170 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



agents, in decomposing the bone, and rendering it 

 readily available to the growing plant, by Avhich a 

 much less quantity is required. If it be not decom- 

 posed, the largo pieces -will remain many years, S€rv- 

 ing the puq^oses of a manure for a longer time, but 

 in a loss degree. See previous articles in this paper 

 on the decomposition of bone. 



As we have not had an opportunity to make ex- 

 periments in decomposing bones, and the cost of 

 doing it with sulphuric acid is considerable, we use 

 what is called wet bone, which is very fine, as it is 

 composed of sawdust, made by a rotary saw driven 

 with great velocity. This costs but little more per 

 barrel than crushed bone. The wet bono is gen- 

 erally kept for &ale by Messrs. Nourse, Mason, & Co. 

 It may doubtless be obtained in other sections, where 

 bones are used as a raw material in manufacture. 

 The price of wet bone is $2 25 per barrel. Dry bone 

 dust is a nice, pure article, which is given to cows 

 for the bone disorder. On this subject, see American 

 Veterinarian ; also; the first volume, and past num- 

 bers of N. E. Faimer. 



Old lands usually become exhausted of bone earth 

 or phosphate of lime, and for such, bone manure is 

 valuable. It is usually the most valuable on dry 

 soils, and particularly for the turnip crop, and for 

 grape vines. But it is generally beneficial to most 

 crops that the farmer or gardener cultivates. As to 

 its profit, much depends on the advantages of pro- 

 curing it, its price, and the price of other manures. 



As S. P.'s soil is a deep, black muck, or vegetable 

 mould, it would be well to use some lime or ashes to 

 destroy the acid which is probably in it ; and if it is 

 rather moist or wet, drain it, and add gravel or sand 

 to improve the texture. As bone manure is com- 

 posed largely of the phosphate of lime, it tends to 

 correct acidity ; but merely for this piirpose, it is not 

 visually so cheap as ashes or lime. 



STEEPS FOR SEED CORN. 



This is a subject that has received considerable 

 attention ; amd rraany experiments have been made 

 on it, with varioiis success. Some have found an 

 advantage from steeps, as they have thought, both 

 in prom.oting the growth of the plants, and in pro- 

 tecting the corn from vermin ; others, again, have 

 received no advantage, and a few, still more un- 

 fortunate, have destroyed the seed. Steeps should 

 be used with great caution. When corn is planted 

 late, soaking the seed in water twenty or thirty hours, 

 or in some suitable steep a proper time, will cause it 

 to vegetate earlier. We select a few items on the 

 subject. 



Preparation* por Sef,d Corn. — I promised you 

 last year, while you were connected with the Farmer, 

 to send you a recipe lor republication, in regard to 

 the prej^aration of seed corn. I took it from that 

 journal several years since, and have used it with 

 much satisfaction. 



" Dissolve one pound of sal ammoniac in eight 

 quarts hot water. When reduced to blood heat, put 

 one peck of seed corn into it. Let it remain eighteen 

 hours, roll in plaster, and plant it.'" 



I prefer not to let the com remain in the prepara- 

 tion more than sixteen hours, as, if it remains a little 

 too long, it will not vegetate. It should be planted 

 soon after it is prepared. I have used this recipe 

 some four or five years, and Arith the best results. 

 Corn prepared in this way will be ready for hoeing 

 at the same time as corn planted without any prepa- 

 ration — one week earlier, unless it happens to be verxj 

 xcet iceather. When this is the case, the sal ammoniac 

 is of little value. I have raised eighty bushels to the 

 acre of com prqjared in this way. And I have never 

 been troubled with the crows pirllmg up the seed. 



Perhaps I should add that sal ammoniac can be 

 purchased for twenty-five cents per pound, although 

 some merchants ask four and even six sliillings. 



S. P. CHAPMAN. 



Clockville, Mad. Co., N. Y., May, 1850. 

 — Rural New- Yorker. 



Soaking Corn in Saltpetre. — I had the benefit 

 of soaking com in saltpetre, to plant, well tested last 

 year, on a small piece of ground, planted late. I had 

 not enough soaked to plant all the piece. Where it 

 was not soaked, the blackbirds pulled out abovft one 

 third ; where it was soaked, they seldom touched a 

 hill. But what was most peculiar, there happened 

 to be one row planted with dry corn between two 

 rows that were soaked ; of the dry, they took several 

 hills clean, and, altogether, about one third of the 

 row ; while they did not take more than one hill of 

 the two saltpetre rows. 



JAMES C. TAYLOR. 



Atlantic, N. J. 

 — American Agriculturist. 



FOOD RAISED ON AN ACRE. 



The amount of human food tliat can be produced 

 upon an acre is worthy of great consideration. One 

 hundred bushels of Indian corn per acre is not an 

 uncommon crop. One peck por week will not only 

 sustain life, but give a man strength to labor, if the 

 stomach is joroperly toned to that amount of food. 

 This, then, would feed one man 400 weeks, or almost 

 eight years I 



Four hundred bushels of northern potatoes can 

 also be raised upon an acre. This would give a 

 bushel a week for the same length of time ; and the 

 actual weight of an acre of sweet potatoes is 21,344 

 pounds, which is not considered an extraordinarj' 

 crop. This would feed a man six pounds a day for 

 3557 days, or nine and two thirds years ! 



To vary the diet, we will occasionally give rice. 

 This has been grown at the rate of ninetj'-three 

 bushels to the acre over an entire field. This, at 

 forty-five lbs. to the bushel, would be 4185 lbs. ; or, 

 at twenty-eight lbs. to the bushel, when hulled, 2604 

 lbs., which, at two pounds a day, would feed a man 

 1302 days, or more than three and a half j-ears ! 



Upon reflection, it is not very wonderful that so 

 mqny non -producers are able to find food, when we 

 see how many mouths one laborer can fill. — American 

 Agricidturist. 



Nature is a book of sweet and glowing ptirity, and 

 on every illumined page the benevolence and good- 

 ness of God are divinely showii. Study its pages, and 

 learn wisdom. 



As well pass a kaleidoscope from hand to hand, 

 and expect no trembling touch will alter its aspect, 

 as to think to hear a story from mouth to mouth 

 literally and accurately repeated. 



