No. 6. 



Sewafre Manure. — The Wood Ploiish. 



ni 



ill-natured at a horticultural exhibition. It 

 is the appropriate place for cordial greet- 

 ings, kind words, winning looks, and cheerful 

 smiles. 



Our anniver?ary festival is well known to 

 you as the most popular and most joyous of 

 the year. Nor do the votaries of Flora and 

 Pomona grow weary in their assiduitie> to 

 keep up the interest of these annual exhibi- 

 tions. Few know how much time, and care, 

 and thouglit are given, and cheerfully given, 

 in the preparation^ There, as here, no 

 doubt, the participation of the ladies adds a 

 zest to these labours — what else, indeed, 

 could have drawn such thousands and thou- 

 sands to our gala through such a succession 

 of years — the gay and joyous throng in 

 creasing at each succeeding anniversary. It 

 has in some measure supplied that, in which 

 it is said we were deficient — sources of in- 

 nocent amusemenl. 



Sewage Manure. 



The attention which has been lately paid 

 to sanitary statistics, has thrown much light 

 upon many subjects of importance which 

 were not, at first sight, very evidently con- 

 nected with them. It appears, from some of 

 the striking facts which have been evolved 

 during these enquiries, that the land in the 

 neighbourhood of populous cities may be so 

 fertilized for agricultural purposes, by the 

 judicious application of that which is now 

 one of the principal causes of impure atmos- 

 phere, disease, and death — the sewage ma- 

 ni/re — that the country may be enabled to 

 support its present population, nay, even a 

 much increased one, in years of average 

 produce, in ease and plenty. Dr. Liebig 

 said, some years ago, that, by the applica- 

 tion of chemical principles to agriculture, 

 England might be made to produce half as 

 much more breadstuffs than she had ever 

 yet done ; but these sanitary reports very 

 much exceed the calculations of the learned 

 Doctor. For instance, the report on the 

 sanitary condition of the borough of Shef- 

 field shows, as clearly as figures and the ap- 

 plication of scientific principles can show, 

 that tlie sewage manure of that town, with 

 its one hundred and ten thousand inhabit- 

 ants, is equal annually in fertilizing power 

 to 3,140 tons of guano, — in value £30,000 — 

 and sufficient to keep one hundred thousand 

 acres of land in a constant state of fertility 

 on the four-course system of farming. On 

 the ratio of this calculation, the refuse of 

 London, with its two millions of inhabitants, 

 would be equal to 56,520 tons of guano, its 

 value j£540,000, and its fertilizing power 



would suffice for one million eight hundred 

 thousand acres of land. The Rev. Mr. Hux- 

 table presented some most extraordinary 

 facts upon this subject, at a recent meeting 

 of scientific agriculturists, held at Sir Ro- 

 bert Peel's. The reverend gentleman stated 

 that, by the application of liquid manure, a 

 farm of ninety-five acres of land, ten of 

 which only were under the plough when he 

 entered upon it, and which then supported 

 fourteen dairy cows and grew 48 bushels of 

 wheat and 40 bushels of beans, was caused 

 to produce annually 1,600 bushels of wheat, 

 support 40 head of cattle, cows and calves, 

 and fatten 100 sheep and 80 pigs. Of course 

 the whole of the 95 acres were now broken 

 up. This farm, too, which under its former 

 management only partially supported four 

 labourers, now employs twelve all the year 

 round. When two such important ends as 

 the getting rid of a most dangerous and 

 deadly nuisance, and the conversion of it 

 into a source of profit and plenty, can thus 

 be answered by one simple and ready appli- 

 cation, is there not every reason to hope 

 that at least some portion of this application 

 will be adopted. Am I right in supposing 

 that these facts will interest your readers? 

 They are of the highest importance to the 

 English community, for what can be more 

 so than the increase of their country's salu- 

 brity and fertility] — National Intelligencer, 



From the Cultivator. 

 The Wood Plough. 



I WAS intimately acquainted with Jethro 

 Wood for nearly thirty years, residing within 

 five miles of him during the whole period 

 in which he was engaged in improving the 

 plough. In the early part of 1812, I tried 

 to procure one of Peacock's, near Philadel- 

 phia, but failed ; and on my return I spoke 

 of my disappointment to him, when a long 

 conversation on improvements in the plough 

 ensued. From that time the subject con- 

 tinued to claim his attention. In 1814 he 

 obtained his first patent, the specifications 

 for which I drew. The chief improvements 

 — if my memory is correct — consisted in the 

 superior shape of the cast-iron mould-board, 

 and a small ivrought share, fastened on with 

 screws. I had one of the first that was 

 made, probably before it was patented. 



To understand the importance of these 

 improvements and of those which followed, 

 it may be necessary to learn how farmers 

 had to manage in early times; and for this 

 purpose I give an extract from The Plough 

 Boij of 1821, vol. 3, page 5, with some ver- 

 bal alterations: 



" Ten years ago, the farmers of this town; 



