VOI,. \Vt. NO. 35i 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



277 



trials of bones Cor manure I thought they were not 

 idapted to sandy soils ; but afterwards, by observ- 

 ng others use them with great suocess, I thought 

 :hat my failure might arise from having useil the 

 )ones iiiimediately after they were broken, nnd con- 

 sequently before any heat from fermentation had 

 akcn place. As a further experiment, in 1814, 1 

 igain sent some bones from the dog-kennel.s to be 

 )roken, and then laid them on a heap which I cov- 

 ired with earth; they remained in that state about 

 I month, and were then spread with turnips. The 

 and was ridged with a double mould plough, and 

 urnip seed drilled in the ridges. The good effect 

 if these bones was to be seen on every yard on 

 vhich they were spread, being the largest and best 

 iirnips in the field, although the other part „was 

 lanured from the farm-yard where a considerable 

 uantity of oil cake had been consumed." 



With the principle stated by Mr Horncastle cor- 

 esponds the e.itperienceof the Rev. C. Cator. He 

 tates, in the use of bones, especially of the larger 

 ort, those that appear upon the surface of thesum- 

 ler seeds should be " gathered off, and either bro- 

 en again or mixed with earth, scrapings of the 

 jad, iS'C. wherein they will undergo another fer- 

 lentation, and be quite as beneficial as any other 

 ones. I had an extraordinary proof of their efli- 

 icy, so collected and mixed with road scrapmgs, 

 1 the same field in which the greater part was 

 eavily manured with good fold yard manure ; and 

 lOugh the whole field was a good crop, that with 

 le compost of bones, ^c. might be discovered'to a 

 ngle row for their superiority. * * 



The principle thus developed naturally leads us 



• another of great importance, which has been 

 icited by the practice of intelligent formers; and, 

 ie all priuciijles developed by practice, the most 

 U'tain and satisfactory, from its having proceeded 

 om no theory previously formed. It is the accu- 

 te observation of facts which leads to every prac- 

 :al improvement, and a classification of facts 

 •oves the one principle which pervades them.— 

 his principle is the superiority of a compost of 

 mes and manure, or other substances, over bones 

 ■ed singly. The eftects of such a compost are 

 ited by thirteen of our correspondents, who pre- 

 nt them as their own individual conclusions, and 

 course into which they have individually been 

 i by experience, without having had as far as ap- 

 :ars any communication with each other: such a 

 incidence is too regular and marked to allow us 

 attribute it to any accidental circumstance, and 

 ! force of the concurrent testimony is so great as 

 leave no reasonable place for doubt. » * * 

 It may be matter of inquiry and deduction from 



statements previously made, to trace the benefit 

 ising from compost to its source. Mr Birks states 

 'ID his own observation, that on mixing the ashes 

 ini house fires with the bone compost, great heat 

 occasioned : this heat may be supposed to be the 

 « of fermentation, and more especially as from 



• Micklethwait's, Mr Cator's, and the several 

 ler statements, it is apparent that the mixing 

 les with soil or other manure rapidly promotes 

 mentation. If this be the case upon the princi- 

 before alluded to, the bones are by fermenta- 



tion much sooner serviceable, and the other sub- 

 stances mi.xed with the bones may equally be ben- 

 efited by it. ' 



Another princi[)le of great value is stated by Mr 

 R. Littlevvood: " If it be true that the corupoiient 

 parts of the earth are adapted for the growth of 

 particular kinds of vegetables and grain, what can 

 be so fit and proper to bring those parts into action 

 as a mixed tillage .' And it is also quite clear, that 

 the system of cultivating tillage land must be often 

 changed in the cropping, in the grass, and in the 

 manure also." lu this principle of the propriety 

 of changing manures, ten others fully agree, and 

 this opinion fully strengthens the former one of the 

 superiority of bone compost. 



After having thus gone through the detail, it 

 may be well to subjoin a brief summary of the de- 

 ductions we draw from them, as an assistance in 

 their practical application. It appears then. 



On dry sands, limestone, chalk, light loams, and 

 peat, bones are a very highly valuable manure. 



They may be laid on grass with great good ef- 

 fect. 



On arable lands they may be laid on fallow for 

 turnips, or used for any of the subsequent crops. 



That the best method of using them when 

 broadcast, is previously to mix them up with 

 earth, dung, or other manure, and let them lie to 

 ferment. 



That if used alone, they may either be drilled 

 with the seed or sown broadcast. 



That bones which have undergone the process 

 of fermentation, are decidedly superior to those 

 which have not done so. 



That the quantity should be about twenty-five 

 bushels of dust, or forty bu.,hels of large, increas- 

 ing the quantity if the land be impoverished. 



That upon clays and heavy loams, it does not 

 yet appear that bones will answer. 



- With respect to price, it is not important to note 

 any particulars beyond the calculation of the ex- 

 pense of a dressing of bones compared with larm- 

 yard dung. Twenty-five bushels of dust at the 

 present price of 23. would amount to £2 10s. Forty 

 bushels of large bones at Is. lOd. would amount to 

 £3 1.3s. 4d., and these are shown to be equal to an 

 ordmary dressing of eight or ten loads of fold ma- 

 nure, which at lOs. would amount to 4 or £5. But 

 the most material saving will be in the carria-e 

 and in the difference of expense between <Inllmc^ 

 bones with the seed and dressing the land over 

 with dung in the usual manner. A still greater 

 advantage accrues from their use in the savin- of 

 time, which may enable a farmer to put in the tur- 

 nip seed sooner than where there is so much cart- 

 ing to perform. 



To Ihe Committee on Agricultural Products, of 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society. 



The subscriber presents for premium the follow- 

 ing production of one acre and twenty rods of 

 land cultivated with oats the jiresent year. 



The lot of land above is situated near the line 

 diviiling Somerset and Swansey; and near Lee's 

 River ; the soil is hard, and like t'lat of our best 

 lands in the vicinity. The crop of last year was 

 corn, and although the promise for a good crop 

 was very fair, yet the early frost did great dam- 

 age ; the only manure used was about fifty barrels 

 munhaden-fish, put round the hills of corn. The 

 present season no manure was used, the land was 

 ploughed, and the oats sown about the middle of 

 April, and harrowed in. The season being favor 

 able for Ehglish grain, the crop was linusually 

 large ; the reaping which was done near the mid- 

 dle of August, was rather a job as the straw was 

 much crippled. The oats were bound and put 

 under cover, and soon threshed, and the product 

 by actual admeasurement, found to be seventynine 

 and a half bushels, averaging thirtyfive pounds to 

 the bushel, the standard weight being thirty pounds. 

 The surplus weight of five pounds, makes an ad- 

 dition of about thirteen bushels, equal in all to 

 ninetytwo bushels and nearly eightytwo bushels 

 per acre. The grain was very bright, large and 

 heavy, and an wicomiiKHily laige proxfuet. 



The expenses of the crop may te safely estima- 

 ted imthe following sums, to wit : 



Ploughing, harrowing, sowing, &c. • 

 Leaping, binding, &,c. 

 Threshing, cleaning, &c. 

 Four bushels seed oats 



Silk Cdlture ijf New /ERSET.-The farmers of 

 aionmouth county are embarking extensively in the 

 cultivation of the mulberry, and rearing of silk 

 worms. A large building is to be put up in Free- 

 hold, this season, by an enterprising citizen, as a 

 cocoonery. The Freehold Enquirer says that lar-e 

 numbers of the monu mtillicaulis, which were in- 

 troduced last spring, have' done remarkably well 

 and multiplied beyond all expectation. 



e3 50 

 3 50 

 5 00 



2 60 



r. , c- fITeo 



Value of crop :■ 



80 bushels of oats, 55 cents per bushel, $44 00 



2 lous straivv, S8i per ton, 17 qo 



BENJAMIN CLEVELAND 



Somerset, December 27, 1837. 



I certify that I assisted in the measurino- and 

 weighing of the foregoing oats, and that thelibove 

 statement is true, according to my best knowledge 

 and belief. JOSEPH GRAY." 



I certify that I have surveyed the foregoin" de- 

 scribed lot of land, and that it contains one^acre 

 and twenty rods, and no more. 



December 27, 1837. fc-WID GRAY. 



Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 



rp, r> • w. , ^'■"<°'' Dec. SO, 1837. 



1 hen David Gray above named, made oath to 

 the truth of the above certificate, by him subscribed 

 Before me, JOHN MASON, 



Justice of the peace. 



Agricultdral Wealth of Ohio.— From the 

 tables attached to the Report of the Board of pub- 

 lic works politely forwarded us by Mr Foot, we 

 compile an exhibit of some of the principal pro- 

 ducts of Ohio, in 1837, cleared at the several Col- 

 lectors Oflices on the Ohio and Miami Canals. 



Barrels of Flour 283,479, bushels of Wheat 73.3,- 

 799, pounds Bacon and Pork 3.879,27, Bulk Poi>' 

 2,953,218, barrels Pork and Beef 82,183, pou'-.ds of 

 Lard 2,468,340, kegs of Lard 34,954. I'.ushels of 

 Corn 359,979, of Oats 99,599, barrels of Whiskey 

 34,319, pounds of Butter 544,706, Cheese and 

 Grease 649,598, of Feathers 18,121, of Dried Fruit 

 99,807, bushels 1,742, Apples and seeds 20,470, 

 dozen of Brooms d,117, pounds of Brooms and han 

 dies, 10,SS0.-Ckveland Herald, 



