332 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRII. SO, 183*. 



From the Northern Farmer. 

 IXFERMENTED MANURE. 



In the last number of the Fanner, I noticed 

 some remarks in relation to the subject of manures, 

 as published by the editor of the New-York Farmer, 

 "in which he lias maintained, that the practice of 

 applying rotted manures is better supported by 

 Science, than that of applying them in a fresh and 

 unfermented state ;" and that the practice of mak- 

 ing use of unfermented manures is also condemned 

 by the Edinburgh Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, 

 as first introduced by Sir Humphrey Davy. — Now, 

 it matters not with me, whence the doctrine origi- 

 nated, respecting the use of fresh or unfermented 

 manures; so long as the superior advantages to be 

 derived from their use, for all purposes of field 

 cultivation, are so strikingly manifest, as I think 

 they have been, since I commenced their use, 

 which is not less than twelve or fourteen years. 



The first, and perhaps not the hast advantage, 

 to be derived from the use of manure in its fresh 

 or unfermented state, is, the saving in quantity, of 

 at least, in ray judgment, one third ; and in strength 

 and value of the manure, nearly as much more. I 

 think I have not overrated the injury suffered by 

 manure, when it is permitted to remain in the 

 farm yard, and at stable windows in heaps, ex- 

 posed alternately to the scorching rays of the sun, 

 the drying winds, and drenching rains of summer, 

 as is the practice with many farmers. Another 

 advantage in favor of the use of unfermented ma- 

 nun', is, that while all crops, to which I have ap- 

 plied it, have ever been uniformly as good, as when 

 I used old, rotted manure; and potato crops much 

 better; its effects have been more durable, and suc- 

 ceeding crops have been more benefited by it. 



Unfermented manure from the barn-yard or 

 stable window, has generally been considered as 

 unsuitable for the corn-hill ; and, I am not pre- 

 pared to say, how far it may be advantageously 

 useil for this purpose, as I have not sufficiently 

 tried the experiment, fully to satisfy myself on this 

 point. 1 have for the last five or six years, made 

 use of unfermented manure from my hog-pen, in 

 the corn-hill ; and, have found it to he superior to 

 the fine summer dung from my barn-yard. From 

 these two sources, I have usually obtained suffi- 

 cient manure to dress from two and a half to three 

 acres of corn in the hill, annually, about one third 

 part of which has been taken from the hog-pen. 



From rather an accidental discovery of the value 

 of coarse strawy manure, from the hog-pen, 1 shall 

 be disposed hereafter to make it an object to in- 

 crease the quantity from this source as much as 

 possible. Last Spring [1833], I planted about 

 three acres of coin which I manured in the bill, 

 the largest portion id' it with fine summer dung 

 from the barn-yard, drawn to the field in the Fall 

 and deposited in a heap. The remainder of the 

 field, say about one third, was dressed with fresh 

 manure from the hog-pen, and placed in the hill 



as SOOn as it was re veil. About one third ol 



this manure, which was four loads at the bottom, 

 was composed of straw, brakes and weeds, and 

 such other vegetable matters as could be obtained 



lr< ny farm, and whin takeu out of the pen, was 



• apparently as coarse and unrolled, as when put in. 

 This, however, was all carried out and placed in 

 the hills. The ground had been phuued to coin 

 the year before, without any manure, having been 

 grass ground turned over lute in the Fall, and no 

 manure was applied to the crop in question, except 



in the hills as before mentioned. The ground was 

 a ridge of gravelly loam, and from the growth of 

 the crop, the first year [1832], it appeared that the 

 ground on the highest part of the ridge (the rows 

 of corn running parallel with it,) was not in so 

 good a condition to produce a crop of corn, as it 

 was on either side, at a short distance from it. 

 My corn-rows were again planted in the same di- 

 rection ; and it so happened that that portion of the 

 coarse, unrotted materials, (for I could not as J 

 thought at the time, call it manure), from my hog- 

 pen, was placed in the hills of eight rows, directly 

 along the highest elevation of the ridge, where, the 

 year before the corn had been much the smallest 

 of any in the field. Under these circumstances, I 

 expected nothing more favorable from these rows, 

 in the last, than in the former crop. I, however, 

 covered the coarse manure in these eight rows, 

 with four or five inches of earth, before dropping 

 on the seed to prevent it from becoming too dry, 

 and then covered the seed the usual depth. 



The corn came up well, and stood very even 

 over the whole field. I soon discovered, though 

 contrary to my expectations, that the corn in these 

 eight rows was gaining on that of any other part 

 of the field ; and at the time of weeding it was 

 manifestly the largest of any in the field. It held 

 on growing in the same manner, through the sea- 

 son ; and at the time of harvest, I think there must 

 have been nearly one fourth more corn on these 

 eight rows, than on the same number of rows, in 

 any other part of the field. 



From these facts, I am induced to believe, that 

 unfermented farm-yard, or stable manure, may be 

 applied, in the hill, to the corn crop, with advan- 

 tage ; provided the ground be deeply furrowed, and 

 the manure buried sufficiently deep, before drop- 

 ping on the seed, to prevent the roots of the corn 

 from reaching it too soon ; or before it shall begin 

 to ferment — after which, it will be admirably cal- 

 culated to throw the corn forward, and furnish the 

 support necessary to this crop, at the time it is fill- 

 ing out. 



I intend trying a small piece for experiment, in 

 this way the coming season. 



Should you think the above remarks of suffi- 

 cient merit to obtain a place in your valuable, and 

 lo me interesting paper, I may, perhaps, hereafter 

 he induced to offer something further on other 

 branches of husbandry. 



Matthew Buell, jr. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 FARMERS' GARDENS. 

 My caption may startle such as have been con- 

 tent, the greater part of their lives, with salt pork 

 anil potatoes, with the addition now and then of a 

 few greens from the field, or a little lettuce. II 

 the perusal of this article shall be the means of re- 

 ducing the number of this description of farmers, 

 my end will he answered. I know of no class of 

 citizens that would suffer by the change, except 

 the physicians. 



It is amusing to see with what avidity our set- 

 tlors from the land of steady habits, will as soon as 

 vegetation springs, search for tbe dandelion ; and 

 yet these men consider it lost time to devote a few 

 hours in each week to preparing, planting and 

 tending a garden, that would half support their 

 families, and save many a physician's bill. 



It is a duly which each fanner owes to his fam- 

 ily, and not only so, but his interest, to provide 



them with a variety of vegetables for the table. It 

 adds not only to their health, but to their comfort, 

 and greatly reduces the consumption of animal 

 food. It is also a duty he owes his sons, to em- 

 ploy them every leisure hour in the garden, to in- 

 struct them in the cultivation of the different vege- 

 tables, and at the same time to impress on their 

 minds the important truths, that every hour should 

 be profitably employed ; and that a man's garden 

 is a pretty good index of his mind. When I see a 

 garden well fenced and well cultivated, I draw the 

 conclusion that the owner is a man of taste and of 

 good feeling. 



But some may say, " I cannot attend to a garden 

 without neglecting my farm." I appeal lo such, 

 whether there are not many hours in the course of 

 a week, that might be spent in the garden, without 

 any neglect of the farm. Our teams must have 

 time to rest and feed ; and we often finish a job 

 an hour or two before night, when it would he un- 

 profitable to begin a new one ; then say — Now 

 boys, let us go into the garden. 



Instead of hunting in the fields, on the opening 

 of spring, for a few greens, to be able to go to the 

 garden, and gather a mess of spinnage, asparagus 

 or lettuce — or when the season is a little advanced, 

 a mess of early peas, string beans, early beets, 

 squashes, and a variety of other summer vegeta- 

 bles, must surely afford gratification to the farmer. 

 But when, in addition to these, he has in autumn 

 buried in sand in his cellar, a sufficient supply of 

 parsnips, carrots, salsify, beets and cabbage for the 

 consumption of his family through the winter, with 

 a cart load of Rhode Island crook necks secured in 

 a dry place, he surely may take more comfort than 

 In- could with potatoes alone, even if the latter 

 were the best kidney or pink eye. 



If he have all these good things, he will not be 

 satisfied until he has set out a long row of currant 

 hushes, and two or three Isabella grape vines ; 

 nor till he has yielded to the solicitations of his 

 wife and daughters, to have a piece of well pre- 

 pared ground assigned them for parsley, sage, &c. 

 with a few roses and other embellishments, suited 

 to their delightful taste. Ontario. 



POTATOES. 



Being something of a Murphy, we obtained five 

 or six kinds of potatoes last Fall, in order to ascer- 

 tain which were the best, taking (he season through, 

 and our verdict is decidedly in favor of the Pink 

 Eyes. Tiny are now mealy and white as the best 

 Genesee flour. Perhaps no potato can be found 

 which keeps better. They are not so early as the 

 Chenangoes or Philadelphias, but they are superior 

 in quality, marly or quite equalling the Buinians, 

 and yielding twice as well. Farmers who are about 

 planting would do well to try them. — Kennebec 

 Journal. 



MEANS OP RE.\DERING THE VINE MORE 

 PRODUCTIVE. 



A foreign journal of some ability, recom- 

 mends four ounces of alum to he mixed with four 

 ounces of clay, by means of a sufficient quantity 

 of water, and the roots of llie vine being uncov- 

 ered on a line day. towards the end of winter, 

 iliey are lo he moistened with ibis mixture, and 

 the earth then changed, so that what was previ- 

 ously uppermost shall be undermost. Through 

 this operation a vine produces a greater quantity 

 of grapes. — Coodsell's Farmer. 



