No. 3. 



Prepared Guano. — Influence of Horticulture. 



79 



The making of Soy, as here described, 

 seems to be a very simple process, and the 

 experiment is worth trying. Should it prove 

 successful, the cultivation of the plant in 

 this country, may become profitable. The 

 beans are said to be good when cooked like 

 common kidney beans; but it is doubtful 

 whether they would ever take the place of 

 our best varieties of them. 



T. W. H. 



Cambridge, Mass., Sept. IStli, 1847. 



Prepared Gnano. 



Whatever will enable us to grow two 

 blades of grass, or two ears of corn, where, 

 but one could be made to grow before, and 

 that too witliout im'poverishing the soil, is 

 highly deserving of notice, and greatly worth 

 knowing. Agriculture is more important to 

 the comfort, well being and happiness of the 

 human race, than all other occupations, and 

 yet it is a science which has, most unac- 

 countably, been more neglected than all 

 other sciences whatever, until of late years. 

 All that we possess in the shape of food, 

 clothing, residences, and luxury in almost 

 every particular, comes directly or indirectly 

 from the soil, and yet we have studied its 

 nature and capabilities less than any other 

 object we are interested in. Had this sci- 

 ence been properly attended to, nothing in 

 the sliape oi famine, sweeping myriads into 

 premature graves, would ever have been 

 heard of; but we have foolishly gone on, 

 from generation to generation, exhausting 

 our mother earth, without reflection that, 

 unless we keep up her strength, she must 

 shortly become weak and languid, and inca- 

 pable of furnishing the sustenance, we never 

 fail to demand. This folly has at length 

 awakened us to the dictates of common 

 sense, and we now see that even Europe is 

 sending its numerous vessels to Africa, Chili, 

 Peru, and almost everywhere in search of 

 proper sustenance for its soil. In those 

 countries it has been accumulating for thou- 

 sands of years, and yet human intelligence 

 has been so bounded, on this very important 

 matter, that those mountains of fertility have 

 been suffered to remain useless and unno- 

 ticed. Those mounds of abundance, how- 

 ever, are not in a condition to be used in 

 their crude state, as manure. The crystal- 

 lized ammonia forms in bunches, and is 

 therefore much too strong, in this condition, 

 for any kind of vegetation, and indeed if it 

 be so employed, it soon evaporates and leaves 

 the remains of the guano weak and worth 

 less, as an amendment. Here the aid of 

 chemistry is appropriately introduced, not 

 only to retain and preserve the ammonia in 



the soil, but to moderate its excessively fer- 

 tilizing effects. The principles of guano 

 itself are limited, being chiefly carbonate 

 and phosphate of lime and ammonia; but 

 when it is finely pulverized and chemically 

 combined with proper absorbents and other 

 fertilizing substances, as we are aware is 

 the case in the " Prepared Guano,'''' now 

 offered for sale, then as a manure or amend- 

 ment, it becomes equally fertilizing to every 

 description of vegetation, without weakening 

 the soil. In the preparation every principle 

 that vegetation requires, it seems, is added 

 to it, and therefore it supplies every plant 

 with that specific nutriment which it indivi- 

 dually needs; whilst the absorbents again 

 re-absorb from the atmosphere what they 

 thus give out, and by this means the '■^Pre- 

 pared Guano," as a manure, remains almost 

 inexhaustible. For these reasons, and from 

 the recommendationsof those who have used 

 it, we recommend it to the particular atten- 

 tion of all of our readers, in any way con- 

 nected with Agriculture, Horticulture, or 

 Floriculture. — American Citizen, 



Influence of Horticulture. 



The multiplication of Horticultural So- 

 cieties is taking place so rapidly of late, in 

 various parts of the country, as to lead one 

 to reflect somewhat on their influence, and 

 that of the art they foster, upon the charac- 

 ter of our people. 



Most persons, no doubt, look upon them 

 as performing a work of some usefulness 

 and elegance, by promoting the culture of 

 fruits and flowers, and introducing to all 

 parts of the country the finer species of the 

 vegetable productions. In other words, they 

 are thought to add very considerably to the 

 amount of physical gratification which every 

 American citizen endeavours, and has a right 

 to endeavour, to assemble around him. 



Granting all the foregoing, we are inclined 

 to claim also, for horticultural pursuits, a po- 

 litical and moral influence vastly more sig- 

 nificant and important than the mere grati- 

 fication of the senses. We think, then, in 

 in a few words, that horticulture and its 

 kindred arts, tend strongly to fix the habits 

 and elevate the character of our whole rural 

 population. One does not need to be much 

 of a philosopher to remark that one of the 

 most striking of our national traits, is the 

 spirit of unrest. It is the grand energetic 

 element which leads us to clear vast forests, 

 and settle new States, with a rapidity unpa- 

 ralleled in the world's history; the spirit, 

 possessed with which, our yet comparatively 

 scanty people do not find elbow-roon) enough 

 in a territory already in their possession, and 



