214 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



er with her calf, and treated as heretofore di- 

 rected incases of cold.* She should be allowed 

 the best and sweetest hay, and not suffered to 

 drink any cold water. 



The milch cow is generally in her prime at 

 five year! old, and will commonly continue in a 

 good milking slate till ten years of ape, or up- 

 ivards ; but this depends greatly on the consti- 

 tution of the animal; some cows, like other ani- 

 mals, exhibiting marks of old age, much earlier 

 than others. They can, however, seldom be 

 kept with advantage to such an age. 



♦ See New Eugland Farmer, No. 23, p. 177. 

 (to be continued.) 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FAR.MER. 



v3 Ql'ESTIO^' /.V PRACTICAL SVRFEYI.\G. 



There was a wealthy farmer had an extensive 

 pasture for his calves, geese, &c. It was bound- 

 ed by seven very irregular sides and angles — 

 on one of the lines there was a pond or spring 

 head — in his will he left it to his two sons to be 

 oqually divided in two parts, by one straight 

 line drawn through the spring for both parts to 

 have water. 1 demand the rule by which it 

 may be most readily done, either hy calculation 

 or Semi Geometry, and if the answer is not made 

 in three months after this is published, life and 

 health permitting, I will endeavor to shew how 

 it may be done by calculations, or far more 

 readily by Semi Geometry^ if I could have cor- 

 rect plates engraved. 



SAMUEL PRESTON. 



Stockport, Pa. Jan. 18, 1823. 



' THE FARMER. 



BOSTON :— SATURDAY, FEB. 1, 1823. 



The attention of our readers is requested to an inter- 

 esting article (page 212 of our present No.) on the sub- 

 ject of TiscANY Wheat, imported by the lion. Mr. 

 Dana. Samples of the straw, the braid, and the wheat, 

 may be seen at the office of the New Knglaiid Farmer. 

 Seed wheat of this kind may be obtained iu small par- 

 cels, at the store of Mr. Joseph Bridge, No. 25, Court- 

 street. 



ON SAVING AND MAKING THE .MOST OF MAXlRr.. 

 (^Continutd from, page IPl.) 



In our last number on this subject, we showed 

 ♦hat actual experiment would appear to warrant 

 a conclusion that the vrine of neat cattle, it' 

 properly collected, preserved, and applied, 

 would furnish more manure or food for plants, 

 in the proportion of 7 to C, than the solid 

 evacuations of the same cattle. And that " in 

 five months, each cow discharges urine, which, 

 when absorbed by loam, furnishes manure of 

 the richest quality, and most durable effect, for 

 half an acre of ground." If this be true in its 

 full extent, it is certainly a great discovery ; and 

 perhaps of as much importance to farmers, as 

 the introduction of Plaister of Paris, clover, or 

 any other of the artificial grasses. We style it 

 a discovcri), because if cultivator* in general, had 

 ever been apprised of the value of this sub- 

 stance, it cannot well be credited that they 

 would let it be wasted, or worse than wasted ; 

 serving (o corrupt the air instead of feeding the 

 crops of the farmer, and giving him poison, 

 when, »vilh a little attention, it might fiynish 

 him with food. And here, before we advance 



any further on the regular highway of our dis- 

 course, we beg to be indulged in the liberty of 

 stepping aside, in a short digression, (or what 

 the poets call episode) on the value of manure 

 in general. 



When we reflect that the old adage " manure 

 is the mother of corn"' is not only true, but that 

 we may carry the sentiment still farther, and 

 say that manure is the parent of all profitable 

 vegetation, we cannot but be deeply impressed 

 with the importance of embracing every practi- 

 cable and economical method of saving and ma- 

 king the most of so precious a product. By 

 proper attention to the accumulation and appli- 

 cation of manure, our lands instead of u-Caring 

 niit, would improve under the hand of the culti- 

 vator, and produce crops greater in quantity, 

 and superior in quality' to those which grew 

 upon them when first reclaimed by the axe and 

 the harrow tVoin a state of nature. Our hardy 

 yeomen instead of leaving the land of their fath- 

 ers to waste their lives in the wildernesses of 

 the West, might remain at home contented and 

 happy, in possession of all the privileges and 

 comforts of cultivated society, together with as 

 much affluence as is necessary for the pursuit 

 and enjoyment of happiness. By increasing our 

 manure, we increase our crops, and by increas- 

 ing our crops, we accumulate manure. The 

 cause not only produces the effect, but the ef- 

 fect gives additional efficiency to the cause. — 

 The farmer who neglects to preserve and make 

 a judicious use of his manure, will not only 

 starve his next succeeding crops, but weakens or 

 destroys the first link in his whole chain of crops. 

 His first step is down hill, and having begun to 

 back slide, every day renders his progress, in 

 the way of good and protitable farming, more 

 and more difficult. 



But to return and resume the thread of our 

 Essays. Notwithstanding the experiments of 

 Mr. Alexander, detailed in our former observa- 

 tions, would seem to lead to a belief that the ! 

 urine of neat stock is of more value than their, 

 dung and litter, there are some things to be j 

 thought of, which would make this at least a 

 disputable, if not a doubtful conclusion. Sir John 

 Sinclair, although he allows this substance to be ^ 

 useful, does not rate it so high as would seem, 

 to be its value, according to the result of Mr. I 

 .Alexander's experiment.?, and the remarks there-' 

 on, which we have quoted from the " Letters 

 of Agricola." In the code of Agriculture (page 

 202,) it is stated that " every sort of urine con- 

 tains the essential elements of vegetables in a 

 state of solution. The urine of a horse, being 

 so much lighter, would be more valuable than 

 its dung, if both were conveyed to any distance. 

 The urine of six cows or horses will enrich a 

 quantity of earth sufficient to top-dress one En- 

 glish acre of grass land ; and as it would require 

 lour pounds worth of dung to perform the same 

 operation, the urine of a cow or horse is ivorth 

 about 12s. per annum, allowing 8s. per acre as 

 the expense of preparing the compost.'' Per- 

 haps, moreover, the whole of the urine may not 

 be lost, if it is not separated from the solid ma- 

 nure. If the cattle are well littered, a part of 

 the liquids will be absorbed by the straw or oth- 

 er litter, and a part, mixmg with the excrenien- 

 tious matter, may increase the strength and effi- 

 cacy of the latter. This may be a usel'ul re- 

 suit when the dung is intended for one of the 

 ingredients of compost, and is to be ditutcd (if 



StiL. 



Mi 



we may use the expression in this case) 

 earth. The excrements of cattle, howevJ 

 kept under cover, (as they should be till apij 

 to the soil,) are a manure sufficiently powtt'irf 

 To add urine to dung, which has neither 

 dried by the sun and air, nor wasted by 

 would not, in our opinion, be the most econ 

 cal method of disposing of the former snbste 

 Fresh urine, when undiluted, will sometimej 

 stroy vegetables, and when it is added to l 

 dung, and applied to plants, it affords then 

 Iriment in too concentrated a state. Fee 

 plants with a substance of this kind, woul faj 

 like attempting to nourish animals with pur <* 

 or sugar, and to stimulate them with unm 

 alcohol. For these reasons, as well as foi 

 sake of preventing putrescent fermentation 

 are fully of opinion that the liquid ought t b; 

 kept separate from the solid parts of cattle ii> 

 nure. 



With regard to the mode in which the si 

 ration of each of these substances can be i| 

 economically effected, and both the solid 

 liquid parts preserved and applied in the i| 

 effectual manner, it would be difficult tc| 

 down general rules, applicable to all cases, 

 will, however, suggest a few hints for the 

 sideration of practical farmers. 



1st. Loam, peat, or other earth may bei 

 posited under horse and cow stable.*, and'ie 

 liquid part of the manure allowed to filter 1 1)' 

 cracks or small holes bored in the floor ; w di 

 for such purpose should be composed of pi. Id 

 easily taken up. This method has been ad(l< 

 ed by Mr. Willistoir, of Brookfield, Mass. a? - 

 ted in the Agricultural Repository, vol. iv. i 

 193. In this way, however, we should ap e 

 hend the liquid matter would not spread eve y. 

 nor impregnate the earth below equally. 



2d. There may be a gutter or offset fixed &■ 

 hind the cattle, consisting of boards or pla 

 with cracks, or crevices between them, to 

 mit the liquid matter to descend. Below 

 may be a pit or trench, which may, as occa: 

 requires, be filled with earth to receive w 

 ever flows from the stable. But here the si 

 objection would apply, which is stated in the 

 mentioned method. In either case, the toj 

 the earth or loam might become encrusted 

 such a manner, that the liquid would stant 

 the surface, and form a noisome and foetid p 

 instead of incorporating with the earth 

 these methods, however, have been adopter 

 we learn, with some degree of success. 



3d. Barrels, hogsheads or other proper ^ 

 sels may be sunk at each corner of the stabit' 

 cow house, and channels or gutters lead to th' 

 so that they may receive the drainings fi 

 the cattle. These may be emptied as occa; n 

 requires, and incorporated with loam or ot r 

 proper substance, which should be under co; ", 

 so as to make a rich compost. Or, in the pro r 

 season, the contents of these cisterns may J 

 used to water vegetables either by means ( i 

 gardener's watering pot, or by a hogshead :• 

 tached to a box, full of holes, the whole drao 

 by oxen, and the liquor sprinkled over » 

 ground as they advance, according to the m(i- 

 od pursued by Mr. Smith, as stated in hisaddi;! 

 published in the New England Farmer, t\oi, 

 page 44. Both these last mentioned modes nf 

 be adopted; the liquid applied to manure, gr:»i 

 or other vegetables in the proper season, .i 

 when uot wanted for that purpose, may be blc ■ 



