NO. 21 



THE farmers' CA131NET. 



333 



with corn tint lin.<l boon stricken witli tlio 

 frost ] Tiie old fanner " said that corn would 

 ripen when deprived of its tops by the knife, 

 and why should it not ripen when deprived 

 of its leaves by the frost '. But the leaves 

 were not all killed, and tlie juices were fresh 

 in the stalks. He thought the best mana<,re- 

 rnent was, to let it alone." We are satisfied 

 that the old fanner g'ave wise counsels — that 

 liis reasoninjj was logical, and his opinions 

 correct. On subsequently examining the 

 results of our experiment;, we were not able 

 to discover that the corn which had been 

 cut up, had, in any respect, the advantajio of 

 that whici: had not been cut. Tlie difference 

 in quality was not indeed very striking-, yet 

 tliore was a dillerence, and it was decidedly 

 in favor of the uncut corn. In relation to 

 tliis experiment we submit the following 

 remarks. 1. Several of the stalks, althougli 

 put up as well as we knew how to do it, got 

 down and sullered by exposure to the weather. 

 In such case ihe corn was badly damaged. 

 2. No part of the corn that had been cut up, 

 came in so well as that which iiad not been 

 cut, while some of it was badly injured by 

 exposure to the weather. 3. If any advan- 

 tages were gained by cutting, they were to 

 be found only in the greater value of the 

 stalks for the use of fooder. Were these 

 sufficient to balance the expense of cutting 

 and putting up, together with considerable 

 loss in damage to the crop? This we doubt. 

 We think, as did the old farmer of Waterloo, 

 that when unripe corn is stricken with frost, 

 the best way to manage it is, to let it alone. 



Dan Bradley. 

 MarcuUus, Feb. 1837. 



iTIarl. 



It would be well if every cultivator was 

 aware of the important fact, that whoever 

 finds marl, finds a mine of great value. It is 

 one of the best and most general manures in 

 nature ; proper for all soils and all crops. 

 Marl is usually found under moss or peat, in 

 low, sunken lands, and especially nightlie sea 

 or large rivers. It has been sometunes dis- 

 covered by ant hills, as those insects bring 

 up small pieces of shell from their holes. It 

 may be known by the application of a mineral 

 acid, and even good vinegar will cause an 

 effervescence. 



"To find the composition of a marl, pour a 

 few ounces of diluted muriatic acid into a 

 Florence flask ; place them in a scale and 

 let them be balanced : then reduce a few 

 ounces of this dry marl to powder ;*and let 

 this powder be carefully weighed, and gradu- 

 ally thrown into the flask, until after repeated 

 additions, no farther eflxirvesconce is perceived. 

 Let the remainder of the powdered marl be 

 weighed, by which the quantity projected will 



bo known. T,ot the balance then be restored. 

 Tlie difli^rence of weight between the (juan- 

 tiiy projected and that requisite to restore 

 the balance, will show the weight of air lost 

 (luring the cflervescence. [That air proceeds 

 from calcareous earth alone, which containa 

 forty-four per cent, of this carbonic acid air. 

 Suppose five hundred grains of marl lose 

 Ibrly-four grains by the escape of air, then 

 that marl contained one hundred grains, or 

 one hf'ih part of the whole weight of lime 

 stone. — T G. F.] If the loss amount to 

 twenty or twenty-tive per cent, of the quantity 

 of iiinrl projected, by the marl essayed is cal- 

 careous, or marl rich in calcareous earth. 

 Clayey marls, or those in which the argilla- 

 ceous ingredient prevails, lose only, eight or 

 ten per cent, of their weight by this treatment, 

 and sandy marls about the same proportion. 

 The presence of much argillaceous earth may 

 be judged by drying the marl, after being 

 washed with spirit of salt, when it will hard- 

 en and lorm a brick." — Domestic Envy- 

 clnpedia. 



Pasture for Swiiic, 



A lot of land well seeded down to clover, 

 is wanted by good cultivators for pasturing 

 swine. The quantity of land to be propor- 

 tioned to the number of swine that may keep 

 the grass from going to seed. This will pre- 

 vent waste, and the shorter the grass is the 

 sweeter it v.'ill be, and the more pleasant 

 food to the animals for whose use it is des- 

 tined. The pig pasture should have a good 

 supply of water, and running water is to be 

 preferred to still water, but tlie latter is bet- 

 ter than none. Hogs should not be permitted 

 to run in their summer pa>ture till about the 

 first of May; and they should be well ringed, 

 or the gristle of their noses should be shaved 

 off before they are allowed that liberty. — 

 Cultivator. 



Persian Roses. — " A man must behold a 

 Persian rose to have any idea of its trans- 

 scendant excellence above the roses of anv 

 other country ; and its charms are not thrown 

 away. The gardens of Prince and people 

 are universally planted with it ; and every 

 path strewed with its delicious flowers." 



These groves of roses, some of which grow 

 to the height of fifteen feet, form avenues of 

 superior beauty, and when spread over plat- 

 forms and diversified with lilacs, with a thick 

 underwood of fragrant shrubs, are the favor- 

 ite resorts of numerous nightingales. The 

 palaces of the King display all th;it original 

 magnificence can achieve, in splendor or arti- 

 ficial decorations, in superb grottos, terraces, 

 labyrinths, fountains, avenues, baths and gar- 

 dens, and every where the rose predominates 

 with the nightingale inhabiting its branches. 



