46 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



August 27, 1830. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 1830. 



PEAT FOR MANURE. . 



Lord Meadowbank, a British nobleman, pub- 

 lished a pump'det on the best mode of converting 

 peat into manure, from which the following is ex- 

 tracted : — 



'Lt't the peat-moss, of which compost is to he 

 formal, he thrown out of tlie pit for some weeks 

 or niontlis, in order to loose its redundant moist- 

 ure. By this means it is rendered the ligliter to 

 carry, aiul less compact and weighty, when made 

 up with fresh dung, for fermentation ; and accord- 

 ingly, less dung is required for the i)urpose, than 

 if the i)roparation is made with peat taken recently 

 frotii the pit. The peat taken near the surface, or 

 at a considerable depth answers equally well. And 

 the more compact the peat, and the fitter to prove 

 gdod fuel, so much the more promising it is to be 

 prc|iared for manure. 



' Take the peat-moss to a dry spot, convenient 

 for con.^tructing a dunghill, to serve the field to be 

 manured. Lay the cart-loads of it in two rows, 

 and the dung in a row betwixt them. The dun 

 thus lies on the area of the compost dunghill, and 

 the rows of peat should be near enough each 

 other, that ilie workmen in making up the com- 

 post, nuiy he able to throw them together by the 

 gpade. In making up let the workmen begin at 

 one end ; and at the extremity of the row of dung, 

 (which should not extend quite so far at that end, 

 as the rows of peat on each side of it do,) let them 

 lay a bottom of peat, six inches deep, and fifteen 

 feet wide. Then throv/ forward, and lay about 

 ten inches of dung above the bottom of the peat ; 

 thc:i four or five of dung ; and then cover it over 

 with peat at the end where it was begun, at the 

 two sides and above. The compost should not be 

 raised above four feet qpd a half high, otherwise 

 it is apt to press too heavily on the under parts, 

 and c.lieck the fermentation ; unless the peat, when 

 dry be very puffy and light, and then a much 

 greater height is desirable. Nehher should it be 

 ihucli lower, otherwise it will prove wanting in the 

 compactness, and soon also, if the weather is very 

 drv, in the moisture required for the ingredients of 

 wiiich it consists to act chemically onj^ach other. 

 When a beginning is thus made, the vvorkinen will 

 « prr.ccnd working backwards, and adding to the 

 • column of compost as they are furnished with the 

 three rows of materials, directed to be laid down 

 for tlieni. They must take care not to tread on 

 the compost, or render it too compact, and of con- 

 sequence, in proportion as the peat is wet, it should 

 be made up in lumps, and not much maslied or 

 broken. 



' In mild weather, seven cart-loads of common 

 farm-vard dung, tolerably fresh made, is sufficient 

 for twentyone cart loads of peat-moss ; but in cold 

 weather, a larger proportion of dung is desirable ; 

 at least it is prudent to omit putting any peat be- 

 tween the two upper layers of dung, and rather 

 thicken the outer coating with peat. It is also 

 proper in winter, if ground with a dry bottom can 

 be conveniently emidoyed for the purpose, to in- 

 crease greatly the breadth of the dunghill, which, 

 in that case may be done without any limit, by 

 adding all round the dunghill circles, consisting of 

 layers of dung and peat of seven ftet in breadth. 

 And if the mass of the dunghill is thus enlarged, 



there is little occasion to exceeil the proportion of 

 dung recommended for making up to prepare in 

 the "mild i'r season; especially if a covering of 

 coarse vegetables of any sort, such as waste hay 

 or straw, rushes, broom, or furze, or brush wood of 

 evergreen is thrown over the dunghill. In fact, a 

 covering of this sort is scarce less useful in sutii- 

 mer to prevent the escape of moisture, than in 

 winter to exclude cold. 



' To every twentyeight cart loads of the com- 

 post when liiade up, it is of use to throw on above 

 it a cart load of a-hes, either made from coal, peat, 

 or wood ; or if these cannot be had, half the 

 quantity of slacked liiTiC may be used, the more 

 finely powdered the better. But these additions 

 are in no vi^ise essential to the general success of 

 the compost, jjrovided a sufficiency of time is al- 

 lowed to the preparation to comi>ensate for the 

 want of them. 



' The dung to be used should either have been 

 recently made, or kept fresh by compression ; as 

 by the treading of cattle or swine, or by carts 

 passing over it. And if there is little or no litter 

 in it, a smaller quantity will serve, provided any 

 spongy vegetable matter is added at the making up 

 the compost, as fresh weeds, the rubbish of a stack- 

 yard, potato-shaws, sawings of timber, &c. And 

 as some sorts of dung, even when fresh, are much 

 more advanced in decomposition than others, it is 

 material to attend to this ; for a much less propor- 

 tion of such dung, especially if abounding in ani- 

 mal matter, as is less advanced, will serve for com- 

 post, provided care is taken to keep the mass suf- 

 ficiently open, either by a mixture of the above- 

 mentioned substances, or, if these are wantirig, by 

 adding the peat peace-meal, that is first mixing it 

 up in the usual proportion of three to one of dung, 

 and then, after a time, adding an equal quantity, 

 more or less, of peat. The dung of this character, 

 of greatest quantity, is shamble dung, with which, 

 under the above precautions, six times the quan- 

 tity of peat, or more, may be prepared. The same 

 holds as to pigeon dung, and other fowl dung ; 

 and to a certain extent also as to that which is col- 

 lected from towns, and made by animals that feed 

 on grain, refuse of distilleries, &c. 



' The compost, after it is made up, gets into a 

 general heat sooner or later, according to the 

 weather, and the condition of the dung ; in sum- 

 mer in ten days or sooner; in winter not perhaps 

 for many weeks, if the cold is severe. It always, 

 however, has been found to come on at last; and 

 in summer it sometimes rises so high as to be mis- 

 chievous, by consuming the materials, (fire fang- 

 ing.) In that season a stick should be kept in it 

 in different parts, to pull out and feel now and 

 then ; for if it approaches to blood heat, it should 

 either be watered or turned over; and on such an 

 occasion, advantage may be taken to mix with it 

 a little fresh peat. The heat subsides after a time 

 and with great variety, according to the weather, 

 the dung, and the perfection of the making up of 

 the cotnpost ; which then may be allowed to re- 

 main untouched, until within three or four weeks 

 of using, when it should be turned over, upside 

 down, and outside in, and all lumps broken : then 

 it comes into a second heat, but soon cools, and it 

 is fit to be taken out for use. In this state the 

 whole, except bits of the old decayed wood, ap- 

 pears a black free mass, and spreads like garden 

 mould. Use it weight for weight, as farm yard 

 dung ^ and it will be found in a course of crop- 

 ping, fully to stand the comparison.' 



SELECT SEED CORN. 

 Mr J. Mercer, a writer for the American Farm- 

 er, in a communication republished in the New 

 England Farmer, vol. v. page 187, states that he 

 had much improved ' the genuine Tuscarora corn 

 by never jdanting a grain that was not selected in 

 the fields ^for four or five years past) from those 

 stalks which produce two or more ears.' Joseph 

 Cooper, Esq. of New Jersey, in a letter to a gen- 

 tleman in Philadelphia, states that ' A friend sent 

 'me a few grains of a smaller kind of Indian corn, 

 the grains of which were not larger than goose 

 shot, which he informed me by a note in which 

 they were enclosed, were originally from Guinea, 

 and produced from eight to ten ears on a stalk. — 

 Those grains I planted, and found the production 

 to answer the description, but the ears small, and 

 few of them ripe before frost. I saved some of 

 the largest and earliest, and i>lanted it between 

 rows of earlier kinds of corn, which produced a 

 mixture to advantage ; then 1 saved seed from the 

 stalks that produced the greatest number of the 

 largest ears, and first ripe, which I planted the 

 ensuing season, and was not a little gratified to 

 find its production preferable both in quantity and 

 quality to that of any corn I had ever planted.— 

 This kind of corn I have continued planting evei 

 since, selecting that designed for seed in the man- 

 ner I would wish others to try, viz.^VVhen the 

 first ears are ripe enough for seed, gather a suffi- 

 cient quantity for early corn or replanting; am 

 at the time you would wish your corn to be ript 

 generally, gather a sufficient quantity for planting 

 the next year, having particular care to take i 

 from stalks that are large at bottom, of a regula 

 taper, not over t»ll, the ears set low, and contain 

 ing the greatest number of good sizeable ears o 

 the bestquahty; let it dry speedily; and fron 

 the corn gathered as last described, plant you 

 main crop, and if any hills should be missing, re 

 plant from that first gathered, which will caus 

 the crop to ripen more regularly than is comnior 

 which is a great benefit. The above mentioned 

 have practised many years, and am satisfied it ha 

 increased the quantity, and improved the qualil; 

 of my crops beyond what any person would imag 

 ine, who has not tried the experiments.' 



MOLASSES FROM SWEET APPLES. 



The Rev. Jared Elliot, in his '£Mni/« on fiei. 

 Husbandry ' observed that ' A barrel of cider o 

 sweet ap|)les when made into molasses, will b 

 worth three pounds, abating five shillings for th 

 making, w hen cider made of connnon apples, wi le 

 be worth but twenty shillings, exclusive of th 

 barrel.' 



How to prepure Molasses for preserving Fruits, &fi 



Take 8 lbs. molasses, bright New Orleans o 



Sugar House ; 8 lbs. pure water, 1 lb. cnarsel 

 powdered charcoal. — Boil them together for 21 

 mimites, then strain the mixture through fine flan 

 nel, double— put it again in the kettle with th 

 white of an egg, boil it gently, till it forms a syrui 

 of proper consistence, then strain it again. 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETV^ 



Saturday, August 21, 1830. 

 FRUITS. 



Apples— Mr E. M. Richards of Dedham, pr« 

 sented some seedling Apples, from the original tre« 

 now standing on land of the late Mr Benoni Fail 

 banks in that town ; they are called the Benot 

 Apple— all of a fine red color, yellow flesh, aim 



