230 



JSEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



Phosphates of iron, lime, and magnesia 0.842 



Carbonate of lime 86.203 



Sulphates of lime 2.061 



Lime, probably combined with organic matter 6.035 



Magnesia 0.338 



Pola.ssa 0,191 



Soda and chloride of sodium 0.690 



Organic 3.613 



99.613 



The same shell, burned till nearly all the car- 

 bonic acid and organic matter were expelled — 100 

 parts gave of 



Phosphates of iron, lime, and magnesia .0.800 



Lime 91.918 



Magnesia 0. .560 



Potassa 0.316 



Soda and chloride of sodium 1.144 



Sulphuric acid 2.011 



Carbonic acid 2.050 



Organic matter trace. 



98.799 



From these analyses it will be seen that the 

 shells of the clam contain a much larger percen- 

 tage of phosphates, magnesia, potassa and soda, 

 than those of the oyster; while the latter are 

 much the richest in linis and sulphuric acid. 

 Tours truly, 

 J. H. Salisbury, State Chemist. 

 Old State Hall, Albamj, Feb. 14, 1853. 

 — Plough, Loom and Anvil. 



LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTURAL MEET- 

 INGS. 



Eleventh Meeting— Tuesday Evening, April 5, 1853. 



The eleventh meeting of the series was held at 

 the State House, on Tuesday evening. The sub- 

 ject under consideration was'TAe Structure and 

 Position of Farm Buildings.''^ 



Mr. Proctor, of Danvers, presided, and^n open- 

 ing the discussion remarked that in his opinion, 

 the cost of farm buildings should be proportionate 

 to the value of the farm ; that is, they should not 

 cost more than the land, but as much less as pos- 

 sible. On a farm worth $5000, the house should 

 not cost more than $2500. The buildings should 

 be so situated as to save travel and power in farm- 

 ing operations, as on uneven land, the necessity of 

 transporting manure up hill, as this is generally 

 the heaviest labor on a farm. It would be much 

 easier to draw produce up hill than manure. 



The barns and sheds should also be so arranged 

 as to afford the most comfort and convenience to 

 the animals occupying them. Much suffering and 

 loss occurs from a neglect of this matter. Farm- 

 ers should avoid building their houses too high, 

 because if constructed with three or four stories, 

 the upper stories are inconvenient to get at. Who- 

 ever builds in this manner, errs in taste and mis- 

 applies his money. 



Farm buildings, too, should be adapted to the 

 purposes for which the farm is designed — as, if a 

 dairy farm, or a cheese farm, rooms should be 

 built expressly to meet the requirements of such 

 farming. 



Mr. Proctor thought the habit of keeping cat- 

 tle in the barn during the entire winter, was un- 



necessary ; because, if sheds and yards are proper- 

 ly constructed, young cattle, certainly, can be well 

 kept in them. 



Mr. Brown, of the jV. E. Farmer, said that one 

 great difBculty in arranging our farms and build- 

 ings is, that most of them come to us either by 

 inheritance or purchase, and alterations in them 

 are expensive. If he were to lay out a farm, he 

 would form it into an oblong square, and if the 

 lands were extensive, h(f would place the build- 

 ings somewhere near the centre — if not very am- 

 ple, near the front centre, and nearest the high- 

 way, to be used in connection with the hiriu. He 

 agreed with the Chairaiivn, in regard to the house 

 on a fixrm, for he believed there was much truth 

 in the old couplet, 



"A little house and a great barn. 

 Is a sure sign of a good farm." 



One of the most important apartments in a 

 house, is the cellar ; and yet, among farmers it is 

 often more deficient than any other apartment. 

 The cellar should be eight or nine feet high from 

 the bottom to the floor of the house, and should 

 be well painted and white-washed. It should be 

 kept in such a manner as to keep it moist, so that 

 the hoops on the barrels should not drop off, but 

 not so moist as to cause the casks and bins to 

 rot. Mr. Brown stated that he had a stream of 

 water running through his cellar nearly all the 

 time, the springs flowing out from the hill side 

 behind his house, being conducted through it. 



He found that fruit would keep better in 

 this cellar than in any other he had ever used ; 

 he had no doubt he could keep some kinds of ap- 

 ples in it two years, without withering or shrink- 

 ing much. The casks are always in good condi- 

 tion if the cellar is cleaned out two or three times 

 a year, as he intends to have it. 



In regard to the structure of barns, Mr. Brown 

 thought that if any inan would furnish a design 

 for such a barn as thousands of our farmers are at 

 the present moment in need of, — something neat, 

 convenient and cheap — he would confer a great 

 benefit. He instanced the farm of a gentleman in 

 Wostboro', which accommodated under one roof 

 the carriages, the hay, and the implements, by 

 which means the expense of constructing roofs for 

 separate buildings is avoided. Then from the 

 centre of this barn, is another for the cattle, the 

 droppings of manure being thrown under this 

 building, — leaving the cellar of the main barn 

 sweet and clean for the reception of the crops of 

 the farm throughout the year, lie had endeav- 

 ored to form one after the same fashion. There was 

 one great inconvenience connected with it, how- 

 ever ; the bays for hay were very wide and long, 

 and it often required three persons to unload and 

 stow it away, which is more labor than can be 

 spared in the haying season. 



Mr. Sheldon of Wilmington said he had never 



