VOL. \i V. ivo. la. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



9i 



From ilie British Farmer's Magazine. 



MANURES. 



VVit.h regard to tlie subject of matjuros, I il„ 

 thinli that, highly as many farms are ciiltivateJ, 

 well as many gentlemen hn-sband those resources 

 which their capitals give ihem, the subject of ma- 

 nures is not sufficiently attended to. On most 

 farms, even where the state of cultivalion is very 

 high, manure, both as regards (|iiality and quantity, 

 and its due application to the different species of 

 produce to which it ought to be applied, so as to 

 produce the greatest and besi possible results, is 

 not in all cases sufficiently studied. It is to that 

 I would wish to call your attention. Many artifi- 

 cial manures are now beginning to be used I 



mean such manures as nitrate of soda, saltpetre, 

 and so forth, liut there is another l<ind of manure 

 that is very little used by English farmers : 1 mean 

 liquid manure. And upon this subject you will 

 find an e.xcellent article in the present month's 

 number of the " Farmer's Magazine," to which I 

 would direct your n<Jtico, and a perusal of which 

 would well reward your time. But to meet all the 

 circumstances in which the different kinds of ma- 

 nure can be fairly applied, [ would strongly re- 

 commend to you the study of agricultural chemis- 

 try. The subject is neither so difficult as many 

 imagine, nor does it embrace so wide a field as 

 many gentlemen would at first suppose, who are 

 thereby prevented to enter upon it. You must be- 

 gin at the beginning, and if you make yourselves 

 acquainted with the different parts of the earth, 

 and go into the elementary substances that com-' 

 pose the vegetable world, you will be soon able to 

 derive considerable advantages from it, when ad- 

 ded to your experimental knowledge as a farmer. 

 I am not so sanguine as to believe, that a good 

 ?hemist would make a good farmer, as a chemist, 

 lut I am convinced that it would be better for the 

 armer, if he would add chemical knowledge to his 

 igriciiltural knowledge and experience; for he 

 .Tould then be able to go a-head in the race wirh 

 lis brother farmers. liesides the advantages 

 •vould also be great, in a pecuniary point of view ; 

 ind to yon who have the opportunity of viewing' 

 ;he " fair form of nature," and seeing the various 

 .-han'jes which take place in the process of vcge- 

 ation, it is also peculiarly applicable. It is very 

 •lear that chemical knowledge enlarges the mind 

 ;)f the individual so much as to impel him to " look 

 iVoni nature up to nature's God." He can then 

 lice how the Almighty chemist can, with three or 

 'our elementary principles, compose the most ap- 

 ■larently dissimilar substance. 'I'he perfume of the 

 ose, the various effluvia of different plants, are 

 ompo:5ed precisely from the same ele;nentary'sub- 

 tances, as well as the nutricious principle and the 

 iiost deadly poison; but wonderfully elaborated 

 ■y the Almighty chemist While pursuing your 

 vocations, will it not afford great gratifica^tion to 

 ou to be able to trace back the effect to the 

 lause ? and when the winter season awives with 

 ^ frosts and snow.s, yon will know that it is pre- 

 aring new forms of vegetable life to give beauty 

 nd plenty to the land — M- Reynolds, Yorkford 

 farmer's Club, December, 1839. 



A very interesting' discussion took place at the 

 !rain-ree and Hocking Farmer's Club, February 

 lectmg, in which Mr W. Huntley, Mr Lun^lr-y 

 Ir He.del, Mr W. F. Ilobbes, and other gentle! 

 len took part, and the meeting came to the con- 



clusion that the practice of fermenting manure as 

 is usually done, not only decreases the quantity 

 but deteriorates the value and effect ; and that it i' 

 more advantageous to apply manure 



dergone but little fermentation. It was resolved 

 that the committee shi>iild adopt means for ascer- 

 taining, by actual and careful experiment, the ad- 

 vantages arising from the use of raw, partially fer- 

 mented, and rotten manure. 'I'he second subject 

 also excited great interest; and the advantages of 

 using what are called artificial manures for root 

 crops came prominently before the meeting, as by 

 means thereof a great saving of yard manure could 

 be effected, which might be reserved for corn crops. 

 Several gentlemen who had tried them upon a small 

 scale expressed themselves well satisfied with the 

 results; and that the most economical and effectu- 

 al mode of applying them was by drilling the ma- 

 nure in with the seed. Some particuFars were 

 given by Mr Beadel of the result of applying salt- 

 petre. He had tried it upon whe-.t, barley, and 

 oats, upon sandy and clay soils : npon the wheat it 

 had no beneficial effect, but when applied to bar- 

 ley it increased the produce of grain l.'j bushels, 

 straw 670 lbs. per acre ; and the oats 20 bushels' 

 straw 1940 lbs. per acre. JUr Huntley, also, had 

 found great advantage from the use of saltpetre lor 

 mangel-wurzel upon heavy lands, by a great in- 

 crease of produce. Several gentlemen having ex- 

 pressed a wish that the subject should be gone 

 further into, it was resolved that it be resumed at 

 the next monthly meeting of the club ; and the 

 party separated about half.past seven, much grati- 

 fied with their first meeting. We cannot but^con- 

 gratulate the chib upon this auspicious beginning, 

 and we doubt not these meetings will tend to ben- 

 efit the members themselves, and agriculture in 

 general, by the spread of sound practical informa- 

 tion. It is to be hoped that the example set by the 

 Braintrce and Bocking Club will bo generally fol- 

 lowed ; the advantages resulting from the inter- 

 change of information, drawn from experience and 

 practice of individuals, must do much towards rais- 

 ing agriculture to that position which its impor- 

 tance merits. 



Extraneous Manures— Nitrate of Soda. 



It is reported, that a remark was made by Lord 

 Karnes, 90 years ago, that such improvements 

 would be made in agricultural chemistry, that suf- 

 ficient manure for an acre would one day be car- 

 ried in a man's coat pocket; and that a trite an- 

 swer was made to the remark, that the produce 

 from such manuring would then be brought away 

 in the waist-coat pockel. Now, although this pe- 

 riod has not yet arrived, yet something approaching 

 to the small quantity of manure necessary to give 

 vigor to an acre of wheat, has been proved^ on 

 Guilford Downs during the past year ; not that this 

 kind of manure alone was taken up by the crop, 

 but that it formed a. great stimulator to the extra 

 growth there cannot biv a doubt; bringing into ac- 

 tivity probably some latent manures "lyi'ng in the 

 ground ; for a strong alkali will convert oleaginous 

 matters into saponaceous consistency, and in tliat 

 state becomes soluble in water : hence it is taken 



dressed over many acres of wheat with 1 1-2 cwt 

 of nitrate of soda to the acre, leaving about half an 

 I acre in the middle of the field undressed. The 

 that has un- j dift'erence in the color of the wheat was seen in 

 the course of 10 days ; when nearly ripe, the straw 

 had the appearance of being 9 or 10 inches longer 

 than the other part, and much stronger ; at reaping, 

 seven rods of each part were measured, cut, and 

 kept separate ; the nitred part produced 24 sheaves, 

 oontainmg 11 gallons of wheat and 54 lbs. of straw ; 

 and where the seven rods were not so dressed, ihe 

 produce was 1(5 sheaves, containing 1-2 gallons 

 of wheat and 40 lbs. of straw. 



From Bells Messenger. 



USEFUL ANIMALS OFTEN DESTROYED 

 AS HURTFUL. 

 Multitudes of animals are most unmercifully de- 

 stroyed from ignorance of their uses, from an idea 

 that they are noxious or injurious to some petty 

 concern of a field or garden : and at the very time 

 they are rendering important services to man, they 

 are mowed down as if they were his sworn enemies, 

 and had conspired against his life. Hence the 

 rooks in some parts of England were at one time 

 in danger of being extirpated, as we learn from the 

 author of '-A Philosophical Survey of the Animal 

 Creation." " The rook," says he, " is a species of 

 crow that feeds upon worms produced from the 

 eggs of the May-bug. As these and all the wing- 

 ed insects in general are to be supported by the 

 roots of plants, they deposite their eggs pretty 

 deep in the earth, in a hole they dig for that pur- 

 pose. The worms and caterpillars, upon which 

 the rooks feed, are not exposed to the mercy of 

 this bird till the earth is thrown up. Hence it is 

 that rooks always frequent lands recently cultiva- 

 ted, that the sight of the husbandman with his 

 plough puts them in action, and that they search 

 with so much assiduity about the furrows newly 

 formed. Wherever the banishment or extirpating 

 of rooks has been carried into effect, the most se- 

 rious injury to the corn and other crops h::s invari- 

 ably followed, from the unchecked devastations of 

 the grub r.nd the caterpillar. Many birds besides 

 rooks are destroyed, under the mistaken idea that 

 they are injurious to the garden or orchard, at the 

 very time they are most useful to both, in feeding 

 themselves and their nestlings on grubs and cat- 

 erpillars. 'I'he common sparrow, though proscri- 

 bed as a most mischievous bird, destroys a vast 

 number of insects. Bradley has calculated that a 

 single pair, having young to maintain, will destroy 

 3360 caterpillars in a week. Also the blue tit- 

 mouse often falls a victim to ignorance, in conse- 

 quence of the injury it is supposed they do to fruit 

 trees, though we have evidence of its being a 

 friend rathei^ than enemy to horticullurists. Quad- 

 rupeds, as well as birds, suffer much under slan- 

 derous imputations, as can be attested by the bad- 

 get and the hedgehog." 



The Amekican Institute. — The 1,3th annual 

 Fair of this institution will open at Nihio's Garden 



, , "-'■ • "^"^>= "- '.-> lunLij 1 New York, on the 5th, and continue open till the 



up by the spongelets of the roots in a liquid state. { 16th of October. 



Those persons who consider quantity necessary in ! - 



manuring ground are sadly mistaken, intimate Hkavv Fleece—Ii is stated in the papers, that 

 mmure with the soil, and capability ef becoming [ Mr S. Grownell of Chautauque Co. in this ^tale 

 readily soluble being necessary points for consid- J sheared this season, 14 lbs. of wool from a SaxonJ 

 oration. In .Aiarch, 1839, ,Mr John Ryds, bailiff to j sheep, which weighe,!, after the fieece was 3 

 !■ rederick .Mangles, Esq., of Down Farm, Guilford, ' off, 130 Ibs.—.-y/i. Cult. 



