222 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. I. 



Some farmers maintain that drink or shel- 

 ter is unnecessary, or that they are on the 

 whole disadvantaifeous for sheep. This must 

 be a mistake, for on such matters thedecisions 

 of instinct may much more safely be relied 

 upon, than the mere opinion of any observer; 

 and it is well known that sheep will always 

 use drink, or will seek a shelter ifone can be 

 had, durin<r hiah winds or severe storms. It 

 is contrary to the order of nature that any 

 animal should suffer injury from being kept 

 comfortable. If the place of shelter is too 

 small or ill ventilated, sheep are injured by 

 being crowded into such confined limits; but 

 it is the height of absurdity to suppose that the 

 health of a siieep, and consequently the qual- 

 ity of the wool, will not be better, where care 

 and comfort are attended to, than where both 

 are neglected. — Genesee Farmer. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Greeia Vegetable Manure. 



An article in the Farmers' Cabinet of Jan- 

 uary the 1st, states that green vegetable sub- 

 stances may be " rendered of immense value 

 to the farmer by their conversion into ma- 

 nure." 



The process is effected by mixing quick 

 lime with weeds or green rubbish of any 

 kind, which immediately heats and decom- 

 poses the whole mass. The ashes and lime 

 are then spread upon the land, and is repre- 

 sented to have an immediate and powerful 

 effect upon its produce. 



I have no doubt of this fact, in a limited 

 sense; the effect of ashes upon the produce 

 of land is well known to farmers generally ; 

 but the economy of reducing green vegetable 

 matter into ashes, for the purpose of manure, 

 is not so evident. The quantity of manure 

 is so reduced by the operation of burning, 

 that we have generally considered it a waste 

 to consume vegetable matter for the purpose 

 of obtaining ashes ; and statements which 

 are expected to change this opinion ought to 

 be very minute and particular in detail. The 

 article referred to states that the clover 

 mowed from an acre of land would, when 

 burned, mafiure four acres ; but we are not 

 told how it would manure it, we know 

 nothing of the amount of manure, nor the 

 produce of the land ; if we knew the num- 

 ber of bushels of ashes, or the produce of the 

 four acres compared with that of the pre- 

 vious season, we could form some opinion 

 as to the advantage of the operation. Ex- 

 perience has so far told us that a great degree 

 of heat destroys the quantity of vegetable 

 manure, and that no residum left after the 

 operation of fire is e(iual to the same mate- 

 rials reduced to a soluble state by putrefac- 

 tion. Horse manure thrown into a dry place 



will heat and waste its substance so as to be 

 comparatively useless; but if spread under 

 sheds where cattle feed, they will tramp upon 

 it and keep it moist enough to encourage 

 gradual decomposition without injury by 

 overheatinor. The clearinci up of fences and 

 other neglected places, from all kinds of 

 rrreen rubbish, and depositinn- it in the hog 

 pens, with occasionally a load of dirt spread 

 over the whole, increases the quantity of the 

 best kind of manure, and would, I presume, 

 be more profitable than to convert the mate- 

 rials into ashes. Plaster of Paris spread 

 upon corn stalks and the long litter of the 

 barn-yard, in order to hasten the decompo- 

 sition, has every appearance of producing 

 the desired effect, but lime, from its caustic 

 qualities, is supposed to be injurious to com- 

 posts of every description. 



A Subscriber. 



Wilmington, 1st mo. 10th, 1837. 



[In the article referred to we simply gave 

 the facts as they were related to us, with the 

 hope that some of our readers would make 

 the experiment, and communicate the result, 

 " A Subscriber" will please accept our 

 thanks for his attention, with an assurance 

 that future communications will be duly 

 acknowledged.] 



Farmiug;. 



This is certainly the most healthy anc 

 pleasant employment we can pursue. The 

 great variety of exercise in the open ai) 

 which it affords, give a healthy turn to the 

 functions, and adds much to the vigor anc 

 strength of the body to which we are in ; 

 great degree indebted for all the enjoyment 

 of life. If wealth be the object of our pur 

 suit, this is the surest way of accumulatmj 

 it. The riches of the farmer gradually bu 

 permanently increase. Look at them wh( 

 for the last ten years have done nothing bu 

 attend to the business of their farms, anel hav 

 been industrious and prudent. Have the 

 not increased in property ? Are not thei 

 buildings and fences in better condition 

 Have not their flocks and herds increased ' 

 Have they not either purchased more land o I 

 have money to letT There is certainly no 

 more than one to ten of the persons who fo 

 the last thirty years have done nothing bu 

 farming, but that has a competence and i 

 comfortably situated in life ; while on thi 

 other hand ten to one of those, who for th 

 same period have been engaged in speculatio! 

 and trade, have been or now are Bnnkruph 



If honor be the point to which your cours 

 is directed, engage in agricultural pursuits 

 for what will bo a greater elevation than t 

 be connected among that class of citizen 

 which are universally acknowledged to be a 

 a body, the most respectable in our countrj 



