1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



59 



GBEEN" CROPS FOR MANURE. 



I am much gratified to notice the iuci-cascd at- 

 tention which is being accorded by farmers gen- 

 erall}' to this subject. Every one, in fact, who 

 examines this subject attentively, must be speed- 

 ily convinced of its utility, especially when turned 

 in as an enrichment of exhausted soils. There 

 is obviously no method of Avhich the agriculturist 

 can economize more, or more rapidly increase the 

 fertility of the soil, than by turning in, as a dress- 

 ing, such crops as derive a portion of their ali- 

 ment from the air. No matter how impoverished 

 or sterile the soil, he may, by a judicious and per- 

 sistent pursuit of this means of amelioration, ea- 

 sily make it rich. There are many plants well 

 adapted to this purpose, among which are millet, 

 buckwheat, peas and clover, all of which are high- 

 ly valuable, operating both mechanically and 

 chemically, by their decomposition upon the soil, 

 especially when containing much acid. 



But it may not be improper here to remark 

 that in making choice of crops to be turned in, 

 we shonld invariablj' give preference to such as 

 derive at least a portion of their pabulum from 

 the air. The vegetables enumerated above, are 

 all of this class, and consequently take much less 

 from the staple of the soil, than those which are 

 of course less adapted to this use. Of these 

 buckwheat and clover are perhaps the most valu- 

 able — the haulm being more vigorous, and at the 

 same time much more succulent, and yielding 

 much more readily to the laws of chemical affin- 

 ity when inhumed beneath the soil. There is al 

 so another cause of preference, particularly in 

 the case of buckwheat, the crisp nature of its stalk 

 contributing greatly to the facility of turning it 

 down, especially where the roller is used to pre- 

 cede the plow. On very poor land, buckwheat 

 may be grown with better success, perhaps, than 

 any other grain crop, and will produce a more 

 abundant yield, both of haulm and grain. NVhcn 

 sowed to be turned in — unless the soil is calcare- 

 ous to a degree rendering it ininecessary, the 

 application of quick lime before turning in the 

 wheat will be of great benefit. From two to 

 three casks will ordinarily suffice for an acre ; 

 but if the ameliorating process is designed to 

 prepare the land for the production of crops be- 

 longing to the order of lime plants, and which 

 require a large amount of this mineral for their 

 successful development, treble and even quadru- 

 ple the above quantity may be economically ap- 

 plied. It is not of essential consequence whether 

 the application precedes the turning down of the 

 crop, as is accorded subsequently, the principal 

 object being to supply an important constitution- 

 al deficiency to the interests of the operator by 

 limiting the acreable product of the crop. 



Clover is preferred by many to all other crops 

 for this purpose, and, taking all things in consid- 

 eration, it is, perhaps, not easy to say where pref- 

 erence should rest. The quantity of soluble mat- 

 ter contained in the clover plant, when arrived 

 at the period of inflorescence, is unquestionably 

 large, — larger, probably than in most other plants. 

 Its roots, also, when mature, are large and suc- 

 culent, and contribute very materially to the fer- 

 tilizing effects of the crop when turned down at 

 maturity ; but it will be seen that where a speedy 

 amelioration is required, the plants do not com- 

 monly have time to attain thvir maximum devel- 



opment, and every one is aware that in its youth- 

 ful state, the clover plant contains a far largei 

 quantity of fluid tlian of solid matter. Millet, 

 if sowed broadcast, will probably produce a great- 

 er quantity of readily soluble matters, than either 

 clover or buckVheat. But whether its fertilizing 

 action upon the soil is so great* is a question that 

 remains to be decided. One thing, however, may 

 be relied on as certain. Any plant produced by 

 the soil, will if turned in by the plow contribute 

 more or less to its enrichment. The families of 

 the puccus, and even the comparatively worthless 

 cryptogamous vegetation, which is produced par- 

 asitically on rocks and in boggy swamps, have 

 been ascertained to possess principles favorable 

 to vegetable development, and when reduced by 

 putrefaction, of aiding, very essentially, the phe- 

 nomena of vegetable life. Nothing, in short, is 

 worthless in the great laboratory of nature, and 

 it is there over the crucible and the alembic, that 

 we receive these important lessons which so ma- 

 terially assist us in the numerous and multiform 

 duties of prt^tical life. Here Ave discover the 

 adaptation of means to ends, and become famil- 

 iarized to the operative principles and laws with 

 which we were before perfectly unacquainted, and 

 scarcely deemed to exist. — Oermaniown Tele- 

 graph. 



CHLOROFORMING BEES. 



A Mr. Smith, in a letter to the Edinburgh 

 Courant, claims the discovery of the art of chlo- 

 roforming bees. In describing the ])rocess, he 

 says that the quantity of chloroform required for 

 an ordinaay hive, is the sixth part of an ounce ; 

 a very large hive may take nearly a quarter of an 

 ounce. His mode of operation is as follows : set 

 down a table opposite to and about four feet dis- 

 tant from the hive ; on the table spread a thick 

 linen cloth ; in the centre of the table, place a 

 shallow breakfast plate, which, cover with a piece 

 of Avire gauze, to prevent the bees from coming 

 in immediate contact with the chloroform. Then 

 quietly and cautiously lift the hive from the 

 board on which it is standing, set it down on the 

 top of the table, keeping the plate in the centre. 

 Cover the hive closely up with a cloth, and in 

 twenty minutes or so, the bees are not only sound 

 asleep, but contrary to what Ave see, Avhen they 

 are suffocated Avith sulphur, not one is left among 

 the combs ; the Avhole of them are lying helpless 

 on the table. Then remove Avhat honey you think 

 fit, replace the hive in its old stand, and the bees, 

 as they recover, Avill return to their domicil. A 

 bright, calm, sunny day is the best, and you 

 should commence your operations in the morning 

 before many of them are abroad. This discovery 

 may be valuable to some people Avho are not pro- 

 vided Avith bee hives ; but Ave think that Ameri- 

 can ingenuity has devised a far better method. 

 Before long, Ave hope to be able to lay before our 

 readers a system of bee culture Avhich, thus far, 

 has been croA\med Avith complete success. 



County Transactions. — We acknowledge 

 our indebtedness to the Hon. Jolin W. Frodor, 

 for a copy of the Essex County Agricultural Tran- 

 sactions, and shall be glad to receive a copy from 

 each society. 



