288 



Poudrette as a Manure. 



Vop. VII. 



Poudrette as a Manure. 



The following communication, with the accompany- 

 in;; letters, extracted from the pamphlet alluded to be- 

 low, and written by persons who have used the pou- 

 drette, came to hand too late for our last number. 

 Since that time, it will be perceived from a notice on 

 the last page, that the proprietor of the Cabinet has 

 made arrangements with D. K. Minor, for the sale of 

 th.' article in Philadelphia. It is coming extensively 

 into use, around New York, where it is manufactured; 

 and from the frequent inquiries made of us in relation 

 to it, we have no doubt farmers here are desirous to 

 test its value. On corn, grass, potatoes, turnips, cu- 

 cumbers, melons, &c, &c, it has been found to act 

 very beneficially. We expect to have a supply con- 

 stantly on hand. J. T. 



Editors of the Cabinet, — Gentlemen, I 

 send you herewith a small pamphlet con- 

 taining several statements made by practi- 

 cal farmers, in relation to the use of pou- 

 drette as a manure, and shall be much 

 obliged to you if you will publish such ex- 

 tracts from it as you may deem of interest 

 to your readers. Many inquiries have been 

 made in relation to this valuable manure, 

 but its recent introduction into use in this 

 country, and the limited number, compara- 

 tively, who have used it, have prevented its 

 becoming generally known and appreciated, 

 as it deserves. The statements which you 

 will find in the accompanying pamphlet, 

 were made by gentlemen of intelligence 

 and experience, who have used the article 

 in considerable quantities for several years, 

 on various crops and soils; and who may 

 therefore be supposed to understand its 

 value. I am fully satisfied that the time is 

 not distant, when it will be used by all who 

 can obtain it — and that you will benefit the 

 cause of agriculture, by bringing the sub- 

 ject before your readers. 



Respectfully yours, 



D. K. Minor, 



No. IIS Nassau St., New York 

 March 10th, 1843. 



Mr. Edward Condict, of Morristown, New 

 Jersey, under date July 25th, 1842, says : — 



Sir, — In reply to your circular of the 20th 

 inst., asking intbrmation relative to the ef- 

 fects of poudrette on crops during the years 

 1^11 and 1842, I would state, that in the 

 year 1841, I planted a field of corn, on 

 about one-third part of which, I used the 

 poudrette, putting a small handful, say some- 

 w !i;it less thin a gill in each hill. The other 

 part of the field 1 manured with good barn- 

 yard manure, a shovel full in each hill ; the 

 corn was planted about the 10th of May, ami 

 by the 20th of June, when the corn was 



dressed out the second time, that pack where 

 the poudrette was used, was more than as 

 large again as the corn on the other part of 

 the field ; it also ripened a week or ten days 

 earlier than the other; there was no percep- 

 tible difference in the yield. I also used it 

 with good effect on buckwheat, potatoes and 

 turnips, particularly the latter. In order to 

 ascertain its effect on turnips, I sowed a 

 strip in the middle of the piece, mixing the 

 turnip seed and poudrette together, and 

 sowing it broadcast, the effect was very 

 perceptible, the turnips were larger and 

 fairer, and were not disturbed by grass- 

 hoppers or any other insect. The soil on 

 which the above mentioned crops grew, was 

 light and somewhat inclined to sand, or 

 gravel. 



Early in October last, I used the poudrette 

 on a loamy soil, somewhat inclining to clay, 

 which I had prepared for wheat; there was 

 no difference in the soil nor in its prepara- 

 tion, except that on about one-fourth part of 

 it, after the wheat was sown, about 20 bush- 

 els of the poudrette to the acre, were also 

 sown, broadcast; and the result is, that on 

 harvesting that part where the poudrette 

 was put, is much the heaviest grain, and 

 but very little injured with the rust or mil- 

 dew, while the other part of the field is con- 

 siderably injured. 



I am so well pleased with the poudrette, 

 that I shall for the future discontinue the 

 practice of using barn-yard manure in the 

 hill. Yours, &c, 



Edward Condict. 



Mr. Fullager, an experienced gardener 

 in the employ of S. W. Anderson, Esq., at 

 Devoes Point, speaks of its astonishing ef- 

 fects on water-melons as follows : 



Devoes Point, Aug. 1st, 1843. 



To D. K. Minor, — Sir: agreeably to your 

 request in your circular, I have the pleasure 

 of stating, that I have used the poudrette 

 manufactured by your company, and have 

 seen its good effects upon flowers and hot- 

 house plants, but I noticed it more particu- 

 larly when used for melons. 



I planted water-melons in rather poor and 

 gravelly soil, in 1841, by digging holes 18 

 inches wide, and put one quart of poudrette, 

 mixed well with earth, in each hill, when 

 the plants came up, I added one pint more 

 of the poudrette to each hill, spreading it 

 about three feet, and hoeing it well in. The 

 effect was, that the vines jrrew vigorously, 

 and in the small patch of three square rods 

 of ground, 1 gathered 63 melons, weighing 

 from 30 to 40 pounds each. 



