1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



751 



hundred bushels per acre. Two days after it came 

 from the kiln, it was pulverized by the application 

 of water, and next day laid on the land, in that hoi, 

 caustic state, and itnniodiately harrowed in. The 

 land was then dunged, and drilled with potatoes, 

 beet, and turnips. Tlie soil hav-ini>; been com- 

 pletely robbed of decomposable. vejTetable matter 

 by successive croppiriir, the principle was here act- 

 ed on of supplying; veiietablc matter to the soil in 

 shape of duncr, at the same time with the lime, and 

 of brin;^in<T the two into immediate contact ; and 

 also of rediicino; the soil very fine, so as to mix in- 

 timately with the lime, as clods are so much land 

 lost, and the roots of plants cannot jienelrate them 

 in search of food. The crops were g-ood ; and next 

 year one field yielded seven quarters and one bush- 

 el per acre of barley, and the other five (juarters of 

 wheat. The succeeding crops of hay were very 

 heavy, and the lattcrmath cut heavier than the first 

 crop. Jn the midst of one field, two ridj^es had a 

 double allowance, viz : four hundred bushels per 

 acre; and durinir the summer these ridges were 

 distinguishable at a distance, being so very luxu- 

 riant and superior to the rest of the field, both un- 

 der wheat and grass. Science and theory may 

 point the way, but experience alone can establish 

 facts. And here are facts beyond contradiction. 

 The farmers in the vicinity foretold absolute ster- 

 ility from such a dose, never having seen so much 

 applied ; and that on the headland, where the lime 

 heap lay, nothing would grow tor several years, 

 except couch and thistles, v^^hich they had tbund 

 that lime invariably produces. On that very head- 

 land there grew the largest beet shown at Smith- 

 field show ; and the whole field of six acres was 

 the heaviest ami most luxuriant crop ever seen in 

 that country. Hovv pure lime, or calx, which con- 

 tains in itself /none of the elements of vegetation, 

 could produce couch and thistles, certainly requires 

 a very considerable degree of that intuitive know- 

 ledge for which tiirmers are so much distinguish- 

 ed, to discern ; no doubt, lime, by its decomposing 

 powers, may afford food for weeds as well as for 

 fruits ; but then it is the business of the farmer to 

 see that there are lew or no weeds in his fields to 

 draw the nourishment produced by his manures 

 lor the maturation of his crops. But of such force 

 are the habits of our forefathers, that the fiirmers 

 in the vicinity of Breedon fetch lime from a dis- 

 tance of six miles, and would not use Breedon 

 lime if presented to them. Four ounces of each 

 limestone, powdered, were dissolved in muriatic 

 acid, filtered, and the filter paper and alloy of each 

 being carefully dried and weighed, the difference 

 was scarcely perceplible ; if any, Breedon stone 

 left least refuse. The writer had not leisure to 

 make a more correct examination. But a saga- 

 cious farmer; in the neighborhood, (for wise far- 

 mers much abounded there,) wilhout any chemi- 

 cal test or knowledge of chemistry, discovered a 

 quality in Breedon stone, which might otherwise 

 have baffled our chemists for ages. Having one 

 year engaged a dairy maid incapable of managing 

 his cheese dairy, his produce of that year was spoil- 

 ed by bursting ; and having the year before laid on 

 his pasture a mixture of lime and soil, he immedi- 

 ately concluded the lime had spoiled his cheese ; 

 and thus added another bad quality to Breedon 

 lime. The fault lies, not in the quality of the 

 lime, but in the method of applying it. The pre- 

 sent system of farming must be improved, so as 



to keep pace with the other improvements of the 

 dairy; the proprietors must themselves put their 

 shoulder to ilie wheel, with the farmers Ibllowing; 

 and landlords should look out lor professional per- 

 sons to place in management of their estates, and 

 send their stewards, lawyers, bankers, or half- pay 

 officers, somewhere to learn. 



JOHN DOXALDSON. 



From the Farmer and Gardener. 

 HENS LAYING IN WINTER. 



Why cannot hens be made as profitable in the 

 winter as the summer ? It is a well known flict 

 that from December till March, they area bill ot' 

 expense, without any profit. 1 wish to give your 

 readers my opinion as to the cause of this refiisal 

 on the part of hens to contribute to their own sup- 

 port in hopes that some one may be benefited, 

 which is certainly all 1 ask or expect for my labor 

 in this case. 



Hens, in order to supply eggs, recpiire as a con- 

 dition that ihey be supplied with a portion of a/u'- 

 nial food, as well as vegetable. This supjily 

 they get in the form of worms and insects, when 

 fi'ee to go at large, unless their number is so large 

 as to cons.ime beyond tlie supply, within roving 

 distance, which is the case where large flocks are 

 kept; and it will be foimd thai the number of egga 

 in proportion will be diminished, as the number of 

 fowls are increased, unless a supply of animal food 

 is furnished. Here is asecret worth improving,and 

 if some of your readers who live near a slaughter- 

 house will collect the oH'al meat, and liied hens vvitbi 

 it, they will find it a good busijiess, so long as eggs 

 bring the prices now demanded for them. When 

 fowls are kept yarded, they require lime, or burnt 

 bones, gravel, meat, corn or grain, and pure water. 

 Supply them with these — give good shelter, and 

 a warm room in winter, and you may salcily cal- 

 culate on a clear profit of one dollar on each hen , 

 every year. 



From llie Farmer aiul Gardener. 



OBSERVATIONS RELATING TO THE PLANTING, 

 MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE OF IRUIX 

 TREES AND PLANTS. 



Having been frequently ap])!ied to by persons 

 about to procure trees and plants from the nursery, 

 lor instruction how to plant and manage them, and 

 this happening often at a time when the pursuit of 

 business renders it veiT inconvenient to irive thein- 

 Ibrmation required; and as the success of planting 

 trees depends much uj)on the trealinent they re- 

 ceive after they leave the nursery till I hey have 

 passed over the first summer, I ofl'er the following 

 observations lor the use of those who are about to 

 plant and have not had as much experience as 

 myself. 



Season of planting. — The delight peculiarly at- 

 tached to spring, in the conduct and management 

 of our rural concerns, may be supposed naturally to 

 have a strong influence in governing the mind of 

 many, in making choice of the vernal season, it 

 having become the season the most generally 

 adopted for engaging in this interesting branch of 

 improvement; wfiile it is sufficiently evident that 

 the weight of experience vvill be Ibund in favor of 

 planting ia the fall, especially in those parts of the 



