April, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



59 



i'l.ih. ihe M:,ln\ CuitiViUii:-. 



Work for the lUontii. 



Repairing ami puttinj,' in complete order every 

 fence on the farm, and particularly rond and di- 

 vision fences, is one of the tirst and most essen- 

 tial of spring labors. Good fences prevent eruc- 

 tations of bile among neighbors, contribute much 

 to the good appearance of the farm, prevent the 

 destruction of crops, and check in the bud that 

 disposition to live at Iari,'e which exists in most 

 animals. Our winter winds make sad work with 

 our worn, unslaked fences ; and too frequently 

 the rails blown oft", Jie the whole year buried in 

 grass or weeds, decaying thrice as fast as they 

 would if occupying their proper places on the 

 fence. 



It will prove injtn-ious to a soil to plough it.when 

 so wet as to smooth over and render compact 

 the service moved by the implement, as it dries 

 into a kind of unburnt brick, fatal to all hopes of 

 a good crop until again [julverized by frost. Clay 

 soils, and those unrlrained, are most apt to suffer 

 from this cause, which locks up all manures, and 

 renders the part consolidated impervious to all 

 atmospheric agency. Loamy or sandy soils may 

 be ploughed without danger of being rendered 

 compact ; and there are a few soils so constituted, 

 that though they may exhibit a smoothed surface 

 on ploughing,they become friable and tall to pieces 

 as soon as wet after drying. Such soils belong 

 to the class called marly. One imijroper plough- 

 ing on compact clay soils, undrained, will render 

 uarless all cultivation for the season. 



Manures may now be drawn upon the fields 

 for the crops to which they should be given. 

 These should be corn, potatoes, and other roots, 

 all of which will bear high manining; while if 

 the manure is applied to the grains directly, tin 

 product is very apt to be more straw than berry 

 There is scarcely any one thing in which farmers 

 are more deficient than in the management of 

 manures. Mr. Haggerston, the manager of IMr. 

 Cushing's farm, ne7ir Boston, finds by experience 

 that a compost made of two-thirds swamp muck 

 and one-third stable manure, fermented together, 

 makes a manure as valuable, and produces as 

 good crops of hay, grain, and roots, as if stable 

 mamn-e alone was used ; yet how few there an 

 who ever used a load of muck to enrich thei 

 lands, when perhaps they have thousands of load 

 on llieir premises. Stable or barn-yard manures 

 when put unfcrmented upon land, should be cov 

 ered, that the earth in;iy absorb the fertilizing 

 gases evolved during the process of decomj 

 tion. If they are made into compost with muck 

 or vegetable earth, and decompoised in that slate, 

 they will be sufHciently incorporated if spread on 

 the surface and mixed with stich earth with the 

 harrow. Compost manures are the most proper 

 for top dressing and renovating pastures or mead- 

 ows, where ploughing cannot be well adopted; but 

 its application should be accompanied with fresh 

 seeding, and a thorough harrowing. 



If the ghosts of starved-to-dcath animals were 

 permitted to hunt the men who have so cruelly 

 used them, we have some men in our mind's eye 

 who would have little quiet sleep about these days. 

 Domestic animals were not given to men to be 

 maltreated and starved ; and no man has a right 

 to undertake to keep more than he can supply 

 am|)ly with food. Accident or disease may, how- 

 ever, cause the occasional loss of an animal ; and 

 when such is the case, don't draw it out into the 

 field to invite the dogs and crows, or leave it by 

 the roadside to offend the olfactories of the travel- 

 er ; but take it to your field and throw on a few 

 bushels of lime, and cover the whole with earth. 

 Decomposition will take place with little or no 

 offensive exhalation, and the mass used as man- 

 ure will rival the most powerful. There is not a 

 more diagreeable siglit to a good farmer, or one 

 more indicative of an unthrifty one, than to see 

 the apple trees around the barn decorated with 

 dead lambs, or the adjoining meadow strewed 

 with the defunct carcases of older sheep. If an 

 animal is weak or sick, save it if you can ; but if 

 it dies, bury it where it will still profit you. 



We hope all our readers will remember the 

 advice that has been given in the Cultivator to 

 farmers, not to sell their ashes, and act upon it. 

 There is scarcely any kind of soil on which ashes 

 do not produce a decided benefit ; and for the 

 grasses which require so much silicate of potash 

 to the formation of their stems, some alkali is in- 

 dispensable. Mr. Putnam, of Mass., has lately 



on ihe publican account of some expfriuieuis. 



de by him to test the comparative value of 

 ashes and lime in making compost. 



Don't allow your boys, or your neighbors' boys, 



any biped who calls himself a man, to be 

 strolling about your fields and orchards with a 

 gun, popping away at the beautiful little birds 

 that are such effectual aids in extirpating or 

 checking the progress of the whole race of mil- 

 lers, worms, bug.s, grubs, &c., that commit such 

 depredations on the farmer. If you allow this 

 vile slaughter of birds, do not be surprised if your 

 ajiple trees are stripfied by the canker worm, 

 your apjtles destroyed by the larvte of the codling 

 moth, your plinns by the curculio, your cabbages 

 by the black grid), and your peas by the pea grub. 

 These little birds are the farmer's best friends. 

 True, they occasionally take as a reward for their 

 l.ibor some of the fruit or seeds they have been 

 so active in preserving; but this is no more than 

 equal and exact justice. The person who could 

 dispense with the early carol of the song spar- 

 row, the merry song of the bobalink, or the sweet 

 notes of the brown thrush, may possibly be an 

 honest man, but he has no car for the fine melo- 

 dies of nature ; " he has no music in his soul." 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 



Mr. Ewtor : — Many farmers are in the habit 

 of considering straw, poor hay, and the refuse or 

 orts of corn buts and stalks as helping much in 

 making manure; hence they throw them into 

 their barn-yards, for the cattle to [lick over and 

 tread under foot. The following extract from 

 Count Chaptal's "Chemistry applied to Agricul- 

 ture," will give his views upon the value of such 

 substances for manures: 



" According to the experiments of Davy, the 

 straw of bailey contains only two per cent, of 

 substance soluble in water, aiid having a sligh 

 resemblance to mucilage; the remainder con 

 sists entirely of fibre, wiiicli can be decomposed 

 only after a long time, and under circumstances 

 calculated to facilitate the operation. 



"I do not believe that there is in the whole 

 vegetable kingdom an aliment affording so little 

 nutriment, either for plants or animals, as the 

 dry straw of grain ; serving only to fill the sto- 

 machs of the latter, and furnishing to the former 

 but about one hundredth part of its weight of 

 soluble manure. 



" Weeds, leaves of trees, and all the succulent 

 plants which grow so abundantly in ditches 

 waste lands, under hedges, and by the road side, 

 if cut or pulled when in flower, and slightly fer- 

 mented, flirnish from twenty to twenty -five times 

 more manure than straw "does. These pi; 

 carefully collected, fiirnish to the agriculturist an 

 immense resource for enriching his lands. Be- 

 sides the advantage arising from Ihe manure 

 f'urnished by these plants, the agriculturist will 

 find his account in preventing the dissemimi 

 of their seeds, which, by projiagating in the 

 fields, deprive the crops of the nourishment t ' 

 the soil. The turf, that borders fields and higl 

 ways, may be made to answer the same purpose 

 by cutting it up with all the roots and the earth 

 adhering to them, rotting the whole in a heap, 

 and afterwards carrying the mass upon the fields, 

 or what is still better, by burning it, and dress 

 ing the land with the products of the combus 

 tion. 



" If straw did not serve as beds for animals, 

 •■iiid did not contribute, at the same time, to their 

 health and cleanliness, it woiilrl be better to cut 

 the ears of corn and leave the stalk in the field, 

 since they sei've only as absorbents of the tr 

 manures." 



If farmers in New England would set tin 

 boys to bringing leaves from the roads and by 

 the sides of their fences, they would get as good 

 beds for their stock as they have in their stra 

 and refiise hay, and would make much better 

 and more manure. It may be done in the fall, 

 after harvesting, at a very little trouble and ex- 

 pense. Make a light i-,\ck with stakes close to- 

 gether, and weave in poles in a sort of wi 

 work, put this upon v.agon wheels, and a boy or 

 two, and a horse, would get up several loadi 

 a day, where leaves are not at a great distance 

 from home. Let every farmer try it. P. 



Fulfil your Aqreemest. — Be particular in 

 fulfilling your agreements at the appointed time. 

 If you promise to be at a certain place at an ap- 



pointed hour, be there. Let nothing but death 

 ent you. iS^evcr keep a friend wailing a sin- 

 gle moment after the time elapses at which you 

 agieed to see him. If you have obligated your- 

 self to perform particular things, remember you 

 can ne\er honorably be released from that obli- 

 gation. Should it put you to much inconveni- 

 ence, remember your plighted word, and never, 

 ler break it. ' The heaviest feller that ever 

 ighed down the limbs of a captive, is as the 

 b of a gossamer, compared with the pledge of 

 a man of honor. The wall of stone, and the bar 

 of iron may be broken, but the plighted word 

 never." Remember this sentiment ; engrave it 

 on your heart, and resolve that your word shall 

 not be broken. 



From the F.irmer and Crardner. 

 Soil aud liocatiou for Planting Trees. 



I apprehend that many persons who purchase 

 trees, are not acquainted with the soil and lo- 

 cation, naturally the best adapted to each partic- 

 ular species of trees or shrubs, and sometimes, it 

 has happened that for want of this knowledge, 

 trees that I have carefully cultivated for years, on 

 being ordered, which were carefully dug and 

 packed, have died because not planted in a soil 

 suited to their nature. 



I therefore i)ropose to state what in my hum- 

 ble opinion, would be useful to some of iny cus- 

 tomers on the above subject. 



To enable us to form a correct judgment on 

 such subjecLs, we ought to study nature's works; 

 some .sorts of trees (but it is the fewest num- 

 ber) thrive best on a stiflfwhile clay, many others 

 on upland, mellow loam, and other trees and 

 shrubs will hardly grow at all, unless on wet or 

 moist land, and some grow best on saiyly land. 



An hour's ride through our woods, by a person 

 of common observation, will at once convince 

 him ofthe way nature works ; the White Oak 

 abounds in stiff white clay, the Walnut, Po|>lar, 

 Hickory, Dogwood and Yellow Locust are found 

 flourishing on the upland mellow loam— but on 

 all wet ground or damp situations, we find the 

 Maple, Magnolia, Willow, Black Alder, Birch, 

 Winterberry, &c., not because those trees are 

 planted where they are found, the winged seed 

 of some of them are carried by the wind a long 

 distance, but they will not grow unless they light 

 on the sort of soil congenial to their growth, 

 which to me is very instructive, showing the ne- 

 cessity of planting each sort of tree on ground 

 suited to its nature as near as we can ; liowever, 

 there are very many species of trees not so par- 

 ticular, but giound may be imiJroved to suit them. 

 The greatest number of trees grow best on a 

 deep, open, fre^nellow loam, which is the best 

 for most of frulPtrees — our climate (Virginia) is 

 rather warm for the Pear and Gooseberry. To 

 obviate the blight of ihe first and the smut ofthe 

 last, select the coolest soil and exposure, made 

 rich, particularly for the last— and it has been 

 highly recommended, and I think with good rea- 

 .son, to cover the ground aroinid those trees and 

 shrubs to protect tliem from the summer's 

 dioiight and beat, with stone, rotten wood or 

 hoard. 



The European Cherry does best on high gran- 

 ite laud, hut not so well on lime stone or low 

 bottom land. The Peach will thrive on all sorts 

 ofland (except a stiff white clay, or swamp,) if 

 high'and wavey, hut delights in a rich saiuly 

 loam. But plant the Willow, Maple, Magnolia, 

 and such trees in damp sitiKiiions, or where the 

 ruin or other water can be led to their roots oc- 

 casionally. 



ROBERT SINCLAIR, Sen. 



For the Far 



This I 



<e which of late has [iroved so dc- 

 iuit tiees throughout New England, 



is one which admits of an early remedy, provi- 

 ded it he taken in time. Its ravages, however, 

 have already been so extensive and fatal that 

 there are, comparatively, but few trees left. Of 

 the plum and cherry tribes we may say that they 

 have already nearly disappeared, and the day is 

 oJ)viously not far" distant, when, unless some 

 speedy and efVectual reme.ly be devised, these 

 valuable fruits will cease to be longer known. 



It is curious to peruse the various hypotheses 

 by which farmers and physiologists have endea- 

 vored to account for the origin or cause of this 

 disease. 



