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FARMERS' REGISTER— PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. 



the knowledge gained from experiments and prac- 

 tice. Every process you use in tilling and taking 

 care of your corn or tobacco, was once a new ex- 

 periment: and though it probal)ly was not con- 

 ducted to the best advantage, its known or sup- 

 posed beneficial result must have been tl.e founda- 

 tion of what became the regular practice. So far 

 as your practices are good, you are indebted alto- 

 gether to experiment for the advantage ; and if any 

 of them are wrong, it is either because the ex- 

 periments were not fairly tried, or that a prac- 

 tice is continued after the circumstances that re- 

 quired it have ceased to operate. 



Means for Retliicliig' Sea Sliclls. 



From tlie (Edinburgli) Farmers' Magazine. 



Sir, — The following little improvement of a 

 manure, already well known and very valuable, 

 may, I hope, be deemed worthy of a place in the 

 Farmers' Magazine. 



Along our sea-coasts, where tlie ebb tides leave 

 tracts of dry sand, there are frequently found beds 

 of sea shells in a more or less broken and decayed 

 state. A gentleman, whose fi^rm is situated near 

 some banks of shells of this description, has dis- 

 covered a very ingenious method of hastening the 

 dissolution of those shells, I need not add that 

 shells operate the sooner by being pulverized. In 

 order to reduce them to this state, he makes the 

 quantit)^ he has occasion for, the lowest tier of his 

 dunghills, upon which he throws tire dung of lys 

 stables and byres; and when the time for applying 

 these middens to his fields arrives, he finds the 

 shells almost if not entirely reduced to powder. I 

 have only to add that the discovery was, like many 

 other valuable discoveries, the etfect of mere acci- 

 dent. It happened to be most convenient to fetch 

 the shells to tlie dung-court, just after it had been 

 emptied of its winter contents ; of course it was 

 also most convenient for his people to throw the 

 dung of the offices over the shells. He was agreea- 

 bly surprised to find this disposition of his office 

 dung had produced the unexpected but happy ef- 

 fect of pulverizing the shells. I shall leave more 

 expert chemists to explain the reason of farm dung 

 dissolving shelly sand. domesticus. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 A REBIEJDY FOR THE GAPES AND SNUFFLES 

 IN YOUNG TURKEYS. 



As the Editor of the Register does not exclude 

 from its pages the experience of the females in 

 their department, but politely solicits their inte- 

 rest and patronage, I will take the liberty of in- 

 serting an article which (though it does, not come 

 underthe head of marl, or practical farming,) may 

 not be altogether disregarded by some of the house- 

 wives who may have suffered in the same way. — 

 This spring I had a most promising parcel of tur- 

 keys, which grew off finely till they were about 

 three Or four weeks old, (the time most general 

 for them to take the above mentioned diseases,) 

 Avben they all at once became sick, drooped and 

 died four or five a day, till the number of 60 was 

 reduced to 20. I Avas so discouraged and inditie- 

 rent about the remaining few, as half to wish they 

 too would gape and snuffle out their lives; but on 

 the suggestion of one more experienced than my- 

 self, I was induced to use sulphur, which did di- 

 rectly and effectually stop all further mortality. I 



cannot pretend to discuss the medicinal qualities 

 of the remedy prescribed, or reason on the matter, 

 cither as to the nature and cause of those two dis- 

 eases, or the operation of the brimstone on them ; 

 but the trial has been so satisfactory, as to deter- 

 mine me hereafter not to defer its use, but begin 

 moderately from the first, and thereby lessen, if 

 not wholly prevent, any such affection, and con- 

 tinue it till they become large enough to require 

 no feeding. The method of giving it is simple : 

 once a day v/ill answer, — oftcner may be injuri- 

 ous; if regularly observed for some time, once 

 will be all sufficient. A tea spoonful to as much 

 dough as they can eat at a meal, was the quantity 

 given to 20; of course a larger number would re- 

 quire an increased proportion. Should it be a fact 

 with regard to turkeys, why may we not hope the 

 same for other young fowls, — chickens particu- 

 larly.? I do not lay it down as a thing certain, or 

 unfailing, because my success has been so marked, 

 but only recommend it to others as worth the trial, 

 with the concluding assurance that not a single one 

 died under the practice. 



A farmer's wife. 



Jione 22, 1833. 



A farmer's wife is doubly welcome, as being our 

 eailiest female conttibutor. We request a continuation 

 of her favors, and hope that her example, in this re- 

 spect, will be followed by many other housewives. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 EXTRACTS FROM PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. 



Sorrel Growing on Marl. 

 Williamsburg, Jan. 15, 1833. 



* * # * On a recent visit to my farm, one 

 fact struck me with considerable surprise, as it 

 seemed to be inconsistent with one of your leading 

 principles respecting calcareous manures. The 

 marl Avhich I am nov/ using is very strong, sup- 

 posed to contain -^^f-^ of lime, and is in heaps of 

 from four to five bushels. On these heaps I ob- 

 served sorrel was growing in bunches of conside- 

 rable size. Will you have the goodness to account 

 for this fact.' It seems to me that I can never get 

 clear of sorrel by the use of marl, since it grows 

 on a marl bed. Your experience, however, may 

 explain this effect, and assist my future use of the 

 manure. ***** 



Answer. 



* # # * ]vjy own experience, more than 

 ten years ago, furnished me with several opportu- 

 nities of observing facts similar to those you de- 

 scribe — and like yourself, I was alarmed at first, 

 at what seemed to be a positive contradiction of my 

 previous opinion, that calcareous manures in suffi- 

 cient quantity rendered a soil incapable of sup- 

 porting the growth of sorrel. But farther obser- 

 vation served to remove these fears, and even af- 

 forded additional proof of the general position be- 

 fore assumed. Where I found sorrel growing on 

 heaps of marl, it was under these circumstances : 

 the loads had been dropped on acid soil (subject to 

 produce sorrel) and had remained without being 

 spi-ead, perhaps twelve months. By carefully re- 

 moving the marl from the plants, I found that they 

 had sprung, not from tlie marl, but from the acid 

 soil below — and that the communication between 

 the soil and the air, Avhere the leaves opened, was 

 through a single tap-root, Avhich merely passed 

 through the heap of marl, without drawing any 



