340 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[May 20, 



PEAT, A VALUABLE MANURE. • 



{Conlinutd from p. 333.] 



It will not, 1 believe, be nnacceptnble to my ^ ^ 



readers to insert here an extract from tlie small i ^i^^ dunghill is thus enlarged, there is little oc 



casion to exceed the proporlion of dung recom- 

 mended for making up to prepare in the mild- 

 f a covering of coarse 



the dunghill, which, in thai case, may he done | upside down, and outsido in, and nil lumps bro 

 without any limit, by ndding, all round ihe dung- 

 hill, circles', consisting of layers of dung and peat 

 of seven feet in breadth. And if the mass ot 



treatise of the learned Judge, which was print 

 ed and distributed very extensively for behoof 

 of the Scottish peasantry; and 1 do thiKS the rather, 

 because the subject, on account ofits novelty 

 and repugnance to common ideas, may be re- 

 ceived with some distrust, unless conveyed in 

 the very words of the author. 



"• Let the peat-moss, of which compost is to 

 be formed, be thrown out of the pit lor some 

 weeks or months, in order to lose its redundant 

 moisture. By this means, it is rendered the 

 lighter to carry, and less compact and weighty, 

 when made up with fresh dung, for fermenta- 

 tion ; and accordingly, less dung is reipiired for 

 the purpose, than if the preparation is made 

 with peat taken recently irom Ihe pit. The 

 peat taken from near the surface, or at a con- 

 siderable depth, answers ecpially well. And the 

 more compact the peat, and the litter to ]>rove 

 good fuel, so much the more promising it is to 

 be prepared i'or manure. 



"• Take the pcat-nioss to a dry spot, convenient 

 for constructing a dunghill, to serve the field to 

 be manured. Lay the cart-loads of it in two 

 rows, and of the dung in a row betwixt them. 

 The dung thus lies on the area of the conipnst- 

 duughill, and the rows of peal should be near 

 enough each other, that workmen in making 

 up Ihe compost, may bo aide to throw lliom to- 

 gether by the spailc. In making up, let the 

 workmen begin at one end; and, at the extrem- 

 ity of the row of dung, (which should not extend 

 quite so far at that end as the pons of peat on 

 each side of it do,) let them lay a bottom of 

 peal, six inches deep, and fifiecn feet wide. 

 Then Ihrow forward, and lay about ten, inches 

 of dung above the bottom of peal; then four or 

 five of dung ; and then cover it over with petil 

 at the end v. here it was begun, at the two sides, 

 and above The comjiosl should not he rnised 

 above four I'eet and a half higli, otherwise it is 

 apt to press loo heavily on Ihe under parts, and 

 check the fermentation : unless the peal, when 

 dry, be very imffy and light, and liien a much 

 greater height is desirable. Neither should it 

 be much lower, otherivise it will prove (vant- 

 ing in the compactnej^s, and soon also, if Ihe! 

 weather is very dry, in the moisture required 

 for the ingredients of which it consists, to act 

 chemically on each other. When a boginnlog is 

 tkus made, Ihe workmen will proceed workitig 

 backwards, and adding to the column of compost 

 as they arc furnished with the throe rows of 

 materials, directed to be laid down for them. — 

 They mu t take care not to Iread on the com- 

 po;f, or render it too compact ; and of con- 

 sequence, in proportion as the pent is wrt, it 

 ehould be made up in luinji-^, and not much mash- 

 ed or broken. 

 '•In mild weather, sc'ven carl-lnads of common 

 farm-yard dung, loleraldy fresh maile, is suf- 

 ficient lor Ivvc-nty-one carl-loads ot' |ieat-nioss ; 

 but in Cold wcall'.er, a larger proportion of ilung 

 is desirable ; at least it is prudent to omit pul- 

 tiug any peat hetueeu Ihe tuo npjier layeis of 



i;en : then it comes inio a second heat, but soon 

 cools, and is lit to be taken out for use. In ihis 

 stale the whole, except bits of the old decayed 

 wood, aiipears a black free mass, and spreads 

 like garden-mould. Use it, weight for weight, 

 as firm-vard dung ; and it will be found, in a 

 course of crcpidng, fully to stand the compari- 



son. 



(7'o 6c cor.tinucit.) 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 

 We were yesterday honoured with a call from 

 Dr. Mitchell, who out of tlie abundance of bis 

 inexhauslilde reservoir of useful and cuiiousin- 

 ibrmalion, fiolitely communicated the subjoined 

 articles, with one or livo other notices ivhich 

 wc are compelled to ilefer to. another occasion. ' 

 Bv Ihe bye, a question was put to the Doctor, 

 which for once in his lile he seemed at a loss 

 i to answer. U was a philosophical explanation of 

 the phenom.enon, that in boring, water will rise 

 to the liurface of the ground at any given heiglit 

 from Ihe spring, wlien Ihe external pressure 

 of the atmosphere will raise it liul thirty-three 

 fret i:i vacuo. The fact was finally accounted 

 for upon the principle of syphon*, Ihe n.atural 

 apertures of which are frequently ibuiid upon 



itile "or no I the summits of high mountains. 



serve, pro-j jWnivc Copper Ji-oin Staicn IsUuul. — From Cas- 



er season ; especially it 



vegetables of any sort, such as waste hay or 

 straw, rushes, broom, or lurze, or brushwood 

 of evergreens, is thrown over the dunghill. — 

 In fact, a covering of this sort is scarce less use- 

 ful in summer to prevent the escape of mois- 

 ture, than in winter to exclude cold. 



"To every twenty-eight cart-loads of the com- 

 post, when" made up. it is of use to ihroiy on 

 above it a carl-load of ashes, cither made irom 

 coal, peat, or wood; or if these c.nnnot be had, 

 half the quantity of slacked lime may be used, 

 the more linely powdered the better. But these 

 additions are'in nowise essential to the general 

 success of the compost, provided a sufficiency 

 of time is allowed to the preparation to compen- 

 sate for the want of them. 



"The dung to be used should eitb.cr.have been 

 recently made, or kept fresii by compression ; 

 as by tiie treading of cattle or swine, or by carts 

 passing OM'r it. And if there is 

 litter init, a smaller quantity wil 



vided any s|'i)p.gy vegetable mailer is added at j tleton, on the north side of Slaten Island, came 

 making up l!ie compost, as fresh weeds, the rub- i J\li- Richard A. Houseman, bringing a specimen, 

 bisli ol;; stack-yard, potaloe-shaws, sawings of 

 limfer, tc. And as some sorts ofdur.g, even 

 when fresh, are much more advanced in decom- 

 position ihan others, it is material to attend to 

 ibis; for a much less proportion of such dung, 

 e-Jpeci illy if abounding in animal matter, as i= 

 less advanced, will serve for the compost, pro- 

 vided care is taken lo keep the mass siiihcient- 

 ly open, either by a mixltire of the above men- 

 tioned substances, or, if these are wanting, by 

 adding the peal piece-msal, that is, first mixin"' 

 it up :n the usual proporlion of three lo one of 

 duoL', and then, alter a lime, adding an equal 

 I quantity, more or les--, of peal. The dung of 

 this character, of greatest quaniiiy, is shamble- 

 |dung, with yvhich, under the a'jovo precanlior.s, 

 six limL'- the quantity of peat, or more, may be 

 [irc|iared. The same holds as to pigeon-ilung, 

 and other finvl-dung: and to a certain exten', 

 also, as lo that which is collected from towns, 

 and mailc by animals tliat feed en grain-, rct^use 

 of distilleries, &c. 



'•The comjiost, afler it is nia^li; up. get.s into 

 a general heal sooner or later, according to Ihe 

 wialhor, and the condition of llie dung; in sum- 

 mer, in Ion days or sooner; in winter, not per- 



of native copper, i'ound on the surface by his 

 I'ather, ivhile em|doyed in gathering stones for 

 ballast. It is a Uallish and irregular mass, 

 wfigliins thirtij-une ounces., which, on being 

 compared with llie pieces received from Vice 

 President Calhoun, while he was secretary at 

 war, as brought trom Lake Sujierior, seemed lo 

 be I'f qjjito as pure a quilily. It was recollect, 

 ed, thnl smaller [lieres ol' the same metal had 



been I'ouiiil, when the deep well was dug in 

 Foil Rirhmiuid, at the Narrows, and in oilier 

 places liiertabout I'rom lime lo time, 'i'hcy all 

 would appear alluvial materi.ils. Irom Ihe u)iper 

 country, as I hey are rjuile dttarhrd, and loose 

 in the earih, ami it is queslionaljle, whether 

 {hey ever had a connexion with the Schuvlcr 

 (.r Belleville mine, inasmuch as there is no 

 virgin copper in tliat place. 



Salt onl cnnli'f IVcsleru Virgimc. — A memoir 



of Leu .s Summ^ie. E«q. of ivenhawa county, 

 on llie Saiiiios. or sal; springs and wells ofth.it 

 region, was read. Among other particulars, 

 thai at the Salt V/orks along the Great Kanawha 

 ihere are about sixty (nrnacesin operation, pro- 

 ducing from ten thousand to twenty thousard 

 bushels annually ; and (urnishing the princijial 

 U 



should be kept in it in dii^--rent parts, lo pui 

 out and feel now and Ihen ; for if it approach- 

 es to Idond-heat, it should either be watered, 

 or tuned over; and on such an occasion, ad- 

 vantage may be taken lo mix with il .i litlle 

 fresh ]('al. The heat subsides, after a lime, 

 and with great v.aricty, according to the weather, 

 liung, and rather thicken Ihe outer coaling with ; <he dung, and Ihe perfection of the making up 

 peat. It is also proper in winter, if ground with i of the compost ; which then may be allowed to 

 a dry bollom can be conveiiicnily e'liiployed for I '''^'"•''" untouched, until within ihrec or lour 

 the purpose, to increase greailv the breadth of] weeks ot using, when il should be turned over, 



haps for many weeks,, if the cohl is severe.— : s„.,p!y „f this essential article lo the states of 

 It always, however, has been found to come on | x^,,„uc!n', Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, the west 

 at last ; and in summer, it somelimcs rises so j j, .„.(„)• -j-ynnpssee, Ihe northern section of Ala- 

 high as lo be mischievous, by consuming the ;i,;„n,,^ „[„| i;,p western counties of Virginia. 



materials, (fire-fanging). In that season, n stick ! Coal is the fuel employed to promote evap- 

 .1 '1 i.„ I . ;., ;• ;.. .v.rr » ,„ .... „..!i . „ . ';..'.. ' 



oration from the (laiis and kettles, and Ihe con- 

 cretion and graining of the salt. It is found by 

 experience, thai during the combustion of the 

 coal uiulcr ihe boilers, a sooty concretion is 

 formed from it, which adheres firmly lo their 

 bottoms, and becomes a very bail conductor of 

 heal. The only tnode the manufacturers now 

 practise for removing that non-conducting mass, 

 is placing more coal in Ihe furnace, I'or the pur- 

 pose of increasing the iieat to a degree equal 

 to Iho consumption of the carbon, lilumen 



