426 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



out of many niches it went directly to the one in 

 which it had been hatched. No doubt remained 

 in the mind of the lady of the identity oi the bird. 

 By what extraordinary power did this interesting 

 bird find its way, and by what route did it come ? 



SOIL-PRINCIPLES-ROTATION. 



It should be an object of the farmer to ascertam 

 the chemical character of the soil he cultivates ; 

 that is, what constituents will it give to growing 

 plants upon its surface. This ascertained, he can 

 adapt, to a considerable degree, the plants to the 

 soil by cultivating those which require for aliment 

 the constituents which abound in the soil, or, on 

 the other hand, he can adapt the soil to the plants 

 by adding the substances required for their suste- 

 nance ; by supplying to the soil what is deficient. 

 Some soils contain all the matters necessary to the 

 nutrition of most of the various species of plants. 

 When such soils cease to be productive, they may 

 be partially restored by falloioing ; this is a prac- 

 tice in general use in England, though but seldom 

 resorted to in this country. It consists in repeat- 

 edly plowing the land, turning under whatever 

 may grow upon it before its seed is perfected, and 

 taking no crop from it. Where land is difficult of 

 access with manure, and it is particularly desirable 

 that it should become fertile, we are inclined to 

 think fallowing maybe practised with success, even 

 in this country. In other cases, where the soil is 

 deficient in nutritive matters, the requisite substan- 

 ces must be added. 



The kind of alkali or earth supposed to be prin- 

 cipally needed is ammonia, and this is usually sup- 

 plied from the stable or barn. It may, however, 

 be supplied in another form, disconnected with the 

 decomposing, coarse part of the manure, as in urine, 

 gas-water, guano, in rain and snow water, &c. 



Silica, or sand, another earth, which is indis- 

 pensable to the grasses, is sufficiently distributed in 

 all parts of our State. 



Phosphate of lime, which is formed from the 

 earthy part of bones and phosphorus, and phos- 

 phate of magnesia, which is a common earth and 

 phosphorus'combined, and, in a small quantity, yjof- 

 ash, are necessary to most plants. 



Wood ashes furnish a supply of potash, and these 

 ought to be saved with scrupulous care. Their val- 

 ue is not yet properly appreciated by a large por- 

 tion of our farmers. The late Gov. Hill, of New 

 Hampshire, who conducted the Monthly Visitor 

 through several volumes with much ability, and 

 whose love of agricultural pursuits amounted to a 

 passion, often declared that a single bushel of good 

 clean ashes was worth one dollar to the crop on 

 many lands. Perhaps their true value lies midway 

 between his high estimate, and the low one of far- 

 mers generally. Pine wood ashes contains as much 

 potash as those of hard wood, though the common 

 opinion is that they do not. 



The cereal grains, in order to the greatest pro- 

 duction of flour, must be well supplied with phos- 

 phate of magnesia and ammonia; for this reason 

 bone manure is beneficial to grain. 



Nitre, now usually called saltpetre, and common 

 salt, are useful in meliorating the soil, and afford 

 both food and stimulant to the crops. Some sup- 

 pose it will destroy mosses and fungi, but if so, it 

 must be applied in generous quantities. It has 

 been many times stated that it will kill the cut 

 worm, and the larvce of insects. The cut worm is 

 a tough fellow, and will bear a pretty thorough 

 pickling before he will consent to die. 



Fallowing, then, is one mode of restoring ex- 

 hausted soils, and we hope to hear of experiments 

 in it by practical and methodical men, so as to set- 

 tle the question whether it is a profitable mode or 

 not. Supplying the stimulating or nutritious mat- 

 ters, is another mode ; and the points to be stud- 

 ied in this case are, to learn first what the deficient 

 substances are, secondly, at what time and in what 

 quantities they should be supplied, and then to 

 contrive the ways and means to supply them. 



Much, undoubtedly, may be done, by a judicious 

 system of rotation of crops, as some crops exhaust 

 the soil much more than others, clover, for in- 

 stance, leaving several tons of roots in the soil af- 

 ter the crop is taken off, while flax, ruta-bagas and 

 carrots not only take away what belongs to the 

 plant, but with them a portion of the soil itself.' 



We well understand the difficulty that the com- 

 mon farmer will meet with in adapting soils to 

 plants, and are aware that he must, as a general 

 rule, adapt the plants to his soils. What we say, 

 therefore, on this subject, is rather thrown out as 

 suggestions, than with the expectation that we shad 

 be able to offer any clear and definite instruction. 

 It is a matter needing investigation and experiment, 

 but when better understood, must prove of essen- 

 tial service to every cultivator of the soil. 



For the New England Farmer. 



PEGGRESS OF THE SEASOK 



July has been remarkable for its extreme heat, 

 and for its extreme moisture. Several days the 

 mercury has risen to OC and above — once in the 

 shade to 94° at 3, P. M. Vegetation has never 

 progressed with greater rapidity. Corn has changed 

 from six inches to six feet in height, and now jjrom- 

 ises well. Grain, such as rye, barley and oats, 

 come in well ; of hay there is an abundance ; much 

 of it will have a mulatto tinge, except where hay- 

 caps were seasonably and proj)erly used. We 

 have known the cost of such caps saved, by their 

 use in a single field. From ten to twenty tons of 

 hay has been cut in a day, by the use of a mower, 

 of which there are many varieties, but none that 

 work, in all respects, so well as Allen's. 



Our orchards have been smitten by the caterpil- 

 lar and the canker-worm ; and where not, the fruit 

 is falling and leaving, as though it was ashamed of 



