No. L 



Manures for Grape-vines and Fruit Trees. 



13 



These memorandum books furnish most of 

 the materials for a farm book which is kept 

 by myself. 



From the farm book, it appears there have 

 been nine hundred and twenty-seven days 

 work done on the farm, from the 1st day of 

 April to the 1st day of November. This 

 account covers all the work done in draw- 

 ing plaster, sowing it, drawing out manure, 

 threshing and delivering so much of the 

 grain in market as has been sold, and all 

 other men's labour on tlie farm. There 

 have been produced on the farm five thou- 

 sand six hundred and forty-three bushels of 

 grain, aside from garden vegetables. Be- 

 sides this, sixty-six loads of hay. 



As the grain is sold, entries are made in 

 the farm book, of the price it brings; and 

 that part of the products of the farm that is 

 kept for home consumption, is estimated at 

 the price it is worth in market. Thus ar- 

 rived at, the grain and hay raised this year 

 was worth three thousand five hundred and 

 twenty-three dollars and seventy-nine cents. 



I have no means of determinmg the value 

 of the pasture, fruit, and many other things 

 produced on the farm, nor the cost of team 

 work. Geo. Geddes. 



Fair Mount, Onniidaffa Co., 

 N. Y., Uec. 31st, 1845. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Manures for Grape-vines and Fruit 

 Trees. 



Mr. Edttor, — A few words if you please 

 on this subject. I am very much disposed 

 to be economical in the use of whatever 

 means I employ for the advancement of 

 wealth and comfort. I dislike, particularly, 

 to see our farmers and horticulturists pur- 

 chase high-priced and scarce fertilizers, 

 when by using materials which are lying 

 about them, and sometimes going to waste, 

 they might save the cost of their manure.s 

 while their crops might not be diminished. 

 This fault, as I consider it, is particularly 

 chargeable upon what are called "book- 

 farmers," or those who read agricultural 

 publications. Many of them commence 

 farming with abundant resources, and by 

 throwing away their money for costly fer- 

 tilizers, and neglecting the means they have 

 on hand, which would cost them compara- 

 tively nothing, they waste their capital, get 

 into debt, and finally are obliged to give up 

 farming with injury to themselves, and dis- 

 grace to scientific agriculture. This should 

 not be. Many farmers have mines of wealth 

 upon their plantations which they never take 

 pains to develope, and, indeed, which they 

 often consider a nuisance. 



But to our subject. Grape-vines and fruit 



trees do not need stable manure, nor any 

 other manure prepared by animals. The 

 best manures for them, are such as have 

 no more nitrogen than is contained in 

 common vegetable matter. Therefore no- 

 thing is belter for them than plain rotten 

 wood, hay, saw-dust, leaves, chips, shavings, 

 straw, or swamp muck. Tiiese, together 

 with lime and ashes — even leached ashes, 

 and anthracite and bituminous coal ashes — 

 will make vines and fruit trees grow large, 

 healthy, and highly productive. These ma- 

 nures cost little, can be had almost any- 

 where, and may be applied at any time. 



Tho.se living in the neighbourhood of a 

 saw-mill, have a fine opportunity of getting 

 a cheap and highly useful article. The 

 saw-dust of hard woods, particularly oak 

 and hickory, is the very best manure for 

 grape-vines and fruit trees that can be ob- 

 tained. Scattered over the surface of the 

 ground under the vine or tree, with a due 

 proportion of alkaline substances, it has a 

 most charming effect upon the productive- 

 ness of it. 



A swamp hole upon a farm might be made 

 almost as valuable as a gold mine. The 

 mud taken out in the fall, and compost made 

 of it with lime, ashes, finely powdered char- 

 coal and plaster, and let lie till spring, with 

 an occasional turning over during the win- 

 ter, will make a manure cheaper and better 

 than nitrate of potash and many other costly 

 fertilizers. Dug or ploughed in among the 

 roots of vines and fruit trees, or even scat- 

 tered over the surface and under the plants, 

 it would have a very beneficial effect upon 

 the prospects of the fruit raiser. When 

 these cannot be obtained, rotten straw, hay, 

 chips, shavings, or leaves, are better than 

 more costly substances. 



Therefore, when farmers or horticulturists 

 have a swamp, whence they may procure 

 swamp muck, oi live near a saw-mill w^here 

 they can obtain the saw-dust, and neglect to 

 use tliese articles, but instead of this, send 

 hundreds of miles for guano, nitrate of pot- 

 ash, silicate of potash, and other costly ma- 

 terials, we should not at all be astonished at 

 numerous failures among them, and the po- 

 verty which annoys and hampers them at 

 every turn. If they alone were the losers, 

 I should not so much complain, for I should 

 consider their suffering and loss as a pun- 

 ishment for their folly; but they retard the 

 course of scientific agriculture, and by that 

 means check the progress of mankind in 

 knowledge and happiness. 



Excuse this complaining, Mr. Editor, as it 

 is designed for good, and for that only. 



Chemico. 



Wilkesbarre, Pa., July 23rd, 1846. 



