▼i>L. X.X. .Ml. ao 



A N D H O R T I C II I. T U R A I. n E (i I S T E R . 



395 



I'ruin (be Allitny CultiTtlor. 



GREEN .MANURES. 



\\ liare plants in a cUte ot° growth ara pluwrJ 

 on land lor tlio purpose of tnirichini; the »i'il, 

 y nro properly termed ureen manurct, nnd '.Ins 

 tlioil (if mnnurinj; h.in in many inttancei buoii 

 ccesfiilly practiced. But one kind of green 

 mire hat bcrn •xtensively uii-d in thii country, 

 tli.at Id clorcr ; and tlu> bencfiig of tliiJ are so 

 at and certain, that it i« believed the practice 

 t bo advaniajconsly extended to other plantd. 

 ni.s contain, already elaborated, all the •IcmciUs 

 essary for the formation of otheri ; not perhaps 

 )reciscly the aame proportions, but always more 

 Icos of the essential parts. Reason, then, 

 teach the farmer that growing plants might 

 cajily converted to elTeotive manures, and cx- 

 ence in this case fully supports the theory. 

 The constituent elements of plnnls nro woody 

 , starch, suj^.ir, and (;um, and these are coni- 

 nds of carbon, hydrogen and ii.tygcn. The 

 d and thu volatile oils, wax and re.siii, are form- 

 f carbon, with the elements of water and an 

 ;ss of hydrogen. Vegetable gluten and albu- 

 eontain nitrogen, and it is never wholly nb- 

 in plants. It follows that for the growth of 

 ts, the presence of carbon or nilrojren, or sub- 

 ces capable of yielding these elements, as 

 as water, iron, lime, and other inorganic mat- 

 must be furnished. Green manures do this 

 ; readily than almost any thing that can be 

 ded, as the use of clorer for wheat clearly 

 es. It appears from the writings of Xenophoii, 

 the value of green manures was early under- 

 1, for he rerommcnds that crops be sown for 

 purpose, and declares they "enrich the soil as 

 T rL3 dung." 



he value of sea-weed as a manure, is well 

 ■n, and arises from the organic elements it con. 

 tes to the soil. Dr. Browne, of Sutiblk, in a 

 r quoted by Prof. Johnson, in his essay on the 

 )f salt, gives a striking instance of this. " In 

 ber, I8IP, a violent gale of wind drove to this 

 of the coast an unprecedented quantity of sea- 

 8 ; these were eagerly scrambled for, and 

 my greater vicinity to the beach, I collected 

 tyseven cartloads, each as much as four hors- 

 uld draw ; and although other persons deposi- 

 leir collections in their farm yards, to rot 

 g other manure, yet I spread mine, fresh and 

 ipon little more than an acre of bean stubble, 

 itly plowed it in, and dibbled wheat upon it, 

 e tjth of October. I then salted the adjoining 

 with three bushels per acre, manured it with 

 n loads of farm-yard manure per acre, and 

 3d it with wheat on the 1.5lh of November, 

 -esult was, that the sea-weeded portion gave 

 times the produce of any equal part of the 

 The effects of sea-weed as a green manure, 

 ears from the reports of Prof Jackson and 

 olman, have been in Rhode Island and Mas- 

 setts, equally decided. 



xt to clover, buckwheat has been more used 

 8 country as a green manure, than any thing 

 It is evident that to produce the best effect 

 enricher of the soil, the plant used as manure 

 i have a rapid growth, as in that way more of 

 Ik is drawn from the atmosphere than the 

 The farmer finds that the best wheal fol- 

 II luxuriant growth of clover — that the best 

 grown where the thickest, richest turf has 

 arned, and that the crop is generally in pro- 



portion to the vogetublo matter present in the soil, i I was a boy, iind it used to bo the praclicu then, i 

 It has appeared, to in, hrtwevcr, that where large ' there was a poor hor, to give il to the bnys. Since 

 qiiRiilitieii of green niaiiuro were uscd,tlio presence I that, I have been convinced that the boys wanted 

 of siiiiio aikitll was iiocssnry to correct iiiiy iicidi- ' ns good a lice as the rest of the workmen. Far» 

 ty which might ensue, and hence aslu-s when used | mors may just think nflhis, before Ihay commence 

 in such ■ connection have proved of esuciilial ser- I opcrntions. • 



viro. It has been an old saying, that " whatever is 



Mr Knight was a strenuous odvncato uf the uso worth doing at all, is worth doing well." Anil lliis 

 of green manures, and some of his experiment* to saying will hold good on this subject, as it does In 

 prove their value, were most iiigeniou.i and dcci- | every other buNincsa which the fanner does. It is 

 sivo. As tlio result of his investigations, in one of highly important when we hoc, that every inch of 

 his communications to the Horticultural Society, ground should be stirred evenly and alike, and 

 he says, that what ho has stated is suflicient to also that every weed should be cut up. 

 show " that any given quantity of vegetable matter I think the farmer should select tho clearest and 

 can generally lie employed in its recent and oi- ! dryest days he can for hoeing; for this reason — 

 ganized state with much more advantage than when levi.'ry farmer knows that the ground works much 

 it has been decomposed, and no inconsiderable part ' better in a dry stale, than it does when it i* wet 

 of its component parts have been dissipated and This being the case, we should select the dry est 



lost during the progress of the putrefactive fermen- 

 tation." This remark is unquestionubly correct, 

 although it will depend much on the manner of de- 



days for hoeing, and when we cut up the weeds, 

 they will die at once. The objections to hoeing 

 when the ground is wet arc many. If the jjround is 



composition, whether any considerable part of the j naturally moist, il will be likely if hoed when in an 

 elements c.f the plant are dissipated, fireen plants I over-wet state, to bake down, and to dry into hard 

 j decomposing in the open air, munt lose a large I lumps, so tliat the benelil of hoeing is almost entire- 

 I portion of valuable matters, but if covered with ly lost to the crop. Some people think that after 

 earth, such loss cannot take place. Combinations j a good shower, they must then take the hoe, and 

 take place, and the escaping gases are retained I go into the garden or corn field; but in nine cases 

 for the future plants. out often, I believe that they do more hurt than 



It IS evident that green manuring can only he good to the growing plants. Our doctrine is to 

 used profitably in a warm climate, or during the | lioe before the shower comes, and then the ground 

 warmest part of our seasons. In Italy, the lupine i will bo in a good stale, light and dry, and thus the 

 is most generally used for plowing in ; but in colder pores of the earth are open to receive the falling 

 latitudes buckwheat has proved the best plant for ' .shower as it comes. 



green manure. It gives a large amount of vegeta- ! Every farmer knows what the effect is to hoe 

 tion, grows rapidly, and comes to maturity, or the j out his corn field in wet showery weather. The 

 slate in which it is most valuable for manure, at a | ground works hard, and sticks to the hoe plate; 

 time when the heat is greatest, and tho perfect de-|and thus he only transplants tho weeds from one 

 composition insured. Plants used for green ma- | place to another ; nnd thus his labor seems to be 



nure, should be plowed down when they have come 

 into flower, as the experiments of Sir II. Davy 

 prove that at that lime they have least exhausted 

 the soil, and contain the most soluble matter. 



lost. I well know that there are circumstances 

 which will prevent the farmer from always having 

 good wealhcr to lioo in. But as a general thing, 

 he can select good dry days to hoe in, and then 



In common with many fnr.mers, we think the ; the great object of stirring the ground well, and of 

 practice of turning under a large growth of clover i weed-killing, will be accomplished, 

 for the purpose of manure, is injudicious. Our! In very dry seasons, like the one we had last 

 experience would prove that il is belter to feed il summer, the hoe should be kept constantly at 

 off on the land. The large quantities of animal i work among the hoed crops, if the farmer wishes 

 salts deposited on the S(ul with the manure dropped, I to prevent his crops from drying up. In fact, I 

 which are, ks ia well known, tho most efficient [ believe thai frequent hoeing in dry weather will 

 agents in vegetation, "vill more than compcnsuln i raise more moisluro out of the ground for the grow- 

 for what may be carried off in the flesh of the ani- j ing plants, when it is done in the morning, witii 



mals fed. Sheep arc the stock we should prefer, 

 and sheep, clover, and wheat are associated in the 

 minds of most grain-growers at the present time. 



the dew on, or after sun down, than all the water- 

 ing pots or garden engines, which you can pro- 

 duce. To sny nothing sgainst these implemeDts 

 for watering plants, yet I beliovo they rarely ever 

 would be wanted in the garden, if the lioa was 

 — ! kept ut work night and morning in dry weather. 



HOEING, &c. I And now, brother farmers, I say to you, hoe 



Mr Stobf.r — It being stormy today, I thought I i well, hoe in the right weather, and keep a hoeing. 



From the Farmer's Gazette. 



would write a few lines for your paper. I know 

 not how the above subject will accord with your 

 feelings, but il strikes me as being very appropri- 

 ate just at this lime. For we expect ourselves be- 

 fore long, that we, with the rest of the farmers, 

 will be into this business " hammer and tongs," as 

 the Baying is. I do not expect to say any thing 

 new on this subject, but only to tell the old story 

 over again. 



In the first place, then, let every farmer see that 

 every man and boy on his farm has a good hoe, to 

 begin with. The importance of this, every farmer 

 will see It once, as it is impossible to do the work 

 well with a poor hoc. It is but a short time since 



And now, Mr Editor, if you should like any of 

 these ideas of hoeing, I may at some future time, 

 give you some of my ideas about mowing, or somo- 

 thing else. Yours, truly, 



Derbij, Conn. L. DURAND. 



In great cities, men are more callous both to the 

 happiness and ihe misery of others, than in the 

 country ; for they are constantly in the habit of 

 seeing both extremes. — Lacon. 



There are many things that are thorns to our 

 hopes until we have attained them, and envononied 

 arrows to our hearts, when wc have. — lb. 



