258 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEBRUARY 37, 1S33. 



To every twenty-eight cart loads of the com- 

 post, when made up, it is of use to throw on 

 above it a cart load of ashes, either made from 

 coal, peat or wood ; or if tliese cannot be had, 

 half the quantity of slacked lime may be used, the 

 more finely powdered the better. But these addi- 

 tions are not essential to the general success of 

 the compost, provided a sufficiency of time is al- 

 lowed to the preparation to compensate for the 

 want of them. 



The dung to be used should either have been 

 recently made, or kept fresh by compression ; as 

 by the treading of cattle or swine, or by carls pass- 

 ing over it. And if there is little or no litter in 

 it, a smaller quantity will serve, provided any 

 spongy vegetable matter is added at making up 

 the compost, such as fresh weeds, the ruhhish of 

 a stack-yard, potato-shaws, sawings of timber, 

 &c. And as some sorts of dung, even when fresh, 

 are much more a<lvanced in decomposition than 

 others, it is material to attend to this ; for a much 

 less proportion of such dung, especially i'ahound- 

 ing in animal matter, will serve for the compost, 

 provided care is taken to keep the mass sufficient- 

 ly open, either by a mixture of the abovf-mention- 

 ed substances, or, if these are wanting, by adding 

 the peat ' piecemeal, that is, first mixiis; it u)) in 

 the usual proportion of three to one of dung, and 

 then, after a time, adding an equal quaitity, more 

 or less, of peat. The dung of this character of 

 best quality is shamble dung, with «lii<h, imder 

 the above precautions, six times the quantity ol 

 peat or more, may be prepared. TIk same holds 

 as to pigeon-dung, and other fowl-duig; and to a 

 certain extent, also, as to that which is collected 

 from towns, and made by animals that feed on 

 grain, refuse of ilistilleries, &c. 



The compost, after it is made up, gets into a gen- 

 eral hoot coonor or iatci, aCCOrdingtO the Wonthcr, 



and the C(iudition of the dung in summer, in ten 

 days or sooner ; in winter, not perhaps for many 

 weeks, if the cold is severe. It always, however, 

 has been found to come en at last,* and in sum- 

 mer it sometimes rises so high as to be mischiev- 

 ous, by consuming the nuterials (fire fanging). In 

 that season, a stick shouk be kept in it in different 

 parts, to pull out and fee now and then ; for if it 

 approaches to blood heat it should either be wa- 

 tered or turned over; aid on such an occasion, 

 advantage may he taken to mix it with a little 

 fresh peat. The heat sihsides after a time, and 

 with great variety, accorling to the weather, the 

 dung, and the perfection of the making up of the 

 compost ; which then imy be allowed to remain 

 untouched, until within hree or four weeks of 

 using, when it should Je turned over, upside 

 down, and outside in, and all lumps broken : then 

 it comes into a second hcjt, hut soon cools, and is 

 fit to be taken out for use. In this state the whole, 

 except bits of the old decayed wood, appears a 

 black free mass, and spreads like garden mould. 

 Use it weight for weight as farm yaril dung; and 

 it will be found, in a course of cropping, fully to 

 stand the comparison. 



Let it be observed, that the object in making uj) 

 the compost is to form as large a hjt-bed as the 

 quantity of dung employed admits of, and then to 

 surround it on all sides, so as to have the whole 

 fejnefit of the heat and efiluvia. Pea:, nearly as 



dry as garden mould, in seed time, may be niixed 

 with the dung so as to double the volume and 

 iiiore, and nearly triple the weight, and instead of 

 hurting the heat, prolong it. Workmen must be- 

 gin with using layers ; but, when accustomed to 

 th.e just i)roportions, if they are furnished with 

 peat moderately dry, and dung not lost in litter, 

 they throw it up together as a mixed mass, always 

 coating it, however, with more peat ; and they im- 

 prove in the art, so as to make a less proportion of 

 dung serve for the preparation. 



The addition recommended of ashes, or lime, to 

 the compost, is thought to favor the general per- 

 fection of the preparation, and when the composi- 

 tion is turned over, to hasten the second heat. 

 The lime laid on the dunghill, as directed, is ren- 

 dered mild by the vapors that escape during the 

 first heat. 



Compost, made up before January, is generally 

 in good order for the spring crops ; but this is not 

 to be expected in case of a severe long frost. In 

 summer it is ready in eight or ten weeks ; and 

 if there is an anxiety to have it soon prepared, 

 the addition of ashes, or of a little lime-rubbish of 

 old buildings, or of lime slaked with foul water, 

 applied to the dung used in making up, will 

 quicken the process considerably. 



Lime has been mixed previously with the peat ; 

 but the compost prepared with that mixture, or 

 with the simple peat, seemed to produce equally 

 good crops. All the land, however, that it has 

 been tried on, has been limed more or less within 

 these twenty-five years. 



The rich coarse earth, which is frequently found 

 on the surface of peat, is too heavy to be admitted 

 into this compost; but it makes an excellent top- 

 dressing, if previously mixed and turned over with 

 lime. [To be conlinucd.] 



* III order lo liriiig on the Ileal more expetliliously, in a com- 

 pos! made up in lro>l, a nanow addilioii ol' dui<; and peat has 

 sometimes, aller the Irost has gone off, been laid along the sides 

 af the compost, scraping down a little the coaling of peal 

 mpoo it. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DISEASE IN CATTLE. 



Mr. Editor, — In regard to the Dunstable .0.\ 

 mentioned in your paper, which has the " holl 

 fast" on his jole, I think the disease is righty 

 named, for I believe it will hold fast, till his bon s 

 go to dust again. I believe it is what we call a 

 hone cancer. I have known a number in our qua-- 

 ter, and I never knew one to be cured. As soin 

 as we discover a bunch growing upon the joh, 

 we go to feeding in order to make beef for tie 

 butcher; for the bone will grow very fast, becone 

 painful, and the joles will become tender, so tlut 

 the animal will not eat any thing that is hard, anl 

 not taking sufficient to support nature, will ful 

 away and die. 



I had a cow that had a rose cancer in one o^ 

 her eyes. I discovered it in the fall. In the sprinj 

 her eye began to swell out of her bead, and by tin 

 tirst of June it was as large as a very large goost 

 egg. She had a calf, which ran with her at tin 

 time. She appeared to be in great pain, would 

 not stand to eat three minutes at a time, but kept 

 continually walking. I took the calf off, and the 

 cow into the barn, hove her down, took a shoe- 

 maker's knife and cut the cancer, eye and all, 

 from the socket, so that her eye-lids shut to as well as 

 those on the other eye. I let her get up, and gave 

 her some hay. She stood and ate as well as sIr 

 ever did. I went to feeding her, made her good 

 beef by the last of September, and sold her to the 

 butcher for $27. The cancer had grown again by 

 that time as large as a hen's egg, A Yankey. 



'IHverton, Feb. 19, 1833. 



For the New Engl'md Farmer. 

 AGRICUI.TIIRAI, ESSAYS, K O . XIX. 



Sh.ndleworm on Indian corn, is killed by 

 spriii\ling the corn with a weak lye of wood ashes. 



SviNE, profitable. Every family should keep 

 one, to take off the weeds of the garden, and re- 

 fuse of the kitchen. Carrots good for thein 



shoiid have a change of diet and be fed in a 

 cleaily manner. Some farmers throw their corn 

 to tlem in the durtiest of pens, where it is buried 

 at oice in filth, and almost entirely lost. Noth- 

 ing lan be more slovenly. Keep them in a small 

 pastire, or orchard, well fenced and watered ; 

 witlia close warm stye to retreat to. Keep them 

 alwivs in a middling good plight ; yokes prejudicial 

 to tlem ; but no hog should eve»- be seen without 

 a riig in his nose. Put them up to fatten in Sep- 

 temler, and kill them middle of November or 

 sooKr. He who fats a hog in winter must be a 

 lose — meal better for them than corn — green corn 

 out )f the field, excepted. Give them faiy water 

 for Irink — the wash of the kitchen, worse than 

 noting for fatting hogs. Let them have no more 

 food at a time, than they will eat up clean. If 

 many, pour oil on their backs. Give them litter 

 in Jilnty, and keep their issues open, or they will 

 not ttteu. The Chinese breed very good to prop- 

 agat. 



TiRKET. Plunge the chick into cold water, as 

 sooi as hatched, or the next day after, and force 

 do\n one whole pepper corn, and give it to its 

 moier to be brooded ; it will be as hardy as the 

 chik of a hen. If they droop while young, view 

 the rumps, anil you will find two or three feath- 

 ers, whose quill parts are filled with blood, — 

 drav them, and the chick will soon recover. 



"uRNiP. Sow on a light, sandy soil, not very 

 rich. New cleared land ])roper. Sow middle of 

 July, when the ground is moist; not when it is 

 dry. One pound of seed to an acre. House, and 

 bury them in dry sand — it will prevent their grow- 

 ing corky. 



Wheat. Sow one bushel and an half on an 

 acre, on a loamy soil well pulverized. Manure 

 with old dung, and change your seed annually. 

 Wash it before sowing, and sow in the latter part 

 of August, and never when the earth is very dry. 

 Plough it in with a shallow furrow, and leave the 

 land rough. Spring wheat should be sowed as 

 early ns possible, and only harrowed in. Never 

 IVed grain, unless it be likely to ear out in the 

 fall. 



Wool. Divide it into three parts, or setts. 1. 

 The neck and btick, called mother wool. 2. Tails 

 and legs. 3. Breast and belly, should not be 

 mixed in sjiinning. The two best qualities in 

 wool, length and fineness. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 Mr. Fessen-df.n, — The Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural Society having awarded a premium of $20 to 

 Mr. Wm. Carter of Fitchburg for his crop of 692J 

 bushels potatoes to the acre, it is presumed he will 

 cheerfully promote one of the objects of the society 

 in giving the public all the information in his power 

 respecting his mode of cultivating and jjrodueing 

 a crop so enormous. It is desirable to know how 

 many cords his " forty loads of horse manure" 

 contained ; also whether his forty-five bushels of 

 seed, were taken promiscuously of all sizes, and 

 planted whole, or whether they were selected of 

 the largest and cut in pieces — and how far distam 



