the Egypt of the whole world. By the right disposal 

 of the simple elements placed in their hands, they can 

 supply with food and every comfort, many times 

 more inhabitants than now dwell upon the earth. — 

 They can transform the wilderness and the desert 

 into the luxuriant and beautiful garden, multiplying 

 continually those products tliat make life a blessing, 

 and their enjoyment by the millions equal. Or, by 

 the misuse and abuse of their ample means, convert 

 the rich and luxuriant earth into a waste and barren 

 desert, bringing misery, want, wretchedness, and 

 depopulation upon the world. Few, comparatively 

 few, of those professing to be the tillers of the earth, 

 know much of the constituents of the soil they try to 

 cultivate — of its wants, capabilities or adaptation to 

 produce the difTerent grains and grasses, profitably, 

 they wish to cultivate. Consequently much of their 

 labor is unprofitably directed. The proper tillage of 

 the earth with all its attendants, is the most useful, 

 important and ennobling that occupies the mind and 

 energies of man. Who that has a heart to appreciate 

 the varied beauties of the ever teeming earth, rich in 

 all that renders life a blessing, but that will prefer to 

 wisely and judiciously multiply the needed products 

 of earth. Brother farmers, if we have chosen this 

 healthful and useful employment, let us strive to ob- 

 tain the requisite knowledge that shall enable us fully 

 to understand our whole duties. Let us call in the 

 aid of the arts and sciences and tax every faculty un- 

 til we can understand the nature and properties of our 

 various soils, and daily pursue our labors with as 

 much intelligence and skill as any mechanics or pro- 

 fessional men. Then shall we make our calling 

 honorable and useful. He who hath made the earth 

 with all its alternations of light and darkness, rain 

 and dews, cold and heat, beauty and apparent sterility, 

 has mercifully promised to crown our labors with 

 blessings that no other calling or profession can claim. 

 He says to us : "He that tilleth his land shall be 

 satisfied with bread." I witness with pleasure the 

 improvements that have been made and that are being 

 made in the various useful implements we need to 

 perform our labors. No class of men have better 

 opportunities to improve their minds and hearts than 

 the farmer. Let us improve them. Orange H. 

 WAiT—irUloughby, Lake Co., O., 1850. 



MANAGEMENT OF MANURE. 



The following remarks on the management of manure 

 are from Prof. Norton's notes, in the Farmers' Guide : 



There are comparatively few farmers in this country, who 

 are aware how great is the loss of substance, during un- 

 checked fermentation. Nitrogen in the form of ammonia, 

 may bo detected passing oft' in large quantities ; besides this, 

 carbonic acid, and other products, are continually liberated. 

 Tlio directions given for the prevention of such a loss, under 

 these various paragraphs, are so particular that no farmer 

 need suffer it any longer. It is not necessary for him to build 

 a slied in every field, or over the whole of his yards, but he 

 can introduce more careful management. Mr. Stephens 

 omits to mention here, one of tiie best methods of arresting 

 tlie escape of ammonia during fcrracntation ; it is to sprinkle 

 gyp.smn occasionally over the surface of the heaps or yards. 

 The quantity used need not be more than a few handfuls 

 at a time. 



The subject of making composts, is one which attracts a 

 great and increasing degree of attention among American 

 farmers. Nearly all good farmers are now convinced, that 

 this is one of the most advantageous modes of applying ma- 

 nure, liy making ■ compost of absorbent materials, scarcely 



ay of the valuable parts of the manure can escape. Large 



uantities of refuse too, that would otherwise decay very 

 slowly, and produce little effect, are decomposed in composts. 



and thus brought into forms valuable for assisting the growth 

 of plants. All of the materials melitioned in these p:iri- 

 graphs, should be carefully preserved, and even sought 

 after. Many of thera are totally neglected in most districts, 

 and can be had for the merest trifle, in many cases for t'le 

 mere expense of carting. The fish refuse, the dung of 

 pigeons and other birds, the woollen waste, and the animal 

 flesh ; are among the most powerful and concentrated ma- 

 nures known. The farmer who systematically collects 

 every species of refuse, and every available vegetable sub- 

 stance, can increase his stock of manure to a very consider- 

 able extent and without material expense. 



The subject of liquid manure tanks, is alsa or.e that is 

 beginning to attract much notice in this country. Farmers 

 find that they cannot afford to let a large part of their m in:ire 

 wash away, either into the road, or upon a small pari of 

 some one field. The consequence of tlii.s i.*, lii:U the con- 

 struction of tanks has been commenced, nml ins, 1 !,e!ieve, 

 been attended with the happiest resuU.s. It n^'r I not be 

 large nor expensive. The only object is to haven tight re- 

 ceptacle, which shall receive and retain the liquid, till it can 

 be applied to some useful purpose. For a temporary end. 

 and to try the value of tanks, one could he made from old 

 boards, or plank, packed with clay behind, so as to b,^ light. 

 By the time that it should fail, the farmer would probably be 

 ready to build a stone or brick one. The liquid ni^y he 

 pumped out and used with a water cart, or pumped upon 

 a compost heap. Others prefer to throw ashes, plaster, peat, 

 &c., into the tank, to soak up the liquid. If too much water 

 runs into the tank, so as to overflow it, drams must be mndo 

 in such a manner that all water falling from the eaves of the 

 farm buildings, may be conducted away in another direction. 

 A tank 10 feet long, and 6 feet wide, would bo quite large 

 enough for the majority of farms in the country. They 

 should always be covered over, as much less is then lost by 

 evaporation. It is an excellent practice to add occasionally 

 a small quantity of sulphuric acid(oil of vitriol,} to the liquid 

 in the tank ; this prevents the escape of ammonia almost 

 entirely, and forms with it a fertilizing compound. Sul- 

 phuric acid is not an expensive article, being from 2\ to 3 cu. 

 per lb. when purchased by the carboy. 



I doubt the entire correctness of the statements, as to the 

 loss of fertilizing substance by washing away irom manure 

 heaps. If the heaps are of good size, and properly made, so 

 that rain water may soak into them instead of immediately 

 running off; and if placed in a proper situation, then it is 

 probably correct that little is lost by leakage ; but if piled 

 up in a scattered, heedless manner, and located on a slope 

 near a ditch or brook, the loss is inevitably quite large. I 

 have seen the water of ditches colored nearly black, for a 

 distance of many feet, by the oozing from a manure heap. 

 A very good plan to prevent all possible loss, woulil be to 

 cut a small ditch round the lower sides of tli-. heap, conduct- 

 ing the drainings to the lowest point, and discharging them 

 there into a sunk barrel, from which they could bo pumped 

 up, and used as might be most advantageous. 



Theleokage of valuable manure, from improperly located, 

 or badly constructed yards, is, in this country, a mist impor- 

 tant item of loss. In many cases that I have seen, nearly 

 everything soluble is washed away into the nearest roid or 

 stream ; the manure is left in a bleached ryiidition, having 

 lost in some instances at least half of its value. Some far- 

 mers attempt to save these drainings from their yards, by 

 conducting them upon their meadow land. The usual result 

 of this is, that but a small portion of the gr iss is reached, 

 and that is so much over manured, that it is a coarse unpal- 

 atable lood. The only economical way to a\oid thi.s loss, Ui 

 to be found in the construction of tanks as recommended in 

 preceding paragraphs. 



The sea coast of this country is so extensive, that sea weed 

 becomes a manure of much importance. There are, how- 

 ever, many long stretches of coast, where very little, or none, 

 is cast up by the sea. This is because there are in the neigh- 

 borhood of these beaches, more of the reefs and rocks upon 

 which the weed delights to grow. The composition of ash 

 from sea weed, shows that this part abounds in substances 

 that are exceedingly important to all of our crops ; and 

 likely to be particularly beneficial to those crops that are 

 rich in .tlkalme compounds. The proportion of this ash in 

 the dry weed, is greater than in dry straw. Sea weed decays 

 very readily, from the large proportion of water which it 

 contains ; for this reason, and also from ihe soluble quality 

 of its ash, it cannot be considered a very lasting manure. If 

 allowed to dry thoroughly, it will remain unchanged for a 

 long time, even when buried in the soil. 



