74 



Practical Use of Leaves. 



Vol. XIL 



while their "fixins" are far superior to all 

 others, for regulating with facility and pre- 

 cision the going of their ploughs, which, in 

 the hands of lads of eleven and twelve years 

 of age, are taking premiums throughout the 

 country. By means of the peculiar arrange 

 ment of the Rod and Arc — the sole inven- 

 tion of Messrs. Prouly <Sf Meats — they are 

 changed from single to double, or three horses 

 abreast ploughs, in a moment of time and 

 with unerring correctness, by the turn of a 

 single screw. A patent was obtained by 

 them in 1840 for their reversing and self- 

 sharpening point and share, which would 

 seem to leave nothing further to be desired. 

 By means of a single set of these, value 

 sixty-two cents, one hundred acres of land 

 have often been turned; the saving in black 

 smith's bills soon equalling the first cost of 

 the plough. 



It is matter of history, that at the great 

 trial of ploughs at Worcester in the year 

 1840, at which were present the ploughs of 

 Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, of Worcester; 

 Howard, of Hingham; Whiting, of Roches- 

 ter; Barnaby & Moer, of Ithaca; and Prouty 

 & Mears, of Boston ; the premium of -SlOO 

 was awarded to the Centre-draught plough 

 of Prouty & Mears, as " the best plough as 

 well as the cheapest; requiring the least 

 draught, and doing the work in the best 

 manner;" the committee observing, that 

 "the Prouty & Mears' plough was the only 

 one present, that worked on the principle of 

 Centre-draught." 



In conclusion, and in corroboration of the 

 above, allow me to present the following 

 testimony to the superiority of the Centre 

 draught plough of Prouty Sl Mears, from 

 the pen of the present editor of the " Boston 

 Ploughman." Such testimony from such a 

 source speaks volumes, and ought highly to 

 be appreciated. 



"This Firm, Nos. 19 North Market, and 

 Clinton streets, Boston, have constantly been 

 improving upon their ploughs, and we think, 

 have brought them to perfection." " The 

 labour of this plough, compared with many 

 others, is like the labour of rolling over an 

 even log, compared with that of rolling over 

 a square stick of timber." "The draught 

 is what is called Centre-draught, and botii 

 sides of the plough are carried along toge- 

 ther, and with perfect ease." " We are 

 much gratified with the sight of so perfect 

 a plough; it will be a treasure to all who 

 think it important to plough well — by far the 

 most important operation in farming." 



P. 



Kentucky raises more tobacco than any 

 other State. 



Practical Use of Leaves. 



There are two flicts in the functions of 

 the leaf, which are worth consideration on 

 account of their practical bearings. The 

 food of plants is, for the most part, taken in 

 solution, through its roots. Various mine- 

 rals — silex, lime, alumen, magnesia, potassa 

 — are passed into the tree in a dissolved 

 state. The sap passes to the leaf, the super- 

 fluous water is given off, but not the sub- 

 stances ivhich it held in solution. These, 

 in part, are distributed through the plant, 

 and in part, remain as a deposit in the cells 

 of the leaf. Gradually the leaf chokes up, 

 its functions are impeded, and finally en- 

 tirely stopped. When the leaf drops it con- 

 tains a large per cent, of mineral matter. 

 An autumnal or old leaf yields, upon analy- 

 sis, a very much larger proportion of earthy 

 matter than a vernal leaf, which, being yet 

 young, has not received within its cells any 

 considerable deposit. It will be found also, 

 that the leaves contain a very much higher 

 per cent, of mineral matter, than the wood 

 of the trunk. The dried leaves of the elm 

 contain more than eleven per cent, of ashes, 

 — earthy matter, — while the wood contains 

 less than two per cent.; those of the willow, 

 more than eight per cent., while the wood 

 has only 0.45; those of the beech 6.69; the 

 wood only 0.36; those of the (European) 

 oak 4.05, the wood only 0.21 ; those of the 

 pitch-pine 3.15, the wood only 0.25 per cent. 



It is very plain from these facts, that, in 

 forests, the mineral ingredients of the soil 

 perform a sort of circulation ; entering the 

 root, they are deposited in the leaf; then, 

 with it, fall to the earth, and by its decay, 

 they are restored to the soil, again to travel 

 their circuit. Forest soils, therefore, instead 

 of being impoverished by the growth of trees, 

 receive back annually the greatest propor- 

 tion of those mineral elements necessary to 

 the tree, and besides, much organized matter 

 received into the plant from the atmosphere; 

 soils therefore are gaining instead of losing. 

 If owners of parks or groves, for neatness 

 sake, or to obtain leaves for other purposes, 

 gather the annual harvest of leaves, they 

 will, in time, take away great quantities of 

 mineral matter, by which the soil, ultimate- 

 ly, will be impoverished, unless it is restored 

 by manures. 



Leaf manure has always been held in_ 

 high esteem by gardeners. But many re-' 

 gard it as a purely vegetable substance^ 

 whereas, it is the best mineral manure that 

 can be applied to the soil. What are called 

 vegetable loams, — not peat soils, made up 

 principally, of decomposed roots, — contain 

 large quantities of earthy matter, being 



