1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



355 



COMPAKATIVE VALUE OF DIFFEKEKT 

 FERTILIZERS. 



A gentleman having a desire to test the rela- 

 tive value of certain substances used as fertilizers, 

 selected for the purpose a piece of upland soil, 

 which had been carefully plowed the previous au- 

 tumn. In May the ground was again plowed, 

 but so lightly as not to turn up the sod, and well 

 worked with the cultivator and harrow. Cattle 

 were then allowed to have free access to the 

 piece till June, remaining upon it during the 

 night, together with one horse and about thirty 

 sheep and their lambs, in all fifty-four head. 



On the 17th of June it was again plowed and 

 well harrowed, and subsequently marked off into 

 drills. The whole piece was then divided by ad- 

 measurement into four equal parts, one of which 

 was manured with common stable dung, and 

 another with an extra quantity of compost, the 

 base of which was vegetable matter in a state of 

 complete decomposition ; in both cases the ma- 

 nurial applications were spread over the drills, 

 the seed sowed immediately, and the whole rolled. 

 The other two sections were manured, one with 

 two bushels of finely jiulverized lime and three 

 bushels of wood ashes — the other with two bush- 

 els of bone-dust. 



At first the portions of the field which had 

 been dressed with manure, took the lead, and 

 seemed for some time likely to hold it. Care was 

 taken to keep down all weeds, and retain the soil 

 in a finely pulverized state by frequent workings. 

 The turnips were not injured by the fly, and the 

 weather being very favorable to the crop, all had 

 a rapid and healthy growth, with the exception 

 of the two sections first mentioned, on which the 

 woim commonly known as the turnip worm dep- 

 redated somewhat in the first part of the season, 

 though "not so extensively as seriously to injure 

 the crops. Nearly fifty bushels of thinnings were 

 taken out towards the close of July, and about 

 the 15th of November, the entire crop was har- 

 vested. The result was as follows : — 



Section No. 1, manured with animal excre- 

 ments produced after the rate of 394 bushels per 

 acre. 



Section No. 2, dressed with compost, after the 

 rate of 400 bushels. 



Section No. 3, dressed with pulverized lime, 

 after the rate of 500 bushels. 



Section No. 4, dressed with bone dust, after the 

 rate of 740 bushels. 



In turnip culture, no article more valuable, he 

 thought, could be used, than bone dust. It is 

 moderately cheap, easily transported and applied, 

 and produces results no less valuable than imme- 

 diate. It furnishes, he thinks, all, or nearly all, 

 the elementary principles involved in the system 

 of the roots it is applied to nourish, and adds al- 



so several important and valuable principles of 

 fertility to the soil. Lime is an excellent article, 

 but a large proportion of it by weight, is insolu- 

 ble, or not so immediately capable of adding its 

 wealth to the soil, or yielding it to the crop. As 

 a constitutional alterant, it is of considerable 

 importance, however, and as a solvent of humus, 

 it possesses great value. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 



TO DESTROY BUGS OW VINES. 



Mk. Editor : — I noticed in the Farmer of 

 June 5, an account of "A New Vine Protector," 

 which seems to me to be a little more expensive, 

 and to require more time to arrange and put 

 away, when not required for use, than one in- 

 vented and constructed by myself. I have used, 

 it for the last five years with perfect success, and 

 it never has failed to perform its duty. I take 

 an old flour barrel that is water-tight, and put in 

 one bushel of hen manure, then fill the barrel 

 about two-thirds full of soft water, stirring it 

 well once in two or three days ; set it in a sunny 

 location, and at the end of two weeks it will be 

 ready for use, although it would be better to 

 stand five or six. When the bugs pay my vines 

 a visit, I take a pail and with a swab made by 

 tying a rag to a stick about 18 inches long I 

 sprinkle the liquid over the leaves and upon the 

 hill around the plants, putting to each hill about 

 three table spoonfuUs, and they invariably take 

 leave. The application should be made about 

 once a week ; the liquid will also be beneficial to 

 the vines. This protector comes within the reach 

 of all farmers, and can be had without cost as no 

 patent right is applied for. It can also be mixed 

 in larger or smaller quantities, to suit each per- 

 son. I have procured from a friend at Marble- 

 head, some of the celebrated Hubbard squash 

 seeds, and if they can stand what the bugs can- 

 not, (my protector) I shall probably raise some 

 fine squashes, as they are now up and looking 

 well. 



A constant reader of the N. E. Farmer, 

 Eliot, Me., 1858. B. H. Crane. 



A NOVEL BAT TRAP. 



Eds. Rural : — Having seen several inquiries 

 in your valuable paper as to the best method of 

 capturing or destroying the rat, I send you my 

 recent novel and successful plan of performing 

 the operation. Last summer I moved into my 

 present abode, and was not long in discovering 

 that we had rats in quantum svfficit. I tried sev- 

 eral of the popular ways of alluring them into a 

 steel trap, by means of delicate morsels, perfumes, 

 &c., but succeeded in catching only two young 

 ones, who, to use acommon expression, had "stuck 

 their foot in it." Early this winter my wife dis- 

 covered a hole in the papers which covered a four 

 gallon stone butter crock about one-third full of 

 strained honey. It stood on the ground adjoin- 

 ing some cabbages which were piled higher than 

 the top of the crock. Upon uncovering it she 

 discovered a rat quite dead, and I proceeded to 

 remove the carcass, under which I found two more. 

 I consigned them to the manure heap, — and, act- 



