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care of " the jewel box," a good name that, for his barn 

 cellar, out of which his farm and garden were to be made 

 rich and decked in beauty and in glory. And yet how 

 many farmers are there still about us without this farmer's 

 "jewel box," this chest of treasure, this deposit of riches, 

 this bank of present and future wealth. And here per- 

 haps some niece or grand-daughter of a fsirmer — certainly 

 no true daughter — a little over delicate and squeamish in 

 her tastes, begins to unclasp her costly vinaigrette, and 

 turn towards me expostulating eyes that beseech me to 

 avoid the distasteful topic. But let her remember that 

 the luscious peach that pressed her envied lips but yester- 

 day, drew its juices from a garden rich in ammoniacal 

 manures — that the queenly rose, v;hose blow and sweet- 

 ness fain would rival the flush of her cheek, is "a gross 

 feeder," and flourishes best in the strongest sweepings of 

 the stable ; while out of the black, ill-flavored mud, the 

 delicate lily weaves her snowy petals, and opens her 

 chalice of celestial odors. That all the various manures, 

 however coarse and offensive, are but pure chemical ele- 

 ments compounded together, — a little carbon, a little 

 nitrogen and hydrogen and sulphur and phosphorus, and 

 so on ; nice things enough when taken separately and 

 apart. 



Treasure up every particle of liquid or solid matter that 

 can enrich and nourish your lands ; let nothing escape 

 you. Forest leaves, wash of the streets in the wayside 

 gutter, turf and sods, decayed wood and brush, chips and 

 shavings, earth from the wood-shed and barn-yard, the 

 drip and cleanings of stables, hog-pen, vault, pigeon- 

 house, poultry-yard, and ash-bin ; and on the coast, the 

 precious kelp, and even the seaweed, with the choice 

 bones, oyster shells and clam shells, waste of woolen fac- 

 tories, scraps of leather, and even coal ashes ; all have 

 their uses, — all are to be considered manures, or matter 



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