348 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[May 27, 



PEAT, A VALUABLE MANURE. 



our /armers to an acquaintance with mo 

 cssful modes of auormentinaf manure, so t 



re 

 es- 



oiir own Ignorance ami neglect, we curse the 

 climate and the scii, ,,r d6wn contented ivitb 



FiOm Ihe .V. I'. Stjlesmin . 



TO FARMERS. 



,.,,,.,. , , . , "'<^"' '3 an article of primary importance, in 



xvhich took« so violent and extravagant, can be.^vhich ihe farmer and manufacturer have a mn- 

 established by the most ample evidence; and |,ial interest ; and as the time of «vash incr and 

 is quite irretragal.le, without denying the prem- shearin? sfieep approache.s il may be timeJv to 

 isps which have been built both on fiacts and ,j,p|.e ;, fevr remarks on that subject 

 philosophy. First .^t all, the one hal: of our. It is a melancholy fact, that the mannfarlurer 

 p.itrescible nnalter IS lost entirely by the waste has been sharaefullir imposed upon from the 

 oflheurme; and the other hall— the dmig— first inlroduction of merino sheep into t!-i< coun 

 is grossly mismanaged either by the escape ot ,rv by unwashed wool of that description • i-no 

 the rich nutritive juices from the dun?-hil!, or ^ ,.,,'nce on the part of Ihe purchaser and in' Jie^t 

 by sniTering the pulrelactive process to be car-; on that of the seller, have, in many insance= 

 ried loan extreme length. This is not all : that ] encouraged the practice of bad washing ' 



dung, if composted with peat, would in most ] r„in of many a manufacturer, who °" 



to Ihe 

 never dis- 

 covered his miilalve till his caplial had been 

 carried down his mill-race in the yolk and filth 

 adhering to his fleeces. 



Il IS s.iid that Ihe Oii-kany manufacturing e-- 



, . ,. , ,, ,- ,tal>l:-hme!it. in the coiinlv ofOneida, was oneof 



formed trom the urine discharged by the cat-;, he tirsi, ami has been one of the greatest con- 



cases be augmented fourfold ; and the qualilv 

 and duration of the mixture are superior, at ail 

 events equd to the principal original compound. 

 Four ton* oi' manure, then, may be produced 

 from one ' i dung, and lour tons also mav be 



sumers of wool in the country ; that it early 

 palronized the growing of line woid ; and pres- 

 sed on the farmer the importance of clean wash- 



] duce our 

 — ; succes 



[Condudedfrcm p. 341.] ; sential to the cultivation of while crops. our present dependent situation, and de=pair"of 



Hitherto 1 hare treated the subject, as if ex-, II. According to the practices which have ■ e.;e.rr>ling that country on which we tread a-id 

 crementitious matter alone possessed the pow- 1 obtained in this province, we have not :.'.,ove! which imparls to us the pleasures of exislenVc 

 er oreiieci.',.c: and accelerating the putrefaction one leu of manure applied to our lieids for ten,; to iis proper rank in the scale of national im- 

 of moss; aud il was lliis visw, which lord which, from the same stock of cattle are pro- ; porlance. .'VGRICOLA. 



Jleadowbank chiefly impressed at £rst on the j duced in England: and of course we are not i 

 public attention ; bu^ many other substanCCi, ; ::bl2 lo cultivate here, Vrith the same means, I 

 he afterwards discovered, are endowed with ! above one acre in ten, which are there under [ 

 this came capacity. — Here my general theo-:lhe plough. To such as have given due atten- j 

 ry of putrescent manures received a colla- tion to the previous details, this conclusion, 

 teral and happy confirmation ; lor it is cow 

 found, from a thousand repeated trials, that all 

 animal and vegetable substances, which are 

 capable of being converted by decomposition 

 into the food of plants, are also capal)ie of ope- 

 rating on peat-earth, of dissolving the charm of 

 its incorruptibility, of expelling its poisonous 

 and antiseptic qualities, and of transmitting it 

 into the most efficient manure. Hence putrid 

 water, the juices of the dunghill, the expres- 

 sion of the cheese-press, the washings of milk 

 vessels, soap suds, the oils and juices of green 

 flax, urine of all descriptions, succulent vegela- 

 bles and weeds, dead animal bodies, refuse of 

 fish, night foil, sea weed, are all invested with 

 the properly of generating heat, and assisting 

 the fermentation of peat : and comports may 

 be formed of all thefe different ingredients. 

 The carcase of a dead horse, which is ol'len suf- 

 fered to pollute the air by its noxious elliuvia, 

 has been happily employed in <lecomposiiig CO 

 tons of peat earth, ii transforming il into the most 

 enriching manure. This wonderful discovery 



exalted the swamps and fens into some deg.-ee of was laid one foot deep with moss, and 1.50 gal- 

 agricnltural importance ; and promises a new | Ions of the liquor thrown upon it. The fermen- 

 era in Ihe mullijiliralion and production of ; latlnn came on instantaneously, attended, with 

 white crops. The lerliliziug virlUR of dungja hissing noise; the other two layers were 



is increased quadruple by blen.ling it ivilh this | Ihen put on, the one after the other, sprinkled 'chases 'ihan m any olher scctii'n of the slate • 

 inert matter, and Lord Meadowb ink, after a each with the urine, and the same eflect was land, during Ihe last season, more 1 Iran (/;!><,/ 

 long and watchful experience, declares that the ' produced. Eight d.iys after, the midden was j thnusjr.rl pouiuh of the liner <^iade- of \meric-,n 

 powers and duration of this species of compost, turned, and to all appearance ^^super-alkalized." | „.ool, were purchased at tlicir factory from 

 in every diversity of soil, have given relurns It would seem ihen that both urine an<l dung, i jhe farmers of the vicinity 



nowise inferior 10 the best barnyard dung ap- ; discharged in any given lime, are of equivalent j Faimers, look well lo" ihe washing of your 

 phed in Ihe same quantily ; and slates express- ; value ; that each of Ihem, if separately appli- j ,;heep. Ger.llcmen fartuers, take care^ho'yoo 

 ly, that it is. equal, if not preferable, in its ef-jedto peat, or moss as it is expressed by Scotch I employ in this business. Il requires more pa- 

 tecti for the first three years; and decidedly i writers, woulil prepare a quadruple amount of | tience, more peiseverance, closer lookii><' to 

 superior alterwards. . i rich and valuable manure ; and consequently, as | and Icrs uhiskn to do the work well, 'ban" has 



There are several other views of this sub- ; the one here is ksl from the construction of generally 1 een understood, and is seldom well 

 ject highly interesting to the ftinnins' class, i our barns, a load ot dung is all we have for eight 

 upon which 1 dare not at present enter, as my I of compost which could be pro.luced from the 

 letters on putrescent manores have already I combined eflicacy of yrine and escreinenlilious 

 swollen much beyond my original limits : and 'matter. ,* ' 



If we take, furtjje? into account Ihe pntref.^c- :„ spout of soft running water, and proper yards 

 live qualities of sea4f'eed, of dead bodies, ei. i for holding, and charge a fair price for "their 

 ther of horses, cows, or sheep, of common I u,e, all parlies would be benefitted, 

 weeds, and of many 3lher substances ; I say. ill Farmers, recollect that bad wasj.ing and bail 



I. In a country like this, where there are no we take into account the power ol these in ile- j pu||in'>- up have been "real objections to Amer- 

 large towns except ihe capital whence Ihe far-; composing peat-earlh, my general statement j , can \vool,'and rontributed to the ^^e of tVreio-n 

 mermay draw manure, our swamps and bogs I will not appear exaggerated, that in this prov- _„„j ,h,,| manufacturers have grown wiser by 

 offer an inexhau-lible supply of this useful and . mce we have not abovp one lead in ten, which j j^d experience- and finally, increase your 

 indi.;pon5.ble article. Com'post middens formi'ni^bt be procured lo replenish the exhausted | i]^,cjj,^ „.,,,h and'ta.' vo'ur sheep' clean, «Vir> our 

 an object ol primtf importance; and wherever [energies of vegetation. But taking it for grant- „,,,o, ^^ ., rea.^onabVprice. and purchase .^Iner- 

 they h ive been adopted as part of farm mnn-| ed, that with a view to strengthen my argu-l j^^m ^^^^^.^^ p,- (o.-einn fabr.rks and vou will 

 aiemenl, they h.ive been followed by results of a ; naenl, 1 have magnified Ihe amount ofour loss: ' 



most fl.illeriog and pioiilable nature. They 1 ii'>d that we could only increase our manures 

 ti.ive tended lo multiply the productions of the I *'" Huies above the present quanlily, this con- 

 o:.ril, lo elevate Ihe hopes of the hii-bandman, i cession calls loudly for reform, and e^plains to 



tie in Ihe same given time. In a course of 

 experiments by James .^rbuthnot, Peterhead, he 

 found •• ih.it 300 cart-loails of moss could be de- 

 composed by drenching it with 410 gallons of|i„^r, and marked Ihe dilTerence between clean 

 cattle iirme. The fo.indalion ol the donahill ;,,,<| ,iirly wool, by correspon.ling prices, and 



protected, gener illy, ag.iinst the pirchasing un- 

 washed wool at any price. ?i]-irk the result ; 

 It is ivell known that vvool is belter w:isheda!i(l 

 belter put up, within the sphere of their pur- 



■1 must leave the additional matter lo some fa- 

 lure day. when 1 may retrace this path of in- 

 quiry. 1 shall deduce one or two practical ob- 

 servations. 



done in the ordinary way. If one or more |icr- 



sons, fn every neighforhooil, Tuho may possess 



i Ihe privilege.) would erect a sheep washing 



'establishment, by (ilacing hirge troughs under 



earlr 



and lo give a new imi>ulse to his useful labours. 

 'H-re thf-y would not only be productive of' all 

 these effects : but they would arrest the progress 

 ofour morasses, by subjecting them lo a waste 

 gradual and constant ; and they would intro. 



the s.ilisl'aciion of every common understanding, 

 Ihe mvsterv of our agricullural poverty. ^Ve 



grow rich. A M.X.N'UF.^CTUHIiR. 



Orange Counlj, May 4, 1825. 



The Kngllth editors arc comidaiiiing that the French 

 Govpinmeiit are taking great pain? to iinpiove their 

 brfert of horses, aud are mouuliufr their cai airy upon 



fling away contemptuously the blessings of Na- 1 "ic finest horses i;nported from KngUnJ. It is said 

 tureand of Providence, and in-tead of blaming 1 'bat while tbe rreuch cavalry never were so -well 



= I mriiinter) as ht prcstnt, tUc Lnsbsh acvcr were so 



' Farmer's Magaziue, toI. 16, p. 416. 



poorly mouatcd. 



