379 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



iug the next year with a liberal dressing of old 

 vegetable manures, with perhaps lime and salt, or 

 with wood ashes instead of lime. 



I am fully of opinion that guano is a very valu- 

 able manure, but every intelligent clergyman cer- 

 tainly knows that the richest and best gifts and 

 mercies are liable to be turned into something 

 else than blessings, by erroneous use and applica- 

 tion. 



I shall not be surprised if the importance of 

 guano as a top dressing in orchards, w!iere no 

 crop birt the fruit crop is to be taken off, or its 

 use in Avaste lands, should engage the attention of 

 cultivators before long. 



I expect that thousands will misapply, and then 

 altogether coudcam the use of guano, superphos- 

 phate of lime, &o. Bat if we can Init under- 

 stand how to use those things which arc within 

 our reacli, it will be well for us. 



Mason, N. II. A. G. Comings. 



For thf New England Farmer. 



L FERTILIZER, ALMOST EUUAL TO 

 GUANO. 



By the politeness of a friend, I yesterday called 

 on B. S. F.w, Esii. , of Lynn, at his romantic resi- 

 dence, on the westei'n borders of Salem. Here, 

 in the centre of a tract of^ four hundred acres, on 

 the verge of a beautiful like of sixty acres, on a 

 soil as rough and romantic as any other to be 

 found, Wr. F. passes his time, experimenting for 

 the benefit of liimself and his neighbors. 



Mr. Fay hixs probably done more to illustrate 

 the practability of growing forest trees of various 

 kinds, than any other man in eastern Massachu- 

 setts. But my purpose, in taking pen in hand, at 

 this time, is to speak of the fertilizing influences 

 of his flock of slieep, upon the meadows, where he 

 cuts his liay. South of his residence are twenty 

 acrc.<, or more, of mowing land, reclaimed from 

 an alder swamp, within the last dozen years, on 

 wliich is now growing a crop of two tons to an 

 acre, on an average. Several spots of a quarter 

 of an acre were pointed out, where his flock of 

 300 sheep had been kept for several days together, 

 not exceeding a week on any one spot, where, in 

 consequence of the sheep having Ijccn there, the 

 crop was doubled. Mr. F. showed us a wire fence, 

 moveable, costing only $1,50- per rod, that he 

 used to confine his sheep — and said it would be 

 easy to fertilize ten acres in a season, by his flock, 

 by the use of the fence. I have of\en heard of the 

 fertilizing qualities of the droppings of sheep, but 

 never before have seen them so distinctly and advan- 

 tageously illustrated. 



In his well arranged stone stable, I saw his ap- 

 paratus for dropping and steaming liis corn fodder, 

 and other feed given to his stock. Thus prepared, 

 the coarsest parts are readily eaten. In all the 

 operations upon the place, there is a marked com- 

 bination of utility and economy ; — and a modesty 

 in speaking of them worthy of all commendation. 



I have no where seen, more vigorous fields of In- 

 dian coi'n, than on of the gravelly knolls on this 

 farm. The man who has the faculty to grow such 

 crops — on land time out of mind known as sel- 

 dom good pasture, is certainly entitled to some 

 credit. I observed large heaps of mud taken from 

 his swamps, and parcels of bone, collected from 

 the slaughtering eetabliahments of the vicinity. 



and several casks of plaster laying around ; — and 

 I have a strong suspicion, that the healthy aspect 

 of his corn fields, liad someconnection with a com- 

 bination of materials of this character. When 

 properly comlnncd and judiciously applied to a 

 soil, deo[ily stirred and thoroughly pulverized, be 

 it never so forbidding, there need be no fear of the 

 crop; — even though the signs of rain ifail, to r. 

 great extent, as they have done for a fortnight 

 past. 



I have thus briefly sketched the iuipression of 

 tlie moment, by way of remembrance ofwhat I 

 saw ; — and in the hope that others will 1)0 equal- 

 ly well pleased and instructed by a view of the 

 same — as I feel confident, nothing will give the 

 courteous proprietor more pleasure, than to af- 

 ford such instruction. *. 



July 1, 1854. 



For the New England Farn.tr. 



THE FARMER'S TACT IN SELLING. 



Friend Browx : — When your correspondent, 

 "^\grioola," said that "selling is one essential 

 part of farming, and that without a tact at this, 

 a man is no farmer at all," he hit a nail on the 

 head, which I have often wondered has not been 

 hammered at more. I consider the aforesaid tact 

 the one thing needful — with it, the farmer is al- 

 most sure to go ahead and prosper, without it, he 

 is about as sure to fail in a business point of view, 

 though he have ever so much knowledge of, and 

 love for, the cultivation of the soil. For most of' 

 his surplus produce the farmer must seek a mar- ' 

 ket ; he can't always stay at home and have the 

 buyer seek him, if lie does, he will make a poor 

 business of it. 



The New England farmer raises a little, and 

 sells a little, of many different things ; his live 

 stock is continually passing through lij^ harnis ; 

 in fact, he lias about as many bargains to make 

 in a year as a country store-keeper ; like him, too, 

 he is often called upon to give credit and receive in 

 payment a notification that Mr. Butcher A., or 

 boarding-house keeper B., are insolvent and the 

 creditors will meet, &c. 



For a young man of small capital to reach in 

 early life and maintain the position wliieli all 

 young men aspire to, that of an independent head 

 of a family, Ijy farming, requii'cs a busines-s capac- 

 ity, besides a proper knowledge of farming, Avhich 

 few possess. This, I think, is the true reason why 

 so many young men quit the farm for the counter, 

 or the mechanic's shop ; not from any dislike of 

 the position, or work of a farmer, but a conscious 

 inability to fill the place with satisfaction and ben- 

 efit to themselves. They see that the farmei-s who 

 have started with small means and succeeded, as 

 every young man wants to succeed, have been 

 men of sup.'rior talent and energy, or have been 

 slaves to their farm, working as no man should, 

 and as few men can work. Your lively .associate 

 editor advises, "Stick to the Farm," and good ad- 

 vice it is ; perhaps he might have dealt a little 

 more justly with those who do not "stick." 



Our literary, lyceum lecturers, also, take oc- 

 casion to fling at "counter-jumpers" from the 

 farm. All of not much avail, 1 reckon — those will 

 continue to leave the farm who should, and, per- 

 hajw, a few others who should not. I Iiave be- 

 fore now be.>n tempted to say a word on this mat- 



