218 



Value of Bone Muni/re, <^r. 



Vol. III. 



was once preserved, it is said, by the noise 

 made by geese producing an alarm amongst 

 the inhabitants in time to preserve them from 

 their enemies, who were approaching. The 

 writer of this recollects a case that occurred 

 many years since of a barn being preserved 

 from being fired by an incendiary, by a flock 

 of geese, which were aroused from tlieir 

 slumbers by him as he was about to execute 

 his vile purpose ; this was afterv.ards testified 

 to by an accomplice in the intended mischief. 

 I state these fact.-; in order to let young peo- 

 ple know that geese have been of some use 

 in the world be.'^ides furnishing us with good 

 feather-beds, and quills to make pens. 



Those who design to profit by rearing poul- 

 try the approaching season, should give atten- 

 tion to it early in the spring and follow it up 

 ■with vigilance and care until the young ones 

 are well feathered, when they will require 

 but little attention. There should be always 

 a shelter provided for fowls whether they be 

 old or young, and those farmers who are 

 destitute of proper winter quarters for their 

 poultry should not let another season pass by 

 without making suitable provision to protect 

 them from the inclemency of the weather; 

 for with proper winter protection eggs would 

 be abundant all the year, and what pays a 

 better profit than eggs ] Ova.. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Value of bone manure in comparison witU 

 ordiuary barn yard J>Iauurc« 



The value of bone manure is becoming 

 every year more appreciated, as it is better 

 understood. The accounts, from that furnish- 

 ed by " A Subscriber," who I take to be an 

 old friend of mine, residing on the Brandy- 

 wine, to the last contained in the Cabinet, 

 must be conclusive. It appears 50 to me. It 

 is true that immense quantities of this most 

 excellent article cannot be obtained, even 

 though the facilities for crushing bones were 

 greatly increased ; but it should be borne in 

 mind that it is powerful in its operations, and 

 that a little, judiciously applied, will go a 

 great way. If any one doubts, let him make 

 the experiment. The collection of bones in 

 our cities and large towns, if properly ar- 

 ranged, would afford employment to some of 

 the most dependent of the poor — they may 

 be readily crushed ; and a good market and 

 fair prices always obtained for all that can be 

 produced. So it appears to me that the 

 introduction of bone dust benefits directly 

 several classes, and indirectly promotes the 

 interest of the public by increasing the pro- 

 ductions of the soil. It is soniiht for with 

 great avidity, I underr.land, by the farmers 

 in the neighborhood of the cities of New York 

 and Baltimore, and I learn that Mr. Ellis, 



of Kensington, could not supply the demand 

 made on him last season. 



I was much gratified with the experiment 

 of IMr. Smith, published in the first number 

 of the present volume of the Farmers' Cabi- 

 net. It satisfied my mind. Since then I 

 have seen accounts of several experiments, 

 one of which pleased me much, and I beg 

 leave to give the substance of it as briefly as 

 possible. It embraces five years practical 

 e.\perience, and may be fully depended upon. 

 Capt. OoiLVY, in consequence of the great 

 deficiency of farm yard dung in 1827, was 

 induced to try four acres of tumeps without 

 other manure, sown with fifteen bushelsof bone 

 dust per acre; cost seventy-five cents per 

 bushel or $11,25 per acre. Crop equal to 

 the rest raised with farm yard manure; but 

 as the whole of the tumeps were pulled, and 

 the land received some dung before the suc- 

 ceeding crop, much stress cannot be laid on 

 the circumstance of the following white crop 

 and grass being good. 



" Next year, 1828, encouraged by the 

 former successful experiment, eighi acres 

 were sown with tumeps, solely with bone 

 dust. The soil a light sandy loam ; the sub- 

 soil gravel and sand ; coming in some places 

 nearly to the surface, which is very irregular, 

 but in general has a south exposure. This 

 field had been broken up with a crop of oats 

 in 1827, after having been depastured for six 

 years, principally by sheep. The quantity of 

 bone dust given was twenty bushels per acre ; 

 cost sixty cents per bushel, or $12,00 per acre. 

 The turnep crop was so heavy, that nothwith- 

 standing the very light nature of the soil, 

 it was judged advisable to pull one third for 

 the feeding cattle ; two drills pulled, and four 

 left to be eaten on the ground by sheep. The 

 following year, 1829, these eight acres were 

 sown witii barley and grass seeds, and the 

 produce was fifty-seven bolls* one bushel; 

 or seven bolls one bushel nearly per acre, 

 of grain, equal in quality to the best in the 

 Dundee market, both in weight and color. — 

 Next year a fair crop of hay for that descrip- 

 tion of land was cut, about 150 stones an 

 acre ; and though I am now convinced that 

 the field should rather have been depas- 

 tured the first year, yet the pasture was 

 better than it had ever been known before, 

 for the two following seasons, 1831 and 1832. 

 It is worthy of remark, as a proof of the effica- 

 cy of the bone manure, that in a small angle 

 of this field, in which I hnd permitted a 

 cottager to plant pofntoes, well dunged, and 

 which, after their removal, was included in 

 one of the fla kings of sheep, and had (one 



• n<ill, !i nifasiiri- tor corn in Scotland; (where thin 

 iiiliicjiling experinu'iit appears to have hcen made) in 

 w hiMt anil lieiins, C(Hiivuloiit to four Wiiichej-t.^r Imsh- 

 els— in oats, barlev and potatoep, to si.\ buihels.— e<i. 



