1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



311 



!y convinced it did not "pay." Leached ashes When once in good condition, clay lands ■will 

 spread on broadcast, are of far greater value.— lyidd fine cropa of grass for many years, with the 



But the best way to treat one's ashes taken from 

 the stove or fire-place, is to einpty them into the 

 hen-roost ; and with the addition of plenty of 

 sandy loam, mixed, as of course it will be, with the 

 droppings from the hens, a good "home-made gua- 

 no" is manufactured, which when rightly applied 

 to the corn-field pays the farmer well for his 

 trouble. From a flock of thirty fowls, a half cord 

 of ^oo(/ manure may be easily made; and it will 

 be equal in value to one cord of manure commonly 

 purchased at stables. By throwing ashes into the 

 hen-roost, a two-fold benefit is derived ; it not on- 

 ly adds greatly to the manure heap, but acts as an 

 excellent preventive against lice. Nothing is a 

 surer remedy to destroy barn-lice, than ashes and 

 sand. Fowls will soon rid themselves of lice if 

 they have free access to those ingredients. 



A. Todd. 

 Smithfield, R. I., 8th mo., 1853. * 



ACTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE ON 

 THE ROOTS OF PLANTS. 



It is necessary that air should have access to 

 the roots of plants, as much as possible. The 

 admission of air to the roots is necessary to the 



application only of a little annual top dressing. 



The action of decaying vegetable matter, as 

 dead leaves and vegetable mould about the roots 

 of trees, is to give out carbonic acid. If the soil 

 is loose the tree will profit by this, and take up 

 by its roots the carbonic acid evolved. But if 

 there is a stiff bed of clay between the dead mat- 

 ter and the roots, the tree will be prevented from 

 taking up the carbonic acid, and no benefit will 

 be received. From this knowledge the farmer 

 will at once see the advantage of keeping the soil 

 light about the roots of trees, which he wishes to 

 preserve in health and vigor. 



A similar operation goes on also in the roots of 

 the grass, corn, and other plants ; so that it be- 

 comes a matter of importance to keep the soil al- 

 ways light and porous wherever we cultivate. 



For the Neiv England Farmer. 

 STATE PAUPER FARM. 



Mr. Editor: — Being in the vicinity of the State 

 Pauper Farm, in Tewksbury, a few days since, I 



growth of the plant, and to the germination of i availed myself of the opportunity to go on to the 

 the seed. The oxygen of the air, in combination jgrj^^^nd'^.^i^^.Jf^e^^^has^^^ 

 with carbon, forms carbonic acid, which is an 



The institution stands upon a gentle swell of land, 

 about half a mile east of the centre of the town. 

 The building is of wood, three stories high. The 

 centre of the main building is to be four stories. 

 The walls of the western wing are up and covered 

 in ; the sills, floor timbers and first floor of the 

 centre and eastern wing are laid, and ready to re- 

 ceive the walls, which are nearly ready to be 



agent at once of communicating vital heat and 

 aliment to the plant. This necessity of the ad- 

 mission of air to the seeds and roots of plants, 

 suggests to the farmer two conditions necessary 

 to be observed in cultivation. First, seeds should 



not be planted too deep. If they are so far be- 1 raised. The building stands upon the northern 

 low the surface of the earth that the air cannot declivity of the hill, and the main front has a 

 reach them, there can be no germination. It northerly aspect. The ground descends gently 

 has been found by experiment that potatoes plant- 1 f™"i. ^he buildings on three sides ; on the other 

 A i.u ii • V, u 1 A c .,, Side it continues to ascend some thirty or more 



ed more than three inches below the surface will a \, i. -r a.\ ■ ^ ^ i. *.*. • «„• j. „i 



rods, but i think does not attain sumcient eleva- 

 not grow ; but where covered by turfs or light jtioQ to furnish a supply of water to the upper sto- 

 substances^ they may germinate. The other con- ries of the building ; nor is there any hill in the 

 dition is that the earth should be loose over the, vicinity from which water can be readily obtained. 

 roots. For obtaining this result, if the soil is not I* is very desirable that this indispensable article 

 , ,, , , u i. 1 1 ,.„. should be furnished by an aqueduct, in unfailing 



naturally loose _ and open, but clayey and stifi-,.^j^^^j^^^^_ ^^1^^ convenience of this has been 



'deep plowing is necessary, and loosening the demonstrated at the Asylum at Worcester, and 

 soil as much as possible. It is for this reason 'at several other public institutions in the country. 

 particularly that a clayey soil is inferior to all So desirable is this that the Cochituate has been 

 other. To bring this kind of soil to a proper con- 1 carried from Boston to the McLean Asylum, at 

 . . . J -7 xi „• -,. • „„n 4. f ..'great expense. Where an aqueduct cannot be 



sistence to admit the air, it is well to temper it f . . ,, ^/. • . \„ „„„»t„ i i. u 



• . J I laid, the forcing pump must be resorted to, by 



by admixture with sand. which, with great labor, a scanty supply may be 



In plowing clay lands the furrow should not be obtained. The barn is erected, and stands at a 



entirely inverted, that is, thrown over flat, be- suitable distance from the house. I think it is 



cause that would leave it too compact. But if, not a model barn. The cellar extends the whole 



turned with a plow that will cut a furrow seven i If 8*^' ' ^"* T^T t^^-^'^iy^^^f ^^t ^'^^^''f.'^ '"^ 

 . 1 ■, X • 1 ■^ , . i the very part where a cellar IS most wanted, there 



inches deep, ten inches wide, and turn it up, jg Q^Ufe ^it all. The posts I should judge to be 24 

 leaving it at an angle of forty-five degrees, some- 'or 25 feet high. It will take a very long pitch- 

 thing like the roof of a house, then the air Avill' fork, and very strong arms to reach the high 

 be admitted and the whole mass will become lio-ht- beams. It is heavily timbered, and appears to be 



er. In this mode of plowing, all the grass is 

 covered in, leaving an edge of the soil nearly sev- 



well built. 



I understood from one of the workmen, who ap- 

 peared to be an intelligent man, and who showed 



en inches thick for the harrow to pulverize into a, me the plans, that the" original contract required 

 pleasant and productive tilth. 'the building to be completed in October, but that 



