;io 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AUD HOBTICULTUBAL RKGI3TER. 



ARCH 30, ]B««}| 



inl for Iheir ^J^ 

 nd iheir eTontwl^ 



BotTon, Wkdsksdat, March 30, 1842. 



THE FAaMKRS MUCK MANUAL, BY Db. DANA. 



We liave now rend this woVk with care. Its meriu 



: gnniu element, for o>,y rn.p grown upon ll.ein." He I Ih.t has been offered. It will account for ihe.r gr, 

 ! does not, however, maintain that these exist in soil,/ree. effwis, their long continued action, and their ere 



The >,alural rroce-ses o( aeltin!; them free, so that thoy 1 exhaustion ofthe soil in case, where peine, in the for 



can act in promoling vegetablo growth, ore slow. Hence 1 of common mai:ures, or of swamp muck, is not used 



we infer it may be necwssary to mako t 



cations that contain alkalies, in 



can readily lakcn them up 



soil appli- connection with them. — This chapter is worth the doll' . ,(,, 

 Slate ill which plants -which the whole book cosu 



.. ^ ._ _^ Among the aciiyj of the salts, some are food for plant E^ 



Another ronclu^ion reached in this chapter is, " that I while others, unless used very sparingly, are poisonoi ri 



■ •• .1,. „..„,;„„ „r •.■,iplli<»ent all soil contiiins jfuZ/j/iatennrf 7j/io5/iAu/«o/"/tmc' — that is, to vegelalion. 



are so ,reat that ^ '"-'^ J ';;;;:;^ "' ' '^ ! pUster of Pans and'an element of hones. We have no. Those tha./eerf plants are- 



o y iiaUfied assent to every position taken by space to give his proofs of this l.t, t arbonates-as hmestone marble. 



' ' ^ ,. , Ik , „,=,., 1p» will Thus far he treats on y u{ mmgamc matters— those shells, shell marl, ashes of all kinds, an 



the author, nnr becausu we expect that practice will " , , ,., ,■' , . m i c. i- j 



,. , . I ;„ .11 ,1...;, „«,!= Hiii i,p. that never had life— cither animal or vegetable life. kinds. 



^wnTTo Ilia ihnnrieH sound in all their parts, liui oe- p .... 



prove his theories sound in all their p: 

 cause the work beiirs marks throughout of lailhful efforts 

 by an acute aiiil scientific mind, to explain what is need- 

 ad 111 m.ike soils fertile, and to show us liow the vari<ius 

 articles that are usually applied to the soil, produce their 

 favorable action. 



Dr. Dana's language is scientific. Probably such lan- 

 guage is necessary. Ife would not require the agricul- 

 tural chemist to use any other. For who can faithfully 

 describe a ship and its movements, without using nauti- 

 <iil phrases .' Who can describe minutely the common 

 farmer's operations, without employing terms peculiar 

 to the fill m ? No one— and in c/iemi'stry, no words but 

 those that have been appropriated to that science, will 

 convey distinct and correct information. 



Dr. Dana has defined what he means by silicates, 

 urates, salts and geine. If one will but understand these 

 definitions clearly, and learn what suhstnnces are -inclu- 

 ded under each, he Can read the bUok easily. 



The first position taken in the book is, that agriailtu- 

 rally " there it one rock, consequently one soil" The 

 next is, " rocks do not "ffect the vegetation that covers 

 them " The third that " rocks have not formed the soil 

 which covers them." The author "« view is, that the 

 loosa materials of our globe have been transported and 

 mixed up so, that, for agricultural purposes, they arc all 

 much alike, so (ar as chemical composition goes. To 

 this position a few exceptions ore allmved — but not as 

 many as we have been accusloiried to suppose facts de- 

 mand. 



The second chapter is upon " the ohemicHl constitu- 

 tion of rocks and soil. " The clemcnls of si.iVas there 

 given are — 



The alkalies — Potash and soda. 

 " alkaline eurilis— Lime and magnesia. 

 " earths (acid)— Silex and alumina (sand^JUlTcliy.) 

 •' metals (alkaline) iron and manganese. * 

 These are sihcalea. 



Sulphur, phosphorus, carbon, silicon, ui.ited with the 

 bases of the alkaline ailicatcs, foim urets. 



The sulphur, pliosphorun, carbon or silicon united to 

 oxygen, form ac<rf.>. Tliase acids united to the alkaline 

 silicates, form salt. 



We wish to say to the common reader, that salts in 

 chemistry include many things beside rommnn salt. 

 For sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid, or si- 

 licic acid united to either pulash, soda, lime, magnesia 



that never had life — cither animal or vegetable life. 



Ill the f.iUflli chapter, he considers " the organic oon- 

 s/i«u(n(s o/m<V," or purls of decayed vegetable matter. 

 These organic parts are-composed of oxygen, h\ drogen, 

 carbon, and nitrogen. These are variously combined. 

 A variety of silicates and sall.i ore always found in 

 7;/an/s— Ihereforfi " a soil, (if such c»n be found,) con- 

 sisting chiefly of one silicate or' lone "salt, is always 

 barren." Yet, though potash, soda, lime and magnesia, 

 may nil be desirable to the plant, yet if nne of them — 

 lime for example — is wanting in the soil, the others may 

 supply its place. But this cannot bu carried so far as to 

 have any one element supply tlie place of all the others. 

 Geine is' used by Dr. Dana to " include all the decom- 

 posed orgaiiic matter of the soil." And this " geine, in 



^ 



some form, is essential to agriculture. ' Generally, the I phales the least abundantly 

 gieaier part of geine is not soluble in water, and plants 

 cannot feed upon it; but alkalies render it more soluble, 

 and this is one of their beneficial actions upon the soil. 

 Chapter fourth contains a brief history of Geine. 

 The fifth chapter is upon the mutual action of the or- 

 ganic and inorganic clemcnls oj soil. Hero we have 

 new views The aulluir has iinderlaken.to explain how 

 lime, ashes, nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, bones, 

 plaster and iill the coneentrated manures — he has under- 

 taken to explain Aow all these act, and show how such 

 small quantities may produce the extensive and lasting 

 results which aru often witnessed. He reduces all to 

 one general law of action. 



Common salt (i. e. muriatic acid and soda) is taken as 

 an example. TUe living plant first separates the salt 

 into its two parls, soda and muriatic acid. Th« soda 

 then acts at once on i-einr, renders that soluble, and fits 

 it to feed the plant. But what becomes of the nitric 

 acid ? Tlie plant lakes up but little of tlial. What 

 docs this acid do ? It acts on the silicates of the soil — 

 it goes to the potash or soda, the lime or the magnesia, 

 the iron or the manganese, and taking out or setting 

 /rc« an alkali, it forlliwitli unites with that alkali, and 

 this forma a n«ic m'<- The plantwill separate this new \ 

 salt — will take up its .'oda or its liine, or let it act first 



old mort» 

 and lime of « 

 kinds 



d, Nitrates — as nitrate of potasli, nitrate of soda, 

 all composts of either lime or alkali with ammut mail 



3d, Phos|>hates — as bones, horn, bair, nails, hoofs i 

 claws, &.C. 



Those that are poisonous when used too freely are — 



1st, Sulphates — as plaster, copperas, glauber's sails. 



2d, Muriates or Cholorides — as common salt, muria^ ^i 

 of hme, bittern, spent ley from soap-works. 



This last class, the poisonous, must be used sparing^ 

 Of common salt we would not venture upon the use Ut 

 more th in 12 or 15 bushels per acre. The other clu Iv 

 loo, those which feed t)ie plants, should not be used il 

 iuch quantities as to over feed. One may use the car" 

 bonutes most freely — the nitrates next — and the|i|]Oi'' 



The next ch.ipter is upon " manures " — her* pure 

 dvng is made the standard by which the worth of 

 others is determined. Wc are furnished here with ai 

 yses of all the common dungs, (excepting hog dung) 

 also of the urine of different animals. Here we 

 learn the comparative value of the different manure! 

 common use. 



Tlie next or 7ih chapter, is upon " artificial manu 

 and irrigation. It contains several simple directions 

 making composts, and assigns a reason why Tunniuf 

 water is sofavoiable in its action upon grass. 



Tlie last chapter treats of the physical properties o: 

 soil as embraced under the terms cold, liot, wet and drj 

 land. In these the author finds the chief causes why 

 .some soils are quite fertile — others less so— and oihen 

 almost barren. 



Wo have given this brief abstract of iha contents ol 

 the book, hoping to cause it to be read extensively. Our 

 slatcmenls are too brief tu convey much instruction. We 

 have not designed to make them a subatilule f 

 book but to cause the book itself to find its way to th 

 farmer's fire-side. 



tht 



lieie nrid united to either putasn, soua, imi\ mairnesia, ■ ...-,. ir - i 



licic acio uiiiicu lo eiio p , , • * , I ond round, on and on, untiUhe acid Itself 18 consumed 



iron or mniigancsB, forms o *o« — a s-ilt ol potash, a salt , . ,, , ... 



. ,,. . ,> 1 1 11 r • by the 11 ant ; fot I lis will happen tu It in lime, 



of soda, a sat of line, Ac. Pearlnshes u an alkali— vi- "J '" I ■' " 



G. U. GARKETSON'S ADVERTISEMENT. 



_^^ ^^^^ _ _^ ^ _ _ _ Among the adverlisemenis in our two last iiumbera, 



„ IK ,00= »(> ■la .">.»- ■ i- ' , . I I was one of Mr Garrctson, Flushing, L. 1., who nurportl 



upon gc.ne, and will lei the acid go back to work .gam ,^ ^^„ ^^^^ f^^,,, ^^^^^^^^^^ ,__,^ belonging to U illi.m 

 upon the silicates to get more alkali oul of them, and I p,|nco, Esq., and gives the impression that Jie sueceedi 

 make another new salt 

 the 

 once 



as this sail is formed, | to ihe principal part of that establishment. 



ulani separates it and sends the .cid back to work j Brock & Co. have a letter from Mr Prince, which asjurri 



•^ , I . J .1 ■. „„ ,_„_ J us thai the impression given, i. erroneous. The sniril 



. more upon the ..lieat, s-and thus t goes, round . ^_|.^,_^ ,^,^^^^ ,s severc-so severe that we cannot i,„. r, „ 



negar i. an acid : put them together, and a new iub- 

 stance is formed— a salt — which is neither alkaline nor 

 acid. 



This second chapter cannot well be abridged. Far- 

 mers would do well to study it faithfully, for if once 

 mastered by them, they will not afterwards bo at a loss 

 to understand Ihe common chemical term, used in agri- 

 cultural papers. 



The third cliapler treats ofthe " properlie. and chemi- 

 cal action of the elements of soil," irimed above — and 

 in this chapter, Dr Diiiia arrives at the conclusion " that 

 all soil, contain enough of lime, alkali and other inor- 



Ifthe eX|ilanitiun of llio action of all these concentra- 

 ted manures, hcru offered by Dr. Dana, shall prove to 

 be correct, he will be entitled lo the praise of having 

 made a highly valuable discovery in agricultural science. 

 For he will have opened the w«y fur the deduction of 

 rules which may guide us safely in the application of 

 concentrated manures lo our fields. 



We have no pretensions to chemical science, and 

 therclore are liable to place false estimates upon the rea- 

 sonings ot a chemist. But the view taken in this .Muck 

 I Manual, ofthe mode in which the salts act in the soil, 

 I is much more satisfactory than any other explanation 



at length, We aie vi ry willing to say, that i;i Mr 

 I'rince'e opinion, Mr Gairetson is acting an ununriht 

 part — Mr P. meniions .Messrs. N. T. Dirvcnpori and D. 

 \V. Lincoln, of Worrester; Messis. Dyer & Monroe, 

 Nurserymen, of Providence, as men who can be referred 

 lo in proof " thai nothing but a sinnll plot cut up into 

 house lots, has passed out of Mr P.'s possession, and 

 that not one of the fruit trees was left on it." 



(X;]r We would cull attention to iheealeof Foreal Tren 

 at auction on Saturday next. See adverti.oment. 



The Premium List of the Plymouth Co. Agricultural 

 I-iociety, forwarded by the Secretary, has been received. 



Our correspondent*' favor, .hall have early attentioa. 



