278 



NEW i: N G L A N D FARMER 



JtlARCH », 1841 



A.vn IIURTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



BosTOK, Wednesdat, March 2, 1842. 



EIGHTH AGR[,CUI<TURAL MEETING AT THE 



STATE HOUSE. 



Subject — Manures. 



Mr Duckniiiistcr (Ed. of Plowman,) said he may be 

 rather hclcroi!oi in some bi his notions in regard to ma- 

 nures. Cut lie has spent much time in the fulds, and 

 would tell what hn has found there. It is a common 

 notion that tlicre is nothing like kog miinuTo ; ho 

 docs not believe it. Used once to think that horse ma- 

 nure was poor piufT— but if it be |>ro|ierly composted 

 with litter and urine it will last /on^cr than any other 

 manure. We are decpivcil in regard to hcg manure — 

 it works quick — but does not last. One cow properly 

 tended and littered will make twire as much manure as 

 one hog. Noillier will make much unless they are well 

 fed. 



Many old ma.Tims are not sound, and such as are un- 

 sound shoull be diicardfd. Most people in leltinjj 

 furnis, make it a rule iti it the hay shall not be sold, lint 

 he would let n tenant sell hnlf the hay, if he would nut 

 laisegrnin. The grains are the great cxhau.«lcri. Von 

 may make any farm manuru ilsnlf, provided you sell 

 half the hay, if )0u do not raise grain, and if you srive 

 all the liquid manure. Sheep manure he h.is always 

 found to be light stuff — and where his sheep run upon 

 the mowing lands in autumn, and feed close, he gels 

 not more than half ns much hay the next year as on oth- 

 er lands. Some say thai a cow will eat ns much as ten 

 sheep: he would say she will eat but little more than 

 five sheep. 



Mr Stanley, of Attlcboro', said that people arc often 

 deceived in regard to their own practices. Wo put 

 much more materials for manure into the hog pen than 

 we put into the heap of co»v manure. Uid we mix as 

 much muck, enrlli, &c. with the cow dung as we do 

 with the hog dung, we should find that the bntn manure 

 would not last longer than that from the ho» yard. If 

 we put ten loads of materials into the y.nrd for one hog, 

 the manure will be weak ; if we put but three or four 

 it will be good. It is best always to put in enough to 

 absorb all the liquids. For each hog he would pul in 

 two or three loads as soon as the yard was cleaned out in 

 the spring, and would add as much more .-»! diftVreni 

 times during the summer. If he wonted to put his hog 

 manuro on cold clay lands, he would put gravel into his 

 hogyaid. 



Vegetable Manures. — Many farmers miss it in not 

 turning the sward ofien enough: much manure ^ows 

 upon the land. Hut it will not grow upon the field lor 

 mora than three or four years. This manure consists 

 of the stubs, routs and leaves of the grass. Tlwre will 

 be no more of it at the end of fcvcn years, than at the 

 end of f<jur. Therefore if you do not plow up after 

 mowing three or four years, you lose the opportunity of 

 making in this way. The quantity of vegetable matter 

 upon the acre is said to bo about twelve Ions. 



A gentleman in his neighborhood, who is a good and 

 •ucccssful farmer, puts half of his manure — the lung ma- 

 nure — upon the sward, and turns it under. Manures 

 also in the lull. Takes off llio corn in autumn, harrows 

 tho ground, and puis in rye and liny sued. Mis crops of 

 ryo have been good, and his grass has dune well. 



Mr Pulnam (E'litnr,) said the piactice just described 

 was such as ho had lollowed for years. He turned 

 down one half of his manure— the lung manure— and let 

 it remain there under sod for five or sixjejirs. The 



corn had done will- very well— ai.d the grass (which 

 he sowed among the c<irn in July,) had done well the 

 first two years, and in the third and fourth heldoot bet- 

 ter than it had ever done before on the same fields. 

 This plan of turning half the manure under the sod, hn 

 liked on w.irm lands, hut on col. I ones he would keep 

 it nearer the surface. 



Mr Buckminsier would like to know what was the 

 experience of farmers as to the eompar.ilivo benefits of 

 spreading all the m.mure for corn, and of [putting a part 

 in the hill. Ho used once to ihink ihal he could noi 

 bury his manure too deep, but he was mistaken. Has 

 wailed seven years 10 hear from some that he buried, 

 hut no accounts from it have yet been received. He 

 thinks it better to form our'mannres into composts and 

 keep it pretty near the siirl.ico. 



Mr Gardner, of Sekonk, said it is customary in his 

 vicinity to spread part of the manure on the surlhce and 

 plow ft in— and to pul part in iho hill. The best far- 

 mers have been accustomoil lo do ihi.«, and by this pro- 

 cess they obtain their besi crops. The spreading of all 

 the nnnura is now more common than formerly. 



Mr Putnam said he had made an experiment in 1639. 

 Half the manure (4 cr.rds per acre,) was lurhcd under 

 the sod. Then, on a pan of the field, the remaining 

 half of the manure was put in the hill ; on another part 

 the manure was spread on the surface of the furrows 

 and harrowed in. The corn manured in the hill did 

 bast in June, was muc'i the laigcst in the early part of 

 July, bu: in October, the part where the manure was 

 all spread gave 31 bushels, where timt manured in the 

 hill gave 30. Had he have judged by the eye, and with 

 the impressicms upon his inind made by the early part 

 of the growth, he probably should have said that the 

 part manured in the hill did best ;' but the half bushel 

 told n different story. 



Mr Latbiop, of South Hadley thinks the qu»stion, 

 as to the proper p'ace for the mnnure, turns up.m the 

 wetness or dryness of the soil. He would not manure 

 in the hill on light lands, hut he would on heavy. 

 There can he no general rule. 



He would advise every firmer to have his horso ma- 

 nure thrown into the hoj; yard ; tho hogH keep it from 

 burning, and make it worlli double what it would be if 

 burned. 



In lliS vicinity, much ol the long innnuru is spread up. 

 on the mowing lands. These lands are also plastered, 

 and then two good crops ,ire taken from tlicin each year. 

 Ho alluded particularly lo several lots of land which thus 

 treated, give four tons and more per aere, annually, for 

 many successive y eai s 



Mr Stanley asked whether manun-a usually ascend or 

 descend? which is most natural .' 



Mr Pulnam. £acA is the most natural In light and 

 warm soils, the manures lake the gaseous form rapidly, 

 and ascend. In cold and wot lands, Ihcy act better to 

 be ncir tho surface and let their fertili/Jng parts' be car- 

 ried down by the waters in which they are dissidved. 



Mr Stone, of Beverly, staled that a neighbor had reno 

 valed an <dd pasture, and brought in the Hliiie clo\er 

 by spreading the urine of his stuck. 



MrCcd.i, (Ed. Farmers' Jnuniil,) spoke well of the 

 imporlanco of preserving manures from fermentation 

 while so situated that the g.ises would escape ; also, of 

 protecting It from rain. His remarks we hav« not op- 

 ponnnity to report. 



Th> Legislature will probably adjourn the present 

 week, and no further meetings are expecL-d. 



Mr Colman, in Ihe Genesee Farmer, says he has bi-r n 

 inrr)rmed that Col. Jaqu. s had refused 700 dollars for a 

 bull of Ins Block, which brought at hia late sale but 04 

 dollars. 



lltL 



TPR-MP FLY AND CUURIERS' OIL. 



Mr Editor— After seeing something in the N. E. Fm 

 mer about preventing the ravages of the turnip fiy, ^ 

 soaking the seed for a few hours in curriers' oil, I resol 

 ed lo try it 1 therefore went to a currier last year, ai 

 paid him a few cents for some of his oil, which I ui 

 for luraips and ruta b.igas, in four different places— t—^ 

 ways planting rows with seeds which had not bet ^ 

 soaked in oil, in the same piece, and by tho side of t| 

 rows which wore planted with oiled seeds. The resu 

 was completely successful. For not only did the oilt V, 

 seeds come up well, but all the plants v>hicii grm h 

 from the seeds which bad been soaked in tho oil, escai s: 

 ed injury from the flies ; and not only so, but all ti SH 

 other turnips and ruin bagas which grew in the sa(| 

 fields, completely escaped the ravages of the flies alt 

 How much all this will encourage others to soak ihL 

 turnip seed a few hours in curriers' oil before sowing! 

 1 do not know. I merely give you a dry statement i 

 the fails for others lo commeni u|«)n, if they chooi. 

 and only add that I mean bcteafier lo try the same pla 

 again. With great respect, 



Your friend and humble serv't, 



ASA M. HOLT. 



■East Iladdam, Conn., 2lst Feb. 1842. 



P. S.— I have al different times made a number of n| 

 succeteful alleinpis lo cultivate ih« Ilyosciarnus nigm ,r 

 for medicinal purpo.scs. But the plants were almost i 

 ways destroyed by tho turnip flies. Last summer I saH 

 two or three plants of the Hyosciainus in my gardeji ^ 

 and 1 put some carriers' oil about them, and they all a 

 caped the ravages of Ihe fly. Yours, A. M. H. 



CATTLE SHOW BILLS. 



Proridence, Feb. 14th, IS-IL 



Ali.kn Putoam, Esq— Dear Sir,— The subject 

 " Slock" having excited some interest in our State ■ 

 it being the wish of our Ai'ricullural Society to «n'c< 

 age and promote that part of agriculture, which has 

 received that attention with us that it should have 

 Society intend confining their list ol premiums altni 

 exclusively to this subject, at their me. ting in Octob 

 next. And lo enable them to offer such preiniuma 

 shall be an inducement to competition, I liave taken tl 

 liberty of addres^^ing you, to ascertain throu;;h the ci 

 umns of the New England Fanner or otherwise the a 

 "Ircss of your most active societies, in order to obiaia 

 copy of their " show bill.*," and gel such other inforii' 

 lion as may be desired. 



If Messrs. Breck & Co. or yourself liave coi>ie*.( 



Premium Lists that .ire not wanted, I sliould feel mm 



obliged lo receive them. I shall be happy to recinl 



cato this request, and am '^ 



Kespeclfully, yours, 



ELISHA DYER, 1,. 



The above letter oxploins the wishes of the liliodi 

 Island Agricultural Society. Wo have forwarded micI 

 lists of premiums as we could pick up at short i)ni,o» 

 and wc ask the Secretaries of the several County .<,,c'^ 

 lies in thi' Slate lo send lists to Mr Over The list 

 the New York Agricultural Society is-.oniained in t 

 New Lngland farmer, vol. xx. No. 11, Sept. 15 igJi 



MUCK— THE MEANING OF THE WORO. 



A friend has hinted to us that we sot at defiance tli 

 best dictionary onlhorilica, when we use the word iniM 

 lo signify the samr as mud. Muik.ho tells us, mean 

 wet dung. It may, in Ihc dicli<iimries, hut we think] 

 iloea not in the barn yards of Mass. However the 

 may be B. me ground lor bringing a charge against !■ 

 We do use the single word muck, where most wriletU 

 say "swamp muck," " pond muck," " meadow mud ''I 

 or the like ; lull we gave a liiir cxpo-iiion of ,mr in, ' 

 iiig of iho term, in our paper of Jan ^i, page 2\'.i, and i 

 disposed to continue to moke Ihe word signily tho oi 

 cayed vegetable matters which are taken from wet bed 



Our correspondents' favors shall be early attended Id 



