No. 6. 



Composting. — Irrigation. 



175 



on a former and more perilous occasion, im- 

 proving our soil until we make our lands 

 produce more tiian tlic virgin soil of the far 

 West] and siiall we not also lend our best 

 efforts to create and continue a good and 

 constant home market] 



John Jones. 



For the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 Composting. 



Mr. Editor, — In the Philadelphia Agri- 

 cultural Society's Memoirs, an account is 

 given of Judge Peters' experiment in the 

 decomposition of tussocks, aquatic grasses, 

 and weeds, which I consider interesting, and 

 very well worthy the attention of my bro- 

 ther farmers, who ought to pay more regard 

 to the composition of manures, and not de- 

 pend so much on those that are purchased 

 at such a distance from home, as v.'ould war- 

 rant a man in hiring help for the purpose, 

 and save team labour. He says, " I com- 

 posted the openings of the ditches of a wa- 

 ter meadow, consisting of tussocks, aquatic 

 grasses, and weeds, a lieap amoimting to six- 

 ty-two loads, beginning with a layer of tus- 

 socks, then a layer of hot muck from tlie 

 stables, then leaves and wood-soil, until the 

 heap was sufficiently high, strewing plaster 

 on each layer, very little thicker than I 

 should have done on a crop. This vvas done 

 in autumn, and in the spring I turned it over 

 and mixed with it a quantity of slaked lime, 

 when in the next fall, it vvas in excellent 

 order for top-dressing." 



Now I would observe, here was a whole 

 year consumed in the process of decompos- 

 ing vegetable matter, that might, in my 

 opinion, have been expedited so as to come 

 into use early the spring following, and 

 which, if spread at that season, would have 

 made just the gain of a sununer in the crop 

 — a difference worth contending for. 



I beg to say, I had once a rough piece of 

 heavy land adjoining my firm, from which 

 I pared off the surface about six inches deep 

 and composted it, first turning with the 

 plough the foundation for the heap, on which 

 hoi lime from the kiln was spread, and upon 

 that sods were thrown to the thickness of 

 about a foot, then lime and sods alternately, 

 until the heap was five feet in height, fin- 

 ishing by carefully covering tiie top and 

 sides of the heap with sods to prevent the 

 escape of the heat. In a very little time 

 the whole mass was smoking like a volcano, 

 and it required pretty constant attendance 

 to keep the cracks well covered with sods 

 and beating them down; the heat being in- 

 tense, and quite sufficient to destroy all ani- It is said that a farmer can neither afford 

 mal, as well as vegetable life, at a blow — to keep poor cows, nor cows poor. 



the sods, and the bugs and their progeny. 

 Here was a valuable mmc, which was worked 

 in about two montiis, by turning over and 

 breaking the lumps, which however reipiired 

 but little labour, the caustic nature and heat 

 of the lime having destroyed tlie ivoody Jibrcy 

 according to the books ; and in two months 

 more, in February, it was carried abroad on 

 the mowing land, principally a dressing for 

 young clovers, as fine as ashes, and much in 

 appearance and smell to soaper's waste. 



Now I guess the difference between the 

 Judge's cookery and mine, was this — I used 

 caustic, or fresh-burnt lime, and he, that 

 which had been slaked ; the one expediting 

 decomposition, the other, retarding it, which 

 made just all the difference in the world, 

 and gave me an extra ton of hay per acre, 

 while the Judge's pie was cooking. And 

 while in his case the lime may be considered 

 to have operated upon chemical principles 

 alone, I am satisfied that in mine the process 

 of decomposition was accelerated in a very 

 great and important degree by the mechan- 

 ical action of the heat — as it might be termed 

 — evolved during the slacking of the lime in 

 the mass; after which it remained to afford 

 all the benefit to be derived from its chemi- 

 cal character, as in his experiment. We all 

 know the utility and advantage of hot water 

 over cold, in preparing decoctions and infu- 

 sions, and it is only to carry the idea into 

 our compostings to perceive, I think, the 

 reasonableness of the supposition. Z. 



Irrigation. — The editor of the American 

 Agriculturist, speaks of having visited last 

 summer the Insane Hospital at Worcester, 

 Mass., where he was informed by Dr. Wood- 

 ward, the superintendent, that among his 

 patients there was one who was ambitious 

 to farm upon his own plans. "At length 

 the Doctor good humouredly yielded to his 

 importunities, and gave him possession of a 

 field in rear of the hospital, on which to ex- 

 pend his eccentricities. The field was in 

 grass, and the surface of it slightly descend- 

 ing from the rear of the buildings. Near 

 the sides of these he constructed little ponds 

 into which he drained tlie water from the 

 roofs, and the urine from the water closets — 

 let it stand and well amalgamate a few days, 

 and then he conducted this liquid, quite 

 evenly, by means of narrow, shallow ditches, 

 over all his field. The result was, that it 

 yielded six cuttings of grass, of about one 

 ton per acre; making six tons per acre, du- 

 ring the first season ! So much for a crazy 

 man's farming." 



