42 



On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. 



Vol. IX. 



stances, in such a way as to be within the 

 reach of the seeds only. Thus, by steeping 

 the seeds in sal ammoniac, and dryinji- them 

 with flour, the deficiency of salts may be 

 supplied. 



" 4°. The rust and other diseases of corn 

 plants arc owing either to an excess or to a 

 deficiency of food in the soil. These ex- 

 tremes can be best avoided by manuring the 

 seed itself with the proper materials and in 

 the proper degree. Thus," he says, "in a 

 field of wliep^t after oats, upon a poor soil, a 

 portion of the seed, which had been prepared 

 with sal ammoniac, gave only a light crop," 

 while another portion, prepared with oil also, 

 gave a crop twice as heavy." 



Influenced by the considerations above 

 stated, some of which ma}', to a certain ex- 

 tent, be regarded as questionable, Victor has 

 bcea induced to try the manuring of the 

 seeds before they are sown, and, from the 

 success which has attended his results, to 

 recommend it to others. The substances 

 he employs, and his mode of using them, are 

 as follow: 



Substances employed. — 1°. Blood, in the 

 liquid state, is mixed with one-eightieth of 

 its weight of glauber salts, dissolved in a 

 little water; when thus mixed, it may be 

 kept for a long time in a cool place without 

 congealing or undergoing decomposition; 

 or clotted blood may be dried either alone 

 or mixed with a little earth, or powdered 

 clay, and then reduced to fine powder. 



2°. Wool, hair, parings of leatlier, horns, 

 hoofs, and bones, are cliarred in close ves- 

 sels, until they are capable of being reduced 

 to powder. 



. 3°. The dung of all animals is dried and 

 reduced to powder. 



4°. Fats and oils of all kinds are m'xed 

 with so much earth, clay, or rye-meal, as 

 will enable the whole to be reduced to pow- 

 der. Oil-cakes are also powdered for use. 



Mode of usiiiff them. — He makes up a 

 semi-fluid mixture with which he mixes the 

 seeds, and then he dries up the whole by 

 the addition of the powdered manures al- 

 ready prepared. His semi-fluid mixture is 

 thus prepared : — For a bushel of wheat or 

 other grain, take 



20 to 30 lbs, of clay in fine powder. 



1^ lbs. of pounded sal ammoniac, or-3 lbs. 

 of common salt. 



3 to 5 quarts of whale, rape, or other 

 cheap oil. 



15 to 20 quarts of fresh blood, or blood, 

 kept in a fluid state by means of glau- 

 ber salts, or, in the absence of blood 

 as much water. 



8 to 5 lbs. of linseed meal or pounded oil- 

 cake. 



These are mixed together intimately, and 

 water added, if necessary to mike a half- 

 fluid mass. The seed is then to be poured 

 in and stirred about till qvery seed is com- 

 pletely enveloped by the mixture. A layer 

 of one of thie following dry mixtures is then 

 spread on the floor, over it the manured 

 seed, and then another layer of the dry 

 |)owder. The whole is then stirred together 

 and left to dry. 



Dry Mixtures. — Of these drying mixtures 

 he describes several, consistmg cliiefly of 

 powdered clay, mixed with one or other of 

 the dry powders already mentioned. Thus 

 he recommends mixtures of-- -. 



1. 75 of powdered clay, 8 horn shavings, 

 and 17 of bone dust. 



2. 85 of clay, with 15 of fluid, or 5 of 

 dried blood.' 



3. ^5 of clay, 5 of charred hair, and 10 

 of oil-cake. 



4. 60 of clay and 40 of powdered dung. 



5. 70 of clay, 25 of charred leather, and 

 5 of bone dust. 



C. 80 of clay, 1 of fat, tallow, or oil, and 

 2 of powdered dung. 



These are all to be finely powdered and 

 intimately mixed. The principal alleged 

 use of the clay is, to make the other sub- 

 stances cohere tosrether, and to attach them 

 more strongly to the grain. 



When the mixture of grain and manure 

 is dry, it is broken up with the hand and 

 thrown upon a fine sieve, which allows the 

 loose powder to pass through and the unco- 

 vered grains, and thon upon a coarser sieve, 

 through which the dressed seeds pass, leav- 

 ing the lumps, in which two or three seeds 

 may be present, and which are to be care- 

 fully broken up. He prescribes further, that 

 •mucli caution is to be used in completing 

 the operation so quickly tiiat the grain may 

 not be permitted to sprout, and thus become 

 liable to injury during the succeeding ope 

 rations. 



When it is wished to grow corn after corn 

 in fields manured in the usual way, Victor 

 recommends mixing, for each bushel of seed, 

 two to three pounds of sal ammoniac, of 

 four to six pounds of common salt with ten 

 to fifteen of rye-meal, adding a little water, 

 stirring the seed well among it, and drying 

 the whole in a stove. 



Such is the substance of Victor's pam- 

 phlet and observations. I have stated them 

 pretty fully, because I think he deserves 

 this much at the hands of those who are in- 

 terested in the progress of practical agri- 

 culture; because he has stated the reasons 

 tor his procedin-e, hasdei-cribed his processes 

 niljy, and claims neither great merit nor 

 great reward for alleged great discovery. 



