1846.] Mckel 321 



might alter its whole character, and the guano be made to bear 

 the whole blame of a failui-e, that was due rather to its associates. 

 We would prefer to throw it on the ground in the spring, and let 

 it be plowed in at the rate of two to three hundred pounds of the 

 Peruvian, and of three to four hundred of the African. One ab- 

 solute essential in its use is, that the ground be moist. It will 

 have no effect, or but a bad one, if employed in dry weather, or 

 on a dry surface. We must take advantage of a storm of rain, 

 or exert our judgment in the anticipation of one. It is from this 

 necessity of moisture, that arises its extreme importance on sandy 

 soils — on stiff clays, it does not do so well. 



" If this mateiial should find favor with our farmers, and a 

 regular supply can be relied on, it will produce two good effects, 

 the saving our barn-yard manure, and the keeping our fields free 

 from weeds, except such as are kindly supplied by our benevolent 

 but negligent neighbors. Even if guano were dearer than it now 

 is, and it can now be put upon our lands at about the same ex- 

 pense as fifty bushels of lime to the acre — the saving of labor in 

 the destruction of weeds, the satisfaction of seeing our fields 

 cleared of this foreign vegetable population, and the keeping our 

 tempers untried, will repay amply, even if there be no decided 

 additions to the crop. Besides, we have very little doubt that the 

 guano will be found very destructive to the insects that cut our 

 corn to pieces, and to all which harass us in our grains, vegeta- 

 bles, or fruits; at least they must be more than usually thick 

 skinned, to be able to bear the application of so irritating a 

 substance. 



" In this imperfect way we have gone through this important 

 subject; but with such scanty materials, how could we say any 

 thing of much value to the practical farmer? He cannot go out 

 of his way to make experiments; he can place no confidence in 

 conjectures; he cannot afford to change the whole conduct of his 

 life to adopt novelties, or act upon another's imperfect experi- 

 ence; and in the matter before us, where he has to deal with a 

 thing that is literally the edge-tool of agriculture, it would be 

 madness to run the hazard of losing an entire crop, before the art 

 of managing the instrument had been ascertained and perfected." 



NICKEL. 



The ammonio-sulphate of nickel may be employed for giving 

 a silvery coating of that metal to copper. It is prepared in the 

 same way as the ammonio-sulphate of copper. The plate of 

 copper is merely plunged into the solution. 



Vol. III., No. II. 23 



