THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



25 



al)oiiiHls in the greater part of the iiortliwestern 

 section of that State, which is a region of moun- 

 tains, hills and valleys; and a valuable Marl bed 

 underlays a large portion of the southeasterly 

 part of the State, which is a level countiy, and 

 until within a few years has been considered an 

 exceedingly sterile country. 



The proper marl of New Jersey is of tlie Green 

 Sand formation, and contains none or vei-y little 

 shells or materials partaking of the nature of 

 lime. The pond or fresh water marl partakes of 

 the carbonate of lime, sometimes 50, sometimes 

 60, and at others as high as 90 per cent. The 

 Green Sand formation, which the learned Geolo- 

 gist considers the most interesting "on account 

 of the various properties of its chief constituent, 

 the interesting relations of its numerous fossils, 

 and its highly valuable use as a fertilizing agent," 

 has very little or no liirie in its composition. Tlie 

 green sand is mixed with about one-third clay 

 and one-tenth quartzose sand, and is found to 

 contain from 7 to 12 and 15 per cent, of potash. 



Doct. Rogers remarks: "Abundant evidence 

 might be adduced to prove that the true fertili- 

 zing [ninciple in marl is not lime, but potash. The 

 analyses which have been made, in several instan- 

 ces, give us no lime at all, and ^-i'here a small por- 

 tion of lime is present in the green granular mi- 

 neral, it is in a combined state, chemically united 

 with the other ingredients, and not traceable to 

 the organic remains, wliich are in many of these 

 instances not present in the stratum. Besides, 

 tiie quantity of shelly matter, oven where the 

 shells are plentiful, is so disproportionately small, 

 and the matter of the shells often so firm and 

 unsusceptible of that easy disintegration necessa- 

 ry to form a calcareous mail adapted to act 

 speedily upon the crop, Ihat the striking effects 

 witnessed from the mail can in no c;isc be attri- 

 buted to the trivial amount of lime which the 

 shells may occasionally furnish to llie laud." 



" When we behold a luxuriant harvest, gathered 

 from fields in which the original soil is of a kind 

 least of all congenial to vegetation ; when we find 

 that ail this fertility, contrasting so strikingly with 

 the barrenness around it, proceeds from a few 

 granules of a substance sparsely distributed 

 through the enormous and counteracting excess 

 of sea-beach sand, more arid than the soil to 

 which it is applied, are we not led to hnik with 

 admiration on the potent propcrlies of this curi- 

 ously constituted mineral ? The developenieiits 

 of geology are full of instances like this, showing 

 in how "many iinlooked for ways the mineral 

 world may be made subservient to the good of 

 mankind. 



"There can be no doubt that the agriculture of 

 our seaboard States is destined to derive essen- 

 tial benefit from the remarkably wide distribution 

 of this green granular mineral under various geo- 

 logical relationships, besides those in which it 

 presents itself in New Jersey. 



"Mr. Woolsey manured a piece of land in the 

 proportion of two hundred loads of good stable 

 manure to the acre, applying uiion an adjacent 

 tract of the same soil his marl in the ratio of 

 about twenty loads to the acre. The cro; s, which 

 were timothy and clover, were much heavier up- 

 on the section which had received the niarl : and 

 there was this additional fact greatly in favor of 

 the fossil manure over the putrescent one, that 

 the soil was entirely free from weeds, while the sta- 

 ble manure had rendered its own croji very foul. 



"Twenty loads of marl per acre must be re- 

 garded as an unnecessarily bountiful dressing, but 

 computing the relative cost of the two manures, 

 when employed in the ratio above stated, we find 

 a considerable disparity in favor of the green 

 sand. Placing the home value of farm yard ma- 

 nure at one hundred cents for each two-horse load, 

 and that of the marl at twenty-five cents the lo;.d, 

 we have the expense of manuring one acre, two 

 hundred dollars ; of marling the same,/i:c dollars. 



" Experience has already shown that land once 

 amply marled retains its fertility with little dimi- 

 nution for at least ten or twelve years, if care be 

 had not to crop it ton severely ; while, with all 

 practical precautions, the stable manure must be 

 renewed at least three tinies in that interval to 

 maintain in the soil a corresponding degree of 

 vigor." 



Such being the nature of the soil of New Jer- 

 sey and its rich underlay of inarl, more potent 

 than the best of manure, which can be carted and 

 laid over the soil with as little expense as so 



much material from a sand pit — how can we esti- 

 mate the value of ijs beds of green sand to the 

 State .' 



But it is not in New Jersey, nor is it on the 

 level region of country near the sea, that valua- 

 ble mineral manures may be alone found. The 

 high mountains of New Hampshire contain in 

 their bosoms, according to our best belief, mate- 

 rials for fertilizing the earth, which, if not as rich 

 as the green sand of Jersey, shoidd be highly 

 prized. The rocks and gravel and sand worn off 

 and brought down from these mountains, being 

 decomposed and ground into fine particulars, 

 serve to enrich the valleys below. The fertility 

 of our river alluvion comes from the bosom of 

 these mountains. 



We have understood from Doct. Jackson, the 

 Geologist for New Hampshire, that he has dis- 

 covered marl beds in the northern region of the 

 Connecticut river valley and at other places. If 

 he will hereafter give us a map laying down the 

 several formations, and will present us with accu- 

 rate analyses of the different soils, the minerals, 

 the lime and marl beds, after the manner of tlie 

 New Jersey survey, he will do the State of New 

 Hampshire a service of great value to the present 

 generation and to posterity. 



We want to see the great body of New Eng- 

 land farmers so well instructed in the nature and 

 qualities of our soils as to be able to go directly 

 to work in efl^ecting that combination which will 

 make every cultivated acre produce a greatly in- 

 creased crop. 



From the Cultivator. 

 Rhubarb Plant. 



This excellent perennial, (called, in New Eng- 

 land, the " Apple-pie Plant," from the fact that 

 jiies made of it, so much resemble those made 

 from the Apple,) not only makes a very superior 

 and grateful pie, but is said by medical men to 

 make a very healthful one. Apian for its culture 

 which we have seen adopted with very good suc- 

 cess, in this : — In the spring, before tlie leaves put 

 out, place your roots in a light soil, well manured. 

 When the leaves are well grown, take common 

 barrels, and after removing the heads, |)lace them 

 over the plants. As the leaves sjjread, the sides 

 of the barrel will support lheni,;iiid you will soon 

 sre Iheiu lining aliove the toji. Ry adopting this 

 plan, leaves u ill grow uiurh fasler, and are more 

 delicate, making better pitj and more of them. 

 Tills (ilant may be tiirced in the winter season 

 with but little trouble, and thus made to supply a 

 family with excellent pies, not inferior to those 

 made of the apple, all ihe year. In order to effect 

 this, the roots should be taken from the garden 

 in autumn, and placed in water-tight kegs, or 

 large pots ; some fine garden loam should then 

 be put in, "and water poured upon it, that it may 

 settle well atnong and around the roots, whicFi 

 should be placed level with each other, a little be- 

 low the surface of the earth. The whole should 

 then be covered with other pots of the same size, 

 to excliule the light, and well supplied with water. 

 The heat of the kitchen, or, towards spring, of a 

 tight warm cellar, will afford a sitfRciently high 

 ttniperatiire. Plants of one year old will answer to 

 force in this manner. Thestock of the leaf nmal he 

 peeled, cut into sniill pieces, and prejiared for 

 pies in the same manner as apples. 



A Ladv Fakmer. — In the IMaine Cultivalor we 

 find the Report of the Committee of the Kenne- 

 bec County Agricultural Society ; from which 

 we learn that the premiums for the best crops of 

 Wheat and Indian Corn were awarded 1o Mrs. 

 CoNTE.NT W. Haines, of Winthrop. Mrs. H. 

 succeeded in laising one. hundred and thirty-two 

 bushels of ears of sound Corn on an acre,— one 

 bushel of wliich was shelled and made 17 1-2 

 quarts. The same acre produced five loads of 

 Pumpkins. She also raised twenty-nine bushels 

 of good clean Wheat on an acre. We have a 

 curiosity to know what some of our city ladies 

 think of tlii.^. 



Sheep. — There is something in the value of 

 the breed of Sheep. The quarters of a Bake- 

 well sheep, well fatted, will weigh two himdred 

 pounds while a sheep of the ordinary kind, equal- 

 ly well fatted, will hardly reach seventy-five. It 

 is believed the Bakewell breed are better adapted 

 to the climate of New England than the Merino 

 or Saxony which produce finer wool. 



"The Grasses." 



The attention of our readers will be turned to 

 the discussion at the State House in Boston on 

 the subject of Grasses. Many experiments have 

 been tried at various times with various import- 

 ed grasses : these experiments are worth some- 

 thing to the farmer, because they prove that the best 

 graMfts for hay are those which have been in use as 

 Ions as the oldest inhabitant can recollect. 



The Red-top is a grass into which our common 

 upland, when not often ploughed u)), naturally 

 runs. Although not the most valuable as hay, yet 

 it will be difficult to find and introduce any sub- 

 stitute for it in ground that cannot continually be 

 turned up vvith the plough. In those runs or 

 swales producing abundance of hay many years 

 in succession, sometimes herdsgrass might be in- 

 troduced by sowing the seed at a jiroper time 

 and stirring the surface with a harrow or other in- 

 strument, and thus a inuch more valuable hay 

 might be obtained. Generally, however, on this 

 ground the Red-top as the [)reponderating grass 

 may be considered the best 



The best and most useful grasses for hay in 

 New England are herdsgrass and clover : these 

 have been the prevailing grasses on all recently 

 ])loughed and new laid down lands. We extract 

 the following from an essay in the New Eng- 

 land Farmer, written by the Hon. John Wells, 

 which was first published in 1824 in the Agricul- 

 tural Journal, edited by the Trustees of the Mas- 

 sachusetts Society for promoting Agriculture : — 



" Of the cultivated grasses, the first in impor- 

 tance is the Herds or Timothy grass, Phleum 

 pratense (Linnaeus.) Dr. Elliot says " it is a na- 

 tive, and early discovered in this country by a man 

 of the name of Heard, in Piscataqna." It is 

 doubtless admirably suited to our soil and cli- 

 mate, and not only flourishes in njilands, but may 

 be sowed to advantage in low grounds, especially 

 when drained or raised with gra\ el or loam. It 

 often attains in height five feet, and has been 

 known to produce over four tons to the acre. It 

 does not yield much till the second and third 

 years. For which reason it is sown with clover, 

 which being biennial and of shorter duration, 

 gives it space to succeed. In this vicinity, such 

 is the preference given to it, that it sells at about 

 one fourth more than any other hay. It lasts, 

 with one or two top-dressings, six to seven years. 

 The answers to the inquiries of the Society as to 

 the quantity of seed sown, are two to six quarts. 

 There should not be less seed than half a bushel 

 to an acre, which later experience establishes 

 most decidedly. 



"Red clover (Trifolium praten.se) is a most val- 

 uable grass: when cut green, it aflbrds an excel- 

 lent nourishinent for cattle in the soiling process, 

 as well as for swine. When made into hay, cat- 

 tle are exceedingly fond of it. The flower and 

 leaves are apt to separate from the stem, for which 

 reason great care should be taken that it is not 

 made brittle by too much exposure to the sun. it 

 is best cured, as far as may be, in cock, and 

 should be carted after the dew begins to fall. — 

 \\ hen properly dried, salt is use<l advantageou.s- 

 ly, as it may be housed with safety, more green 

 than any other hay. This prevents fermentation 

 and healing, and it is kejitin better order. Many 

 in this vicinity not only salt their clover, but ail 

 other hay. Lord Somerville observes that he 

 ■ uses half a bushel of salt to a ton, and its bene- 

 fit surpasses all belief, producing the best possible 

 effect in color, flavor, and general result ;' with 

 damaged hay, he says ' it is a great restoi'ative.' " 



Rat Catching. 



There is no vermin more troublesome and an- 

 noying than rats and mice. We advise every 

 man that a house will be worth from one to five 

 hundred dollars more by taking effective meas- 

 ures when building it to shut out the rats and 

 mice. This may be done by a course of brick 

 and hmo mortar laid between the partiiions and 

 directly over the timbers which are the founda- 

 tion of each apartment. When building th<! 

 house which his family now occupies, the editor 

 of the Visitor had an eye to the shutting out the 

 rats and mice, to which he had been prompted 

 by these animals having paraded ibr years in the 

 house which he first built between tlie floor and 

 plastering overhead or around the chimneys and 

 fire-places — a vexation that is constantly annoy- 

 ing to a nervous man. By a little careful atten- 

 tion the rats and mice have been shut out of the 



