40 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



in the one case the fibres of the roots can extend 

 and collect food without obstruction, while In the 

 other the supply is very liiniterl, or cut off. 



Miller says, "'the roots of trees are often buri- 

 ed too deep in the ground, which, in a cold or 

 moist soil, is one of the greatest disadvantages 

 that can attend fruit trees ; for the sap in the 

 branches, being by the warmth of the air put 

 strongly into motion early in the spring, is exhaus- 

 ted in nourishing the blossoms, and a part of it is 

 perspired through the wood branches, so that its 

 strength is lost, before the warmth can reach the 

 roots, to put them into an equal motion in search 

 of fresh nourishment, to supply the expenses of 

 the branches, for want o{ which the blossoms fall 

 off and decay." 



After the best kind of trees have been procur- 

 ed, and skilfully and properly planted, great care 

 should be taken to protect them from the depre- 

 dations of cattle, and they should be staked, to 

 keep them in an upright position, for there is no 

 way in which the indolence and want of taste of 

 a farmer is more pmminently and permanently 

 exhibited, than in the inclined position of his 

 fruit trees. What think you, neighbor, of a man 

 who has suffered a fine apple or pear tree to grow 

 at an angle of forty-five degrees, when if it had 

 claimed attention at the proper time, five minutes' 

 work would have given it perpendicularity, and 

 preserved its beauty ; and it would then have oc- 

 cupied much less space. 



On every farm, a small space should be alloted 

 for the purpose of raising stocks of the different 

 kinds of fruit trees, so that buds or grafts could 

 be inserted at the proper seasons of i)erforming 

 these operations, and in this way a perpetual suc- 

 cession of the finest trees would be obtained. — 

 The nursery for tliis purpose should be kept en- 

 tirely free from weeds, otherwise all will be hope- 

 less, for weeds have been proven, by several of 

 my lazy acquaintance, to grow much faster than 

 young fruit trees raised from the seed. The 

 quince is among the most profitable of our 

 fruits, always finding a ready market st a gener- 

 ous price, and yet there is but little attention giv- 

 en to its cultivation ; it succeeds best in a moist 

 soil, and will grow readily from slips inserted in 

 the ground, early in the spnng. The young trees 

 produce the finest, fairest fruit; there should, 

 therefore, be a successsion kept up, ns they do 

 not do well at a greater age ttian ten or twelve 

 years. It is hoped that the ajjproaching spring 

 will not be permitted to pass by without a large 

 addition being made to the number of quince trees 

 in our country. Those who are too remote from 

 market to profit by the sale of them in a green 

 state, wilj find their interest promoted by drying 

 them, when they will sell for a higher price than 

 the best dried peaches. 



Those who. plant young orchards would do 

 well to consider maturely what description of 

 cultivated crops would be most beneficial to the 

 trees, and particularly to avoid such as are known 

 to be injurious. What would be the eflect of a 

 luxuriant crop of wheat or rye, is well known. 

 The trees are stunted and injured in their growth 

 or they are smothered and killed outright. Will 

 a wise man sow a young orchard with rye ? I say 

 no, never. AGRICOLA. 



Dr. Jackson's Survey of Rhode Island. 



In his report. Dr. J. discourses on the value of 

 peat as a manure. We are satisfied that the 

 of peat will be of immense service to our farmers 

 when they have once learned the mode of using 

 it. The free acid which it contains must be first 

 neutralized by combining it with some alkaline 

 matter, such as ashes or lime, or with some an 

 imal matter the ammonia of which will neutral 

 ize the acid and render it soluble so that it can 

 be taken up by the plants. 



We will first give an account of the use which 

 the inhabitants of Block Island make of it as a 

 fuel. 



"There are no trees upon Block Island, and 

 since wood fuel is too expensive for general use, 

 it most fortunately happens that nature has am- 

 ply provided the inhabhants with a great and al 

 most inuxhaustible supply of peat, or tug, as it is 

 called. Thus every family owns a peat bog, 

 which is their dei)Ository of fuel, from which they 

 draw an ample allowance yearly. 



Attached to every dwelling we find a 'lug 

 house,' in which is stored the winter's fuel, and 



each family burns from 25 to 30 cords oflieat per 

 annum. 



The mode of preparing it is, in case it is a first 

 cutting, to split out cakes of it about six inches 

 square, which are laid upon the bank to dry in 

 part, after which it is turned, and subsequently 

 is piled up in open stocks, through which the 

 air circulates and completes the process. In 

 case an old bog is dug over, the peat is made by 

 the hatids into balls as large as a twelve pound 

 cannon shot, and these are laid on the ground 

 partially dried, and then stacked like piles of can- 

 non balls. They become firm and burn very well, 

 giving out a large and clear flame, and making a 

 good coal. The people all have their fire i)laces 

 arranged with peat grates, or frames made of bar 

 iron, large enough to fill a kitchen fire place. On 

 this they lay the peat, and it proves to be an ex- 

 cellent fuel, giving a good clear fire, suitable for 

 all kinds of cooking, and for the warming of a- 

 partments. 



I think that most persons would give up their 

 prejudices against peat, if they would spend a 

 few weeks among the people of this island. 



I was informed by several old persons, that 

 they well remembered when several tug bogs 

 were entirely dug out, and that by throwing back 

 the loose turtj the peat grew again in 40 years, so 

 I fill the bogs. I was assured such was the 

 case with many of the bogs that I visited. Berzel- 

 ius says that the same opinion prevails in Swe- 

 den, but accurate observations have proved it to 

 be an error. 



Peat and swamp muck occur in almost every 

 town in the State, and farms are so situated that 

 they may be abundantly supplied with them. 



I am confidently of opinion that when the val- 

 ue of these substances is fully known, they will 

 eagerly sought for, as the basis of compost 

 inaniu'es. 



They are extensively employed in Europe for 

 this purpose, and are highly esteemed. 



Lord Meadowbank, who first called the atten- 

 tion of British agriculturists to this valuable sub- 

 stance, states, "that after long and watchful ex- 

 perience he is satisfied with the i)owers and du- 

 " m of this species? of compost. In every diver- 

 sity of soil, it has given returns in nowise "inferior 

 to the best barn-yard dung, applied in the same 

 (piantity, and that it is equal if not preferable in 

 its effects for the first three years, and decidedly 

 superior afterwards." 



"The carcase of a dead horse, whch is often 

 suffered to pollute the air by its noxious effluvia, 

 has been happily employed in decomposing 20 

 tons of pent earth and transforming it into the 

 most enriching manure. (See Young's letters of 

 Agricola, letter 25, p. 238.) 



In this country ex-perience has also demonstra- 

 ted the value of peat compost. 



Ellas Phinney, Esq. of Lexington, Ms., and 

 Mr. Haggarston,of Watertovvn, who are excellent 

 practical farnier.s, both declare that a composted 

 manure made of three parts of peat and one of 

 stable manure, is equal in value to its bulk of 

 clear stable dung, and is more permanent in its 

 effects. Mr. Phinney has also been remarkably 

 successful in reclaiming peat bogs, and values 

 such land for tillage more than his uplands. (See 

 his letter appended to this report.) 



I have seen the various methods of managing 

 peat composts fiflly carried into effect, in every 

 form described, and am .satisfied that wben its 

 use is fully understood, and it shall be generally 

 applied in Rhode Island, that a new and prosper- 

 ous era will dawn upon the agriculture of the 

 State. 



In composting peat, the farmer should be at- 

 tentive to the principles on which the art is foun 

 ded, otherwi.se by deviating he may commit im 

 portant errors. 



It is essential that animal nwttersof some kind 

 should be mixed with the peat, for the purpose 

 of effecting its decomposition, and to produce 

 the requisite gases. Lime is employed to de- 

 compose the peat, neutralize acids, and to disen- 

 gage amnioniacal gas from the animal substances. 

 The peat greedily absorbs every particle of am- 

 monia, and becomes in part soluble in water. The 

 soluble matter produced is principally the apo 

 crenate of ammonia. Crenate of ammonia anc 

 crenate of lime are also dissolved. 



Where an excess of animal matter and lime 

 are employed, free carbonate of ammonia is form 

 ed. If the compost is mixed with earth and cil 



lowed to remain for a long time,nitre is produced, 

 the operation taking placs more rapidly in the 

 sumtner months. 



Potash, soda, soaper's waste liquors, and ashes, 

 may also be advantageously mi.\ed with peat, and 

 will serve to render it soluble and fertilizing. 

 Peat may likewise be used to absorb the liquid 

 anures, which ought to be collected for that 

 purpose, in every barn-yard, the dry peat absorb- 

 ing like a sponge. It afterwards undergoes fer- 

 mentation in consequence of the animal liquids 

 absorbed. It is stated by Mr. John Young, in 

 his letters of Agricola, that the liquid manures are 

 of the same value as the solid, and "(/in/ one ton of 

 the solid dung will make four tons of compost, and 

 four tons more may be made from the urine i " 

 ed by the cattle in the same given time." 



To the Ladies. 



".\o more toil 



Of their sweet gardening labor than sufficed 



To recommend cool zephyr, and make cause 



More easy, wholesome thi'retand appetite 



More grateful," milton. 



Since the editors of this work are doing so 

 uch to enlighten the stionger half of creation, 

 as to the ways and means of securing the solids 

 and durables of life, it is but fair that something 

 should be said to enlist the attention of the gen- 

 tler sex, in regard to the ornamental. 



Let me be understood, then, as giving you, one 

 and all, an earnest request to take up the science 

 of cultivation, in what pertains to ornamental 

 jardening. " Poh !" — says some house-wife, 

 ooking up from a portoiitous pile of stockings — 

 'What's ihe use of fussing and quiddling over 

 plants and flowers ?" " Dear me !" says a young 

 lady, between sixteen and eighteen, engaged in 

 "le momentous pursuits incident to that time of 

 fe — " How is any one to find time to attend to 

 such things?"— "Oh!" says another, " I admire 

 plants and fine shrubbery, but then they are so 

 expensive ! one must pay so much for them, and 

 have a man to tend them," &c. &c. And there 

 are still others, we must confess, ever, among our 

 own sex, who, should you show tiieni the most 

 peerless of flowers, in its fullest bloom, v/ould 

 tell you quite, composedly, •' La," that's only a 

 rose, I've seen thousands of 'em !" To this last 

 lass, any nrgiiment on the subject of such very 

 common attiiirs, we suppose would be entirely 

 out of place. 



But us ladies in general, and American ladies 

 in particular, never do any thing, even to under- 

 'ng the tightest lacing, and wearing the thin- 

 est shoes in the coldest winter weather, without 

 having good and sufticieut reasons to sustain 

 them, we must of course give a few solid ones, as 

 to why the pursuit of ornamental gardening is so 

 particularly to be recommended to them. 



In the first place it conduces to health. A gen- 

 tleman of my acquaintance told me, that he 

 would ride twenty miles to see one really healthy 

 woman! and the phenomenon we think would 

 be rare enough to justify the effort. Now all our 

 treatises on the preservation of health, in recom- 

 mending exercise as its "sine qua non," insist 

 also, that that exercise mn.st be taken in the open 

 air, and that the mind must be engaged and ex- 

 cited equally with the body. Now what occupa- 

 tion fulfils these conditions like gardening ? Let 

 any one practice it a while out of doors, on a 

 beautiful spring morning, with all the delightful 

 excitement of laying out a border, sewing seeds, 

 transplanting and arranging shrubbery, and they 

 will find by the quick beat of every pulse, and the 

 glow of the cheek, how healthful is the exercise. 

 And as a sort of supplement to this part of my 

 subject. I would add, that the pursuit of garden- 

 ing leads directly to early rising, since some of 

 its most important offices must \^e performed be- 

 fore the burning heats of the day come on. But 

 " dear me !" says some young lady " I never get 

 up early ; if that is necessary in order to raise 

 flowers, I never shall do it !"— Never fear, my 

 fair friend, once get your heart and soul in the 

 matter, and you will rise early, because you can- 

 not help it. "The imago of your geraniums and 

 your roses will haunt your morning pillow, and 

 you will be down with the first dawn, fn see if 

 the blossoms they promised the day before, have 

 stolen forth, like beautiful spirits in the stillness 

 of night. 



Then again, gardening is a graceful accom- 

 plishment for a lady, and has hccn held nvcn 



