158 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Afril 



had collected leaves and other floating substances. \ 

 To get rid of the acid he would mix the mud with 

 horse manure. They could no more expect to , 

 get good crops from our soils unaided by manure, 

 than to make good bread without good yeast. 

 The application of ground bone was of great, 

 value in the production of cabbages, &c. Guano , 

 should never be sowed in windy weather, but it | 

 would be well to apply it during a rain. He had 

 plowed in manures to the depth of nine inches, 

 and lost it. There was a mystery, he said, in the 

 practice of agriculture. He had concluded, after 

 considerable observation and experience, that ma- : 

 niire had better be covered one inch than four , 

 inches. Every means should be used to save ma- 1 

 nures — ^liquid and solid. Chemists agreed that | 

 the first was as valuable as the latter. The speaker j 

 questioned whether the water from the city sew-j 

 ers had sufficient fertilizing properties to warrant 

 carrying it any great distance. 



Mr. Flint presented to the meeting a state- 

 ment given him by Mr. NoURSE, founded on data 

 suggested in 'previous remarks by Mr. Flint, by 

 which it would appear that the annual loss in 

 liquid manures was $15 a year to each cow, or 

 $3,900,000 a year on all the cattle in the State. 



Ex-Go v. BouTvvELL asked Mr. Flint if by 

 that calculation the value of the liquid manure 

 would not pay for the keeping of the cattle. The 

 question was considered very pertinent, and cre- 

 ated some merriment, but was not answered. 



Mr. Sparhawk, of Boston, said that so far as 

 his experience went, there was no such thing as 

 a specific manure for a specific crop. He pre- 

 ferred to apply manures in the fall. 



W. J. BucKMiNSTER, of the Ploughman, exhib- 

 ited a novelty in the shape of a box of very su- 

 perior butter, wrought into various fanciful de- 

 signs, such as shells, scrolls, &e., well calculated 

 to ornament a tea-table. The butter was sent by 

 Peter Swallow, of Dunstable, and elicited a 

 good deal of praise for its beauty and sweetness. 



At the next meeting the discussion of the sub- 

 ject of mamircs will be resumed. 



For the JS'etc Eni/latuI Farmer. 

 FARMING EEQUIBES STUDY. 



Mr. Editor: — Owing to the high value of 

 the farmer's productions, many iiiechanics have 

 recently left their business and taken farms, with 

 the anticipation of making a fortune immediate- 

 ly ; and living with that ease and luxury which 

 they imagine country ])eople enjoy. They should 

 remember that all ought to understand the busi- 

 ness best that they have been the longest time 

 engaged in ; and tliat if any one from any other 

 business would prefer farming, let him begin un- 

 derstandingly. 



He should know what, M-hen and where to be- 

 gin to plant; what, when and where, in the cul- 



ture ; what, when and where to reap. And can 

 a person ignorant of all this, expect to succeed 

 in any ])art or in all ? As well might the country 

 jouth expect to be benefited in the merchant's 

 counting-room — as well might the student in ad- 

 dition, suppose because he used a slate that he 

 could do all that can be done on a slate — as a 

 person not used to, and not acquainted with the 

 soil, can suppose himself to excel in agriculture. 



What must the farmer do to better himself and 

 fai-m? Study interestedly, by obtaining infor- 

 mation from experienced and skilful agricultur- 

 ists; by reading and observation ; and by a judi- 

 cious expenditure of lal)or and money upon the 

 soil; andAvhen he has made his farm what a farm 

 should be, he may expect to be able to live in a 

 better manner than any of his neighbors ; and 

 not till then. 



When I hear a man raising objections to an 

 agricultural paper, I observe his farm, and am 

 generally sure to find that he is raising very pow- 

 erful objections to farming, in a very unconscious, 

 and as we say, in a very hereditary, honor-thy- 

 father way. E. 



For the New Ensland Farmer. 

 LAYING DOWN INUNDATED LANDS. 



Mr. Editor : — I am puzzled, somewhat, to 

 know how to treat a pif ce of land I broke up last 

 fall, and having no one to advise with, I take a 

 subscriber's liberty to request that you will help 

 me out of my difficulty. 



The piece of land in question is a part of my 

 meadow (intervale), and has been mowed for a 

 numl)er of years. The soil is rich and light, but 

 overflows every spring, (lying rather low,) so 

 that it is late in the season before I can get on it. 

 My wish is to get it into grass again as soon as 

 possible, after manuring it well. It had a thick, 

 mossy turf before I plowed it, and yielded but a 

 small quantity of fine, miserable g|ass. I had 

 thought tliat it would be a good plan to harrow 

 it thoroughly in the spring, then sow on grass 

 seed, and a heavy coat of guano, having no crop 

 from it until I cut the grass again the next year's 

 summer. ]\Iy object in sowing no gi'ain was, that 

 I might not lessen the strength and vitality I 

 hoped to get from the guano. But I have heard 

 so many conflicting opinions in regard to this ma- 

 nure and the maiiner of using it, that I am un- 

 decided, as yet, as to whether I have chosen the 

 best plan. I could sow oats on the upturned 

 turf in the spring, I suppose, and by plowing It 

 in the fall and manui-ing heavily with stable ma- 

 nure the next spring, have the ground in pretty 

 good order ; but the river washes over It so much, 

 it is so late before I can do anything with it In 

 the spring, and I am so limited In my supply of 

 stable manure, that, all things considered, I am 

 very desirous to lay it down before the water has 

 much time to injure it. And yet I want it rich, 

 so that I wont be obliged to disturb It again for 

 some years. If you can tell me what to do, you 

 will much oblige, Yours, respectfully, 



Montreal, January, ISuS. Joseph Gould. 



Remarks. — We have a ten-acre field in pre- 

 cisely the same condition, — lying on the river's 

 bank, and su'bject to overflow every spring. Our 



