£l)c immcr's ittontljlij bisitor. 



HI 



received no lime) was covered vvilli a few loads 

 ol" this pulverized lime. Two years afterwards, 



(lie part of the field manured with die lime 



bore a good growth of clover, while the other 

 portions of it were red with sorrel. 



In Playfnir's edition ol' Lie big's Agricultural 

 Chemistry, it is stated, that "in China, the plaster 

 of old kitchens which have no chimneys but an 

 opening at the lop, is so much valued as a ma- 

 nure, that they will sometimes put a new plaster 

 on the kitchen for the sake of the old." And 

 the reason offered for the increased value of the 

 plaster, is "The ammonia contained in the fuel 

 (buns nitrate of lime with the lime in the mor- 

 tar." Is there not a portion of ammonia con- 

 tinually escaping in the summer season from 

 every body's barn-yard ? Would not a small 

 portion of carbonate of lime spread over the 

 yard, lie as likely to retain it, as the plaster of a 

 Chinese kitchen ? 



In the American Farmer's Encyclopedia, arti- 

 cle Pones, it is stated that the shells of the oys- 

 ter, lobster, &c, contain a small proportion of 

 phosphate of lime. 



The pulverized portion of this limestone, was 

 without doubt, formed by the decomposition of 

 sea-shells. 



Were the marine shells of ancient times com- 

 posed similarly to those of the present time? or 

 have they been snlyecl to a change in composi- 

 tion? And if they once contained phosphoric 

 acid, would they he likely to retain it through so 



For the Farmer's Monthly Vi.-itor. 

 BV PAST TIMES. 



long an interval? If this lime contains only a 

 little phosphoric acid, those who make use of it 

 need not he at the labor and expense of procur- 

 ing bone manure for their land. 



It is true, there is no mention made of phos- 

 phoric acid iu connection with this subject in 

 Prof. Rogers' Geological Survey ; but his analy- 

 sis was only of the stone. Probably, the strata 

 of stone were formed l>y the shields of some 

 animalcule, similar to the madripore, and per- 

 haps contained no sulphurie acid; while the 

 pulverized mass which separates them, may have 

 been formed by the disintegration of hones and 

 shells, which were thrown together by the cur- 

 rents of the ocean. 



I cannot tell whether any of these speculations 

 are correct ; I only claim that the subject is an 

 interesting one ; and would be glad either to 

 change my opinions, or be more confirmed in 

 them. II. GRATH, Jr. 



New Jersey, July, 1813. 



Appreciation of Agricultural Publica- 

 tions. — E. Newton, Esq., in his address before 

 the Mahoning county (Ohio) Agricultural Socie- 

 ty, observes: — " Agricultural publications are the 

 best and cheapest mode of obtaining informa- 

 tion upon all subjects of husbandry. They cost 

 but little, and are within the power of all. One 

 good day's work will pay for one, and all have 

 an abundance of lime to read them. They con- 

 tain the experience and observations of the most 

 scientific fanners in the country ; the prospects 

 of crops in all countries, and the condition of 

 the market; fads all important to be known and 

 understood. I have been surprised to see how 

 few are taken, and have often been told by far- 

 mers that they were not able to pay for them. I 

 can hardly appreciate the remark. Every one is 

 able to pay for that which will immediately re- 

 turn them an hundred fold. I believe that a sin- 

 gle number of any of the publications, if tho- 

 roughly read, would be found to contain some 

 fact, if adopted that would more than pay for the 

 full year. By raising an extra bushel of wheat, 

 it would jiay for the year." 



True Hospitality. — I do pray you, oh, ex- 

 cellent wife, cumber not yourself ami me to gel 

 a curiously rich dinner for the man and woman 

 who have just alighted at our gale ; nor a bed 

 chamber ready at too great a cost ; ihese things, 

 if ihey are curious in them, ihey can get for a 

 few shillings in any village; but rather let that 

 stranger see, if he will, in your looks, accents 

 and behavior, your heart and earnestness, your 

 thought and will, which he cannot buy at am 

 city, which be may travel twenty miles, anil dine 

 sparely and sleep hardly, to behold. Let not 

 the emphasis of hospitality lie in bed anil board; 

 but let truth, and love, and honor, and courtesy, 

 flow in all thy deeds. — R. W. Emerson. 



To an absent Sister, whom I have not seen for 

 twelve years. 



Dear Sister, come, come view thy native hiils once more ; 



Our hearts say come, our voices every one unite 

 In one great strain ; come now, let us together pour 



The effusions of our hearts — O do not say, '-not yet." 



We've heard lhat story long, too long — and strange to 

 tell, 



The venerable elm has grown surprisingly, 

 And Ihe lolly old church has tumbled down Ihe hill, 



The very church, where you and I, so oft, contentedly 



Have sat, {though heaven forgive us, sometimes we 

 thought, 

 The good old Pastor his " amen " had quite forgot) — 

 That awful " sounding board," where underneath did 

 flow, 

 Such fervent, solemn prayers — how all did bow — 



And not Ihe knee alone, but hearts to God ascended 

 In supplications for blessings both on church and state, 



" Blessings in basket and in store " — it verily seemed, 

 None oiher " than the gate of heaven :" — their joys 

 were great. 



Those great large pews, all balustered around, how nice ? 



But now alas, new fashioned slips must take their 

 place — 

 No more " the house of prayer " it is — so in a trice, 



Down hill they rolled the majestic meeting house. 



Our fathers, where are they ? gone to the "spirit's home," 

 Oh speak it softly that a race so proud have grown : 



Disturb their ashes not with folly all our own — 

 Their belfry tail is gone — their sacred altars torn. 



I see our pastor walking in — that stately stride, 

 What awful majesty — have you forgotten it ? 



1 smile to think how aw'd we were ; and then our ride, 

 In the old family sleigh — to our young minds how 

 sweet. 



But ne'er mind, sister ; Mount Pliny* looks as ever, 

 With rich foliage o'erspread, and dark purple tinged, 



Like the hearls of all true friends changed never, 

 Then let us view the hills where we so oft have ranged. 



Mount. Washington, the noblest, still keeps its bold stand, 

 With its towering peaks and its white-capped head, 



Bids defiance to sle.nn, and th' inventions of man, 



When worlds are into atoms crushed, 'twill bow to 

 God. 



Soon we will nam? another, and ('ass shall bear the 

 palm — 



New England's proud to own him, her favorite son ; 

 Among our flmiy rocks his spirit caught its fl.uue, 



And well will he compare with our own Washington. 



Come sing lo us that song you liked, old "Bonnie Doon," 



And •' Hope," sweet " Hope," which cheered us all 



'midst trials few, 



Which looked like mountains to us then but now 'twould 



seem, 



They are into mole hills turned — then come, pray do. 



Death's fatal arrow once we've fell since you were here. 



The little band we will collect who yet remain. 

 That arrow, sure and certain, took our mother dear, 



Long may'l be ere he's commissioned to come again. 



In our hearls we will join our Father yet to bless, 

 For each favor past, and present to us lent, 



When in Wisdom Infinite, lie sees lit to call us, 

 Oh then may we look back upon a life well spent. 



rORTiA. 



gave evi- 



Jlso referred to the muddy drifts and po- 



*A very wild and beautiful range of mountains situated 

 on the east side, and adjoining Lancaster, N. H. A hunt, 

 or in the early settlement of this country, during a heavy 

 'all of snow, became lost — he wandered unsuccessfully 

 several days, during which time his dog, Plinv, whined 

 incessantly, and repeatedly started in ihe same direction. 

 The hunter nearly exhausted, and having no other ope, 

 followed his dog, who soon led him over the mountain, 

 down to the inhabitants. The mountain has taken Ihe 

 name of the dog, who had his from a Rom in philosopher. 



At the Scientific Convention in Philadelphia, 

 as reported iu ihe North American newspaper, 

 on Saturday, Sept. 23d, 



Professor Agassiz gave an account of the ter- 

 races and ancient river bars, drift boulders and 

 polished surfaces of Lake Superior. It was his 

 belief that two separate can>es had produced 

 these appearances upon Lake Superior. There 

 were evidences of the action of Hater, bill ihero 

 was another phenomenon, for which he claimed 

 some agency, viz: the terraces around the lake, 

 he believed, indicated ihe shores of former wa- 

 ter basins, showing different levels of the hike; 

 some of thei-e beingj! iis present margin, others 

 at various higher levels, giving; evidence of lor- 

 mer higher stages of ihe water. Hence ihere 

 was no doubt that the relative level between dry 

 land and water had changed to ihe amount now 

 existing between the highest terrace and ihe 

 margin of the lake which is some 300 feet. The 

 Professor thought that these shores 

 deuce of paroxysms of nature. 



Thus it was a serious question whether these 

 changes were the result of a subsidence of the 

 water, or an upheaval of the laud. Facts have 

 been brought forward to show thai ihe water has 

 sunk, but the Professor inclined to ihe belief that 

 Ihe land has been upheaved by a paroxysm of 

 nature. It would he difficult, he thought, to ac 

 count for these changes in the level of the water 

 lo a distance of 300 feet, if there had been no 

 change in the formation of the land. ' If the wa- 

 ter had had a free millet always as now, at ihe 

 Sault Sie. Marie, he did not see how it was pos- 

 sible that Ihe water should have risen so high as 

 the highest of these beach marks. Hence he 

 leaned to the geological theory of ihe upheaval 

 of the land. 



lit 

 lisbed surfaces of ihe lake. He" did nm think 

 that the polished surfaces resulted from ihe ac- 

 tion of the water, for the characteristic of the 

 action of that element on a large extent of land 

 was to groove or channel out all Ihe softer por- 

 tions, by which means the harder portions of the 

 veins were left projecting. hut here all were 

 ground down equally to one uniform level. 



There are two scratches upon this polished 

 surface which indicated pressure from above. It 

 was his opinion lhat these have been produced 

 by Ihe same causes which produce the glaciers. 

 If we can find whether these glaciers move al- 

 ways in an inclined plane, or by some other 

 cause, we shall have settled a great' point. 



Prof. A. then defined ihe climatic differences 

 which occur in different legions of our own and 

 other countries, with the alternate changes of 

 freezing and melting, on larger or smaller mas- 

 ses of water; and these changes.be thought 

 iviiuld be sufficient lo move any masses of snow 

 and ice over ihe flattest surface, even over hills 

 if ihe mass hail sufficient momentum. Now' 

 where do we observe these scratches and polish- 

 ed surfaces? On the tops of mountains ami ihe 

 highest hills— on their very summits, lie then 

 attributed these effects to the agency of ice, al- 

 though to a great extent there are other phe- 

 nomena v> hjch musl arise from the action of ihe 

 water. 



l)i: Leconte, at the conclusion of ihe Profess- 

 or's remarks, resisted the supposition lhat Lake 

 Superior had ever risen to the height of three 

 hundred feet. He thought the original outlet of 

 ihe lake must have been lb rough the narrow 

 valley of Green Bay, and it was perfectly obvi- 

 ous that all Ihe region below must have hern 

 lined up. He went on to illustrate the great size 

 of ihe liver Sault Ste. Marie in former periods 

 and ihe immense body of water container) in 

 Lake Superior itself Mr. Rerifield, Prof. Hall 

 and others, also discussed the point at i.-sue. 

 Prof. Hall said lhat there was evidence that ihe 

 valley of the river St. Lawrence, Lake Cham- 

 plain, &.<•., were, at a comparatively recent peri- 

 od, completely covered with ocean water, subse- 

 quent lo the drift 



[The recession of waters in ihe upper region 

 or level of Lake Superior is coincident wilh the 

 recei aion which every where appears below Ihe 

 Niagara falls and ihe present level of Lake On- 

 tario. As well on the lakes as on ihe rivers ter- 

 races appear shewing the waters to have stood nt 



