives its value. 

 (A laugh.) 



Immense benefit might he derived to the sur- 

 rounding conniry for miles, if barrels were set 

 for the use of each family in the cities and set- 

 lied villages half tilled wUli peat and gypsum to 

 collect the mine which is frequently thrown or 

 lelt where it is offensive. A barrel thus pre- 

 pared will make a full load of excellent inannre. 

 The mine made byany;mimal is always equal 

 to the solid excrements. " yatsfille<l with gypsum 

 are conveuiciit places to turn the uiine of cattle. 

 Many phuspliates, giving to vegetation life nud 

 vigor, are contained in mine. 



.ludge Hayes ol' South CervvicU has for several 

 years tin-iie(i the suds and other drainings from 

 Ihe kitchen, the privy, &c. &.C., ami directed the 

 whole into a large |)it diig and stoned beliind bis 

 barn : peat and inuck are constantly tbiovvn in to 



he withdrawn when fully saturated with the am- 

 monia. In this way be has [ireparcd several 

 years' niaunrc in advance. A great advantage is, 

 that this composiiion manure kills all the seeds 

 of weeds. 



Another method of making inauuro called 

 Bomuier's Patent, !iut_wbich tdrns out by infor- 

 malion from the Patent Ollice to lie free to the 

 people of the United States, was described by 

 Dr. Jackson. Take a vat wiib an outlet at the 

 holtom, and fill it with vegetable substances — 

 pmu- alkalies, urine, &c. upon them: run off the 

 liquid— pour on again. Tlie mass will be suffi- 

 ciently decomposeil in about twenty daysi. 



One h:u-rcl of menhaden iisli, which costs 12;^ 

 cents, mixed with peat, will make a wagon load 

 of manure. Fish as a manure have been con- 

 sideralily used on the seaboard of Massachusetts. 



Guano is the dung of seabirds found on the 

 South American islands: as a manure it has re- 

 cently conic into high repute. For many years 

 it has-been used by the Peruvians on the coast. 

 Peat and mine will make a manure ;:s rich as 

 Guano. The dung of conniion fowls is too 

 strong, unmixed— it will destroy vegolation. As 

 yet it has not been fully ascertained that guano 

 will succeed ill the United States. It is held in 

 such estimation in Great Britain, that many ships 

 have been engaged in its import to tliat country: 

 It is*u]qiosed to act most usefully in « humid 

 climate: it may not answer in o!ir drier soils. 



Peat has a contrary tendency in composition 

 manure. The ctnnmon peat dried to be used as 

 fuel, contains twenty-five i)arts, in fvery hun- 

 dred, of water: peat manure will never admit 

 land to suffer by drought. A fanner infoiliied 

 him {Dr. .1.) that he had saved his crop by the 

 use of peat, while liis neighbors lost it Irom 

 drought. Peat :dso contains fourteen or fifteen 

 per cent, of ammonia. Peat rcquiies soniclliing 

 with it to II ellow its f.cid iiinueiices — it wants 

 alkali to neutralize the crndr- efi'ect of acid. A 

 farmer in Kingston, N. H., (Mr. Magoon) made 

 use of peat in it.^ crude stale on a common field 

 — Tlie corn generally was sickly and yellow: on 

 analyzalion it was found to contain acid. But 

 heal'thy <h;cp green growing corn and potatoes 

 were foun.l w iiere the soil was mellowed by the 

 pres(!nce of a decaying stump. 



Dr. Jackson described a peat bog in Cantei- 

 hury belonging to the Shakers: this bo;.' had be- 

 coii'ie almost entirely barren, hi a black peat no 

 vegetation would grow. The exper'niient was 

 made first on a few'siinare rods by ditching and 

 draining and Inriiiiig eves- the surface. From 

 this meadow bog lliat community have taken 

 many hundrrd loads, whicli have been used as 

 the "foundalion for conqiost with good niaiime 

 and other materials. With tiie aid of the bar- 

 ren peat bog ihey convert fit'iy loads of yard ma- 

 nure into one hundred and fifty loads of the best 

 compost. 



The peat meadow at the Shakers to the amount 

 of some fifty acres, is cultivated. Mr. Triphure, 

 the ingenious young man who mainly planned 

 the inqirovement, assured mc (saiil Dr. J.) that 

 this bog meadow was a bank of wi;;dlh which 

 would not fail for a thousand years, even ifjiard- 

 Iv draw n upon. The peat land after it is im- 

 proved by ditching will produce two and a half 

 to three tons of hiiy to the acre. Peat land, pre- 

 pared by draining a shaking bog to the depth of 

 thirty leet, has been Jiiiown to produce seventy 

 to eighty bushels of com to the acre. Grass is 

 always a profitable crop upim reclaimed peat bog 

 —it should he continued as long as stiuuilaiiiig 

 manures upon the snrliice will produce their due 

 effect, in preili-reiice lo other crops. 



The effectual method of draining a peat bog is 

 to cut off all the springs by an extensive main 

 dilch on all sides or round any Idt where the 

 meadow is divided from the high laud. Cross 

 drains mav he made to convey the water into a 

 main diaii'i until the water below no longer in- 

 terrupts the crop..; upon Ihe surface. Small stones 

 are sometimes placed in the boitoiii of llie cross 

 (bains, covered so that the soil shall not fill up 

 the inlerslices: ibrough ibis the water bis access 

 in passing otr. Fagg^its of wood and brusbare 

 sometimes filled in and covered to a sufficient 

 depth beucath the surface in a similar way to the 

 stones. A peat bog thus tlioroiigldy (irained wiU 

 bear up cattle so that licavy loads may pas? in 

 safety. 



In the first preptiJ-.-jtion the upper Ijog should 



be turned upside down, and afterwards prc.-sed 

 down with a roller. This sod may not be dis- 

 turbed for at least three year.s. The .swriiice 

 sboufd be at first covered with stiiiinlaling com- 

 post, fifleei), twenty and e^'eii lliiriy loads-^let 

 the uiauuro be spread, and well harrowed in. 

 Peat land may be much iiriproved also v\ith the 

 addilion of many kinds of .subsDil, as w ell as nii- 

 cacious loam spread over tiie stiriiice and liar- 

 rowcd in. 



Mr. Barilett, ch.Tinrian of llie rtiRetinjr, had de- 

 scribed to bitii (Dr. J.) Ills inetliod of in'akiun; 

 bono manure. The process of grinding hones to 

 povvde;- has been found to he bard and difficult. 

 i\Ir. U. breaks or cracks the bones so far as it c;ui 

 be done, wiiii an axi-, and then dissol' i'l 



a solution of potash. 



A dead liorse^vith tiieamtiioniaall .- . , : li 

 and bones converted to their due use, wili •:; • a 

 good foundation for twenty tons of e:.' !!. it 

 compost. 



The snbjpct Ol ; 'i.s of the g.. 



sequence to llie farmer. If iiiuntire is plenty, 

 great crops call iihvaysbB procured. High niS-i 

 nuring is the most profitabler this has iceii 

 denionslrated to the s;tlisfactioii of belter ji 1 es . 

 throughout the t-onutry — it is the great point to 

 which the efforts of inte'.ligent uien in all p.-u'ts 

 ol" the United Slates ::!e directed. The cullivu- 

 tors of the great corn crops upon the Wiimipis- 

 seogee islands in New Hamiisbire bear their 

 testimony to the fact that ground highly culti- 

 vated and inannred is the imist profjiable ot all 

 cnliivniiou. Captain Pili.«bury, who raiBed the 

 greatest crop ol' Indian corn a.s I believe ever 

 produced in New Hampshire, informs i):e that 

 the expenditure lor preparaliun and for maniireB 

 on fhat ground was money better laid out boih 

 for the jiresent and for a prosjiective cro]) than 

 it could have been if a[>plied 10 ir larger ain^Hiht 

 of land. . " . . , 



Some geiitleiiian requested Gov. Steei-e Vlio 

 Was present to relate whtit be saw, when on a 

 late journey lo i;iuo()e, in relation to the bog 

 cultivation in Ireland. The Governor answered 

 that be had there witnessed large crops of vege- 

 tation growing upon peat bogs which had been 

 pariui and burned. 



Gov. S. al.-so informed tiie meeltng that ho had 

 seen biir.nt or calcined clay \'.!--"<\ in t!i<! s.-Mne 

 country as a prepared at 



efii^ct upon till! cio;:s. 



Di: jAdKSO-N- saVcl iU;.L burut c,.;y_ had iieen 

 found to ho a good nianme in this comiiiy, and 

 be had seen it nserl in the S.'!,ile of Maine: be 

 had no doubt it was an excellent inanuio lo be 

 applied lo sandy soils. 



Joii.N L. Hayes, F.sq., of- Porlsnioulii, being 

 called upon by the Chairman, addressed the 

 meeting. He said lie was born upon a fariii and 

 bad been brought up on a (iirin. One may feel 

 proud at this time to take an interest in agricul- 

 ture. The civilized world seems to have waked 

 uj), rccenlly, anew on this subject. Agriculture 

 had become a mailer to be hailed bailie noble^ 

 men of England and Scotland ' some of thesa 

 were more proud lo be called farmers liian to be 

 honored with the .star and garter. Mr. Colnian, 

 the Agricultural Commissioner of;Maspacliusi;tts, 

 now on the tonr of Europe in ptirsuit of iiifor- 

 malion useful and interesting to the fanners of 

 this country, received in the British islands the 

 greatest atteniiou and respec! ; and Mr. H. said 

 be was bound to utter the belief that a known 

 intelligent faVmer of New Hainiishire would in 

 Euiiland be treated with more alt(;ntion and re- 

 spect than ihe most wealthy merchant or geiitle- 

 maii of Boston or New York. 



But, said iilr. H., the fanner of New I'.iuqi- 

 shire reads in vain th<i ecieii^ific hooks on i': ii'^li 

 agricullure: these do not apply to his soil. He 

 would find out the parliculiir capacity and wants 

 of that. The State of New Ha::"- '■■■■■ >•- - ■ "iio 

 iiiucli for the fanner liere-^it ly 



supplied biin with the means ( : 'V 



to make his own best iinpiovemenls l>y opening 

 lo him a volume of new infornniliun leepccliiij? 

 the soil of Ills own iinnieiliate iiciglihoi botid. 

 The book on New Hampshire s('ii.= ab-M;i to he 

 published by Dr. Jackson woni ! w 



Ilainiisbire fanner invaluable. 



Mr. Haye^ presented to the i- 



esiing account of the firm c ii. 



William A. Hayes, in South ..■ r.\: u, .■tie. 

 Wlien this farm" first fame into his jiossesslon, 



