48 



Management of the Manure Heap. 



Vol. XII- 



farmer appeared to be a proxy for the God- 

 dess of Plenty, and poured tbrth from his 

 Cornucopia the fat of the land, and the 

 abundance thereof; flesh, fruit and vegeta- 

 bles, — tomatoes, plums and spring chickens 

 — potatoes, strawberries, and sucking pigs. 

 His stall was up-heaped with the bounties 

 of nature — the shambles groaned with an 

 overweight of nutrition. Long-bearded tur- 

 keys loomed forth in lengthened Imes, luxu- 

 riously lucious; great geese gleamed out in 

 greasy garnishment, stimulative of glorious 

 feats in gormandizing gastromy; delicate 

 ducks, deliciously dainty, dangled by do- 

 zens, and the anxious trenchman was puz' 

 zled how to choose from so many piles of 

 portly poultry. Substantial solids were also 

 there to please the purchaser, and add their 

 quota to the support and gratification of the 

 inward man. Beef, the fattest and fairest, 

 veal, tender and delicate, mutton, fresh and 

 juicy, pork, corn fed and substantial. In 

 the white tub, the golden butter peeped out 

 from amidst green and moist leaves ; in the 

 rustic hamper, white eggs were nestled 

 among cut straw; peas, beans, beets, carrots, 

 and other vegetables were gathered round 

 in appropriate vessels. In truth, it was a 

 goodly sight to see the farmer part with his 

 treasures, to adorn the domestic feast and 

 gladden the hearts of civic partakers — whilst 

 he, in exchange therefor, was gladdened 

 with shining stores of gold and silver. 



Such were the scenes which our markets 

 daily afforded, and such were the husband- 

 men of other days, and such husbandmen 

 are there yet, but they are becoming rare. 

 Go into our markets now and ask for the 

 farmer, and you will be shown an individual 

 whose air and apparel put you strangely in 

 '^mind of a journeyman confectioner. In 

 amazement you ask, is that a farmer"! Yes, 

 that is a farmer of the modern school; there 

 is the provision he brings, in those tubs, and 

 there is his stock, a ladle, a japanned tray, 

 twelve saucers, and twelve leaden spoon 

 He is a real modern farmer, one who culti- 

 vates the soil and raises ice cream. 



He finds the labour of tilling the stubborn 

 earth comparatively profitless — his plough 

 is broken, and his sickle rusted — wheat and 

 corn do not cover his broad acres, because 

 grass is more suitable for cows, and rich 

 creams, riches to him when frozen, can 

 thereby more easily be obtained. But kw 

 poultry cackle round his farm house, or run 

 with eager bills to pick up the scattered 

 grain. Nor does the cheerful maid sing at 

 the churn, and rejoice as she views the 

 golden lumps — nought is heard but the 

 cracking of the ice, or the eternal see-saw 



of the freezer as it is stirred amidst rock 

 salt. 



Yet his marketing finds a ready sale, and 

 his frozen creams are lapped up by hundreds. 

 Nor is he to blame; he but supplies the de- 

 mand made by the citizens. JMeanwhile, 

 housekeepers groan at the scarcity and dear- 

 ness of produce. Milk and cream, to dwel- 

 lers in cities, are daily becoming more wa- 

 tery, and will soon become fabulous, butter 

 and cheese will exist only in legend — poul- 

 try, flesh and flour, are also becoming scarce. 

 The cause is evident, so long as it is more 

 profitable to the farmer to grow ice creams 

 than cultivate the soil and increase his farm 

 stock, so long .will he turn his attention to 

 such a valuable branch of agriculture. It 

 may be a new thing to many, but it is un- 

 doubtedly true that the, present high price 

 of provisions is partly owing to the fact that 

 so many farmers in the neighbourhood of our 

 Atlantic cities have turned their attention 

 wholly to the manufacture of luxuries to 

 tickle the palates of our dainty loving citi- 

 zens. — Ledger. 



Management of the Manure Heap. 



No one, who has been watching the pro- 

 gress of agriculture for the last few years, 

 can for a moment dispute the importance of 

 the foreign substances, which, like nitrate of 

 soda and guano, have been introduced into 

 husbandry. But admitting to the fullest ex- 

 tent, the value of these materials; admitting, 

 too, the utility of some of the artificial ma- 

 nures compounded for sale; we must ob- 

 serve, that it is most absurd for the cultivator 

 to put himself to the expense of purciiasing 

 them until he has utterly exhausted all the ■ 

 means which his farm affords him, of in- 

 creasing the fertility of his land. Such sub- 

 stances should be employed in aid of ordi- 

 nary manure, not instead of it. The art of 

 farming and market-gardening consists, or 

 should consist, in obtaining the greatest pos- 

 sible amount of food at the smallest possible 

 expense. 



Now, it must be obvious, that those ma- 

 nuring substances which are necessarily 

 produced on a farm, are the least expensive 

 of all things; to the careful collection and 

 preparation of them should the good hus- 

 bandman turn his attention in the first in- 

 stance ; and when all the resources of skill 

 are exhausted upon that preparation, it is 

 time to look abroad for assistance. Farm 

 yard manure is, therefore, the firt;t object of 

 improvement; and it is to this great end 

 that our remarks upon manures have of late 

 been directed. The man who wastes his 



