198 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DECEMBER 31, 1834. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DEC. 31, 1834. 



SEA WATER 



For the New Englajid Farmer. 



ANn BURNING 



FOR MANURE 

 CIiAY. 



Mr. EiitTOR — Ag the New England Farmer is, by 

 common consent the medium tlirough which all ques- 

 tions on agricultural subjects are proposed, by persons in 

 want of information, permit me to make the following 

 inquiries, and to solicit answers. 



1st. Has Sea Water been used as a manure in this 

 part of the country ? And if it has, with what effect .-■ 



The Farmer's Jissistant recommends sea-water as a 

 manure, worth " driving into the country at the expense 

 of 1000 a mile." If it is in fact thus valuable, why is it 

 not generally used .' Many thousands of acres on our in- 

 dented sea coast, might be manured with it at small ex- 

 pense. 



2d. Has Burnt Clay been used as a manure, and with 

 ■what effect .■' 



Almost every farm has clay within its limits, and \c 

 clay can be converted into manure, with small expense 

 the knowledge how to prepare and use it, will be of im 

 mense benefit to the farming interest. The metliod of 

 preparing Burnt Clay mentioned in the Farmer's Assist- 

 ant, of " taking small billets of wood, or faggots of brush, 

 and pile them up in the form of a sugar loaf three or four 

 feet high," I should suppose could not burn much clay, 

 or require "watching day and night," the quantity of 

 wood would be so small. J. B. T. 



By the Editor. We do not remember to have seen 

 any late notices of the use of sea water for watering 

 plants, nor as manure. Dr. Deano observed in sub_ 

 stance that potatoes received much benefit by being wa. 

 tered with sea water, about two quarts in a hill, it being 

 one hour's work for one man to water one hundred hills 

 at that rate. The crop was half as much again as in the 

 same number of hills adjoining. ' The water was applied 

 to the sod just after planting the sets, which Dr. Deane 

 Bupposed to be the best time of doing it, as there can be 

 no danger of burning the young shoots, as the salt will 

 be mixed with rain and the moisture of the earth before 

 the shoots are produced. The same author mentions a 

 piece of flax, whicli was in the month of June very short 

 and yellow on one side of the piece ; but of a good color 

 on the other and much taller. This induced the owner 

 to water the poor side from the sea. In ten days it was 

 equal in length and color with that on the other side, 

 though very little rain fell in the time. At pulling, the 

 watered side was evidently better than the oth=r. These 

 experiments were made in a clayey soil. 



In a sandy soil, watering the ground where French 

 turnips had been just sown, had an excellent effect 

 Though it was a spot where the turnips had been de- 

 stroyed by insects for several years successively, they 

 generally escaped this year. Not more than one pailful 

 was applied to a drill row two rods in length, wetting 

 the ground over the seeds soon after sowing. 



Sea water applied to tender plants most commonly 

 proves too strong for them if applied when the ground 

 is dry. But if it be wet the strength of the sea water is 

 abated by mixing with the moisture in the soil before it 

 is taken up by the roots, aa Dr. Deane asserted that he 

 had found by experience seeds hear the application of 

 sea water better than young plants. 



Sea water, besides common salt is impregnated with 

 several other substances which probably produce an ef- 

 fect on vegetation. Among these are Glauber's salts 

 (Sulphate of soda), Epsom salts (Sulphate of magnesia), 

 Muriate of magnesia, called bittern by those who manu- 

 lactutc salt from sea water ; besides animal and vegeta- 



ble matters, held in solution, which, no doubt, contain 

 food for plants. 



If, however, sea water or common salt are used for 

 manure it should be in small quantities. They cannot 

 be said to constitute the food of plants with any more 

 propriety than we can say salt, pepper or spices are food 

 for animals. These condiments, or sauces in small quan- 

 tities, are useful to season the food of animals; and salt 

 plaster, and some other mineral manures likewise, in 

 small quantities season, or qualify the food of plants to 

 become a part of their substance. If sea water were a 

 powerful manure we should suppose that there would be 

 no barren beach or barren shore within the reach of tide- 

 water ; but that the flux of the sea would fertilize soil 

 like the wash of a cow-yard. AVe have, however, but 

 little confidence in our own opinion on tliis subject, and 

 should be happy to learn that of any of our friends and 

 correspondents, who have any practical knowledge of 

 the effect of scai-water as a fertilizing application to 

 soil. 



Burnt Clay. With regard to burning clay for agri- 

 cultural purposes, the following is extracted from " Es- 

 says on Field Husbandry," by the Rev. Dr. Jared 



Elliot. 



receipt for burning clay. 



" Any sort of clay will do for ashes, but that of red- 

 dish color is accounted the best for that purpose. 



" Dig your clay with a spade, in spits of the bigness of 

 ordinary bricks ; dig two, three, eight, ten or twenty 

 loads of clay, more or less, as you please ; take small 

 billets of wood or faggots of brush, pile thein up in the 

 form of a pyramid or sugar-loaf, three or four feet high 

 then take these spits of clay, after they have dried in the 

 sun, surround your pile of wood with them, laying them 

 close to the wood, and laying them one upon another, 

 till you have enclosed your pile of wood, only leaving a 

 hole on the side to put in the fire, and a hole on the top 

 to make a draught ; then surround again with spits of 

 clay from top to bottom as before ; and then again a third 

 laying in the samo order, then kindle your fire. When 

 it is well on fire, stop up the holes with clay, the innate 

 fire will heat the clay till it grows so hot that you may 

 put en wet clay in great quantities ; but you must mind 

 and not put on clay so fast, or lay it so close as to put 

 out your fire, for if pou do, you must begin all anew 

 If you desire to burn as much clay as that the heap 

 grows so high that you cannot reach to fay it up, you 

 may build a stage with boards, by which you may ad- 

 vance to as great a height as you please. Tlie pile must 

 be watched and tended night and day till it is fairly 

 burnt." 



The author of the book from which this receipt is tak- 

 en, very much recommends clay ashes, and states that 

 forty bushels of these ashes make a full dressing for an 

 acre of land. The operation of burning clay for manure, 

 though in some respects similar, is still very different 

 from that of paring and burning the sods and turf of a 

 verdant soil. In burning the turf of a soil vegetable 

 matter capable of becoming food for plants, is decom, 

 posed and given into the atmosphere, in the forms of 

 certain gases, such as carbonic acid gas (fixed air), car. 

 buretted hydrogen gas (inflammable air mixed with car. 

 bon, or coaly matter). But in burning clay, without 

 turf, manure is manfactured from the clay , which without 

 being burnt would answer no good purpose as food for 

 plants. [To be continued. 



HORTICULTURAL. REGISTER, 



Jind Gardener's Magazine. 

 The first No. will be published to-morrow, and those 

 gentlemen who are disposed to encourage the work and 

 wish to commence with the Vol. will please forward 

 their address. Those at a distance who cannot see the 

 work to judge of its merits, by ordering and receiving 

 the first No. if not desirous of continuing it, shall by 

 sending it directed to " N. E. Farmer office," have their 

 subscription discontinued and no charge made. 



Geo. C. Barrett. 

 Boston, Dec. 31. 



i. . t«wi» ^im.imi.i.M,nwu |n f» r -f1ir ll i lll fTBT 



Campbell, the poet, has arrived at Algiers, and was 

 presented to the governor, Count D'Erlon, on the 27th 

 of October. It is said to be the intention of Campbell to 

 study the literature of the country. In this we think he 

 will have a wild goose chase, as the Bedouin Arabs are 

 not very remarkable for their belles-lettres. — Merc. Jour. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



An adjourned meeting of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society was held at their room, on Saturday, De- 

 cember 27th, 1834 — E. Vose, Esq. presiding. 



The chairman of the committee, to make a report in 

 relation to Mount Auburn Cemetery being absent, fur- 

 ther time was given tiiem to make their report. 



On motion of George Bond, Esq. it was voted, that 

 when this meeting adjourn, it adjourn to meet on Satur- 

 day, Jan. 3d, at 11 o'clock, at such place as the Secre- 

 tary pro. tem. shall designate. 



Voted, That notice of this adjournment be given In the 

 usual manner, and also to every member of the Society i 

 residing wilhin this Commonwealth, through the Post 

 office, st.ating that the object of the meeting is to act on a 

 proposition to transfer all the interests of the Horticultural 

 Society in the garden and cemetery of Mount Auburn, 

 to the proprietors of lots in the cemetery, and also to 

 act on such other business as may come before them. 



Voted, Tiiat in case the committee on the subject, 

 should agree on a report seasonably to lay it before the 

 adjourned meeting, that they cause five hundred copies 

 of the same to be printed, for the use of the members. 



Adjourned. CHS M. HOVEY, 



Rec. Sec. pro. tem. 



EXHIBITION OP FRUITS. 



Saturday, Dec. 27(/(, 1834. 

 From Mr. Manning — Conway, Mela Caria, Wine, Pas- 

 se Colinar. 



From Messrs. Hoveys — Russet apple. This apple was 

 one of the first we have tasted this season, being very 

 rich and highly perfumed, much resembling a Passe Col. 

 mar pear. For the Committee, 



SAM'L. POND. 



The committee on fruits of the Massachusetts Horti, 



cultural Societ}', arc requested to meet ai the Horticul 



ural Rooms on Saturday next, at 12 o'clock, on especial 



business. For the Committee, 



SAM'L. POND. 



ITEMS OP INTELLIGENCE. 



Late accounts from Sir Isaac Coffin, received at New 

 Bedford, state that he was confined to his bed with ill 

 ness, at Cheltenham, (Eng.) 



The thermometer at Thomaston, on the night of thi 

 14th inst. was depressed to 15 degrees below zero — a 

 Calais to 18 degrees — and at Franconia N. H. to 22 be- 

 low. 



The Court of Common Pleas at Ipswich, adjourned oi 

 Tuesday last. Ira D. Meservey was sentenced to th' 

 State Prison fiir two years, for passing a counterfeit bil 

 to Mrs. Wallis, in this town. — Salem Gazette. 



Jl Si/rcn. Le Chameleon, a new French weekly pa 

 per, states that a fisherman, at St. Valerysur Soinme ha 

 caught one of the fish anciently called syrens. It is 

 kind of seal, with the head and breast of a human forn: 

 so that when half out of the water it exactly resembled 

 woman. 



