No. 124.] 135 



that '^ night soil is husbanded in every part of the continent I have 

 visited, with a jealousy and care, which prove how valuable it is con- 

 sidered." Arthur Young, who wrote in 1772 says, that " the effect 

 of night soil was 'prodigious: it just trebles the produce. In all the 

 experimenls I have made with this manure, I have ever found the re- 

 sults almost uniform." 



Another English cultivator, Mr. Dixson, says that, " this manure 

 is by far the most invigorating of any I have ever yet tried. Bones, 

 in any state, will bear no comparison as a help for any crop?^ Pro- 

 fessor J. F. W. Johnson, in his lectures, on the application of che- 

 mistry and geology to agriculture, says that " Payen and Bonsingault, 

 give the relative value of night soil in a dry state, or poudrette, as 

 compared with farm yard manure — lOJ pounds of the former, to 100 

 pounds of the latter." 



The foregoing quotations, from well established authorities, would 

 seem to be sufficient to satisfy any farmer of the value of this manure. 

 It may however be said by some, that they are not sufficient, as the 

 experiments were made by " mere book farmers," under circumstan- 

 ces very diff'erent from those under which it will be used in this 

 country; therefore it may be well to give extracts from a few of the 

 numerous reports now in my possession, made by intelligent practical 

 farmers, in this country, who have within a few years, used consider- 

 able quantities of the article prepared in this city, by The JVew- 

 York Poudrette Company^ those who were the first to undertake its 

 preparation in the United States. In giving these extracts however, 

 it is but just to say, that in applying the article to their crops, it was 

 not their design to make experiments for publication, and therefore 

 they did not keep minutes and make accurate measurements; but 

 have given their reports from general appearances. A gentleman 

 residing on the north side of Long Island, who has used over a thou- 

 sand bushels of this manure — says of it, when used "on corn, a gill 

 was put in the hill, against eight times the quantity of hog pen ma- 

 nure, and against five times the quantity offish manure — the latter, a 

 compost of " sting kales" and earth, prepared the previous autumn, 

 with results much in favor of poudrette, for the first six weeks, after 

 which its superiority became less manifest, until the general appear- 

 ance and crop became so nearly equal, that no diff'erence could be 

 perceived." He says also that " on grass lands in the month of May, 

 it has a decidedly beneficial eff'ect as a toj) dressing. I should thmk 

 twenty bushels to the acre would double the crop for one year." 

 Another gentleman, in the same neighborhood, who has used it in 

 still larger quantities says, " where the poudrette was used, the 

 wheat came in well. It stood the winter well and the berry was fair; 

 but where bone was used, about the same cost to the acre, in the 

 same field, it was winter killed^ and very much shrunk, and the pro- 

 duce w^as only about one half the number of bushels to the acre. I 

 used it also on corn, by the side of the best yard manure, and the re- 

 sult was decidedly in favor of the poudrette." He also says in a 

 letter, dated May 30, 1842. " I used poudrette on my corn last 



