526 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



the root of your plants, and hoe them soon, so as to have the pleasure of seeing them devour unhappy 

 cover the ashes. criminals; and slaves for various offences, most par- 



Ashes contain all the inorganic substance of the,ticularly for any attempt to gain their liberty, were 



wood or plants which are consumed ; part of these 

 are soluble and part insoluble. Thus dissolved, pot- 

 ash Avill dissolve silica and prepare it for glazing the 

 stalks of cane, corn, wheat, &c. 



Not a particle of ashes should go to waste. 

 Leached ashes has parted with most of its potash, 

 but it still retains its phosphoric acid and most of 

 its lime. Ashes neutralize acids in the soil ; they 

 warm cold, messy, wet places ; they are very de- 

 structive to insects ; they assist to break down and 

 dissolve the coarse fibres and stalks in compost 

 heaps ; and render hard, clayey soils, open loamy 

 and fertile. 



The potash, so material to most crops, can be ob- 

 tained here, onl}- from ashes. In granite regions, 

 potash is obtained from the dissolution of the feld- 

 spar, but we have none in this region of country. 



Wheat contains a large proportion of potash. 

 Fifty-nine per cent of the ash of corn is carbonate 

 of potash, one half of the earthy part of Irish pota- 

 toes is pure potash. 



Save jour ashes, therefore, as carefully as you do 

 your five and ten cent pieces, apply them to your 

 crops with care, and you will find them of a rich, 

 deep green color Avhile growing, and lieaAy with nu- 

 triment at harvest. — Ancient Ciiy. 



For the Netc England Farmer. 



DIGNITY OF TOIL. 



_ Mr. Editor : — When Lycurgus, ruler of Laco- 

 nia, made an equal division of land, and destroyed 

 commerce by the introduction of an almost valueless 

 currency, he performed an act bold and novel be- 

 yond all precedent, requiring unlimited authority 

 for its ])erformance. And he acted from wise mo- 

 tives, for Sparta was a small country, surrounded by 

 warlike nations, and he hoped by suppressing all 

 wealth and luxury, to be able to maintain its inde- 

 pendence. But he made one great mistake— he 

 destroyed the dignity of labor, for the work of till- 

 ing the soil was performed by "helots" or slaves, 

 consisting of prisoners taken in war, and their de- 

 scendants, who were treated with great rigor, while 

 they, (the Spartans,) s])ent most of their time in 

 military exercises ; and subsequent to the death of 

 Lycurgus they became luxurious and effeminate, 

 and were swallowed up in the Roman vortex. 



The Romans, in the early ages of their history, 

 were a virtuous and industrious nation, who paid 

 great attention to agriculture, the land being 

 owned chiefly in small parcels ; each proprietor cul- 

 tivated his farm Avith his own labor. And so long 

 as their great men were called from the plow to 

 the senate and the tribunal, did they increase in 

 popularity. But when the nation had waxed migh- 

 ty, had fought many wars and conquered many na- 

 tions, then slave labor was almost miiversally adopt 



punished by bemg thrown to wild beasts. At last 

 the nation became so effeminate, that the army 

 which had been the terror of the M'orld, and was in 

 the early ages of her existence composed of the 

 flower of her youth, was ruined by the mtroduc- 

 tion of many foreign legions. It is the commonly 

 received opinion that Rome was conquered by vast 

 hordes of barbarians from the North, but it will 

 easily be seen that slavery was the conqueror, for 

 if the Romans had remained a free, virtuous and 

 industrious people, they could have withstood all 

 the world. E. N. 



South Hctdley, Sept., 1855. 



F<ir the New England Farmer. 



GSAVEL WALLS. 



Mr. Editor : — The subject of mortar is extensive, 

 and at best but a mere glance of it can now be 

 taken, yet its im])ortance is so great, in this mode of 

 building especially, that it cannot be passed over 

 too hastily. 



Shaw, in one of his works on Architecture, says : 

 " The characteristic of all modern artists, buildei-s 

 among the rest, seems to be to spare their time and 

 labor as much as possible, and to increase the quan- 

 tity of the article they produce, without much re- 

 gard to goodness, and perhaps there is no manufac- 

 ture in which this is so remarkably exemplified as 

 in the preparation of common moi'tar." 



There is a work on mortars, now out of print, but 

 which should be in print, and in the possession of 

 all builders and persons about to build, which is the 

 result of extensive research, and the jmtient prac- 

 tical experiments of Lieut. Wm. H. Wright, of the 

 U. S. corps of Engineers, while engaged on the 

 public works in Boston harbor. The following 

 directions for pre])aring mortar and concrete, are 

 gleaned from the nrass, and partly in the language 

 of the book. He says, sand performs no chemical 

 part in mortar, but is entirely passive in its influence ; 

 it apjjears rather to diminish the adhesiveness or 

 tenacity of the limes, and though it may often add 

 to their resistance, is employed chiefly for reasons 

 of economy. It is useful, however, as an ingredient 

 of mortar, in some other respects ; it moderates 

 the shrinkage of the cementing matter, making it 

 uniform, and preventing cracks ; probably facilitates 

 desiccation, and makes the induration more rapid. 

 Sand diminishes the strength of hydraulic cement 

 in every respect, whether we regard tenacity, resis- 

 tance, or the i)roperty of setting under water ; though 

 a mixture of cement and sand for stucco and point- 

 ing mortar is better than ])ure cement, as being less 

 liable to crack, and therelbre more durable when 

 exposed to the sun in hot weather. In general, a 

 moderate portion of sand is mingled with cement, 

 for the sake of economy, excejit in peculiar circum- 

 stances, on very important works. 



Sand containing soft earthy matter, should be re- 



ed : not only in agriculture and the mechanic arts, but 



also in nearly all of the professions, slaves were to jected for mortarror if retained should be washed, 

 be found. Consequently it became a disgrace for a j Its presence is easily detected by its soiling the 

 " -- ., , rr. . . hand. 



A suitable projiortion of sand or fine gravel, by 

 fiUing the void spaces in the Hme paste, and by the 

 adhesion of its particles to the lime, is important in 



free citizen to labor — they became effeminate and 

 dissolute. In their amusements they showed a de- 

 praved taste ; amj)hitheatres were erected at vast ex- 

 pense ; lions, tigers, elephants, alligators and otlier 



ferocious beasts, were brought from various parts of point of economy, as it is the least expensive ingre- 

 the world, in order that the Roman populace mightldient. A very imi)ortant part in mortar-making. 



