70 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



SEPT. 7. IS.IO. 



^^w mm^^i>s.m^ 3r^siS253iB= 



BOSTON. WEDNESDAY EVENINfJ, SEPT. 7, 1836. 



FARMERS' WORK. 



Composts, Mud for Manuke. &c. — We have »ilh 

 in a fnw days, been solicited butli by letters and in con 

 vers.tlirtn lu give .some practical directiuns relative to the 

 r>rming ofcoiniiosts ; and particularly with re.ard to 

 the value of mud from salt water marshes as an in- 

 gredient for compost. Wo will endeavor to con, ply 

 with these requests, premising that we shall be as bi ief 

 as piissibli; without omitting important matter or being 

 so conci^ie as not to be easily understood. 



I has been said ly agricultural writers that the far- 

 mer, who understands his own interest, very rarely uses 

 dung without making a compost with other suitable 

 substances. In that way, with judicious management 

 tie not only furnishes food for his plants, but alters the 

 Substance or constituent parts of his soil. Thus, if he 

 intends his compost for a soil, which is heavy and stiff, 

 he makes his compost bed with lii^^ht and sandy earth, as 

 rich as he can conveniently procure. If the field for 

 which he intends his compost is a light loam, he mixes 

 his compost materials vviih a large proportion of clay, 

 marl, marsh mud, t^c. which may give solidity to the 

 soil, at the same time they furnish food to the crop. 



** The simplest of all compost isantixture of barnyard 

 dung, and surface mould taken from a field under regu- 

 lar culture. The proportions between the ingredients 

 are determined by no regular laws, and consequently 

 great liberty is allowed to the operator. 1 have known 

 some instances where to carls of dung were used for one 

 of earth; others where they were blended in equal 

 quantities ; and it is not unfrequent to compound two 

 of earth with one of dung. 

 |In fact such is the uncertainty in the composition that al- 

 most every farmer adopts a mode peculiar to himself, and 

 with equal success No man need therefore follow :m- 

 ^licitly the rules whicii are laid down in this department 

 of rural economy, but may vary and multiply his experi- 

 ments, according to the suggestions of fancy and the dic- 

 tates of convenience. 



" One cart load of soil to two of stable dung is the 

 least proportion which he should ever attempt to com- 

 bine, and, perhaps if the two were mixed equally, he 

 would be compensated for his labor and expense. 



" The whole art of composting is to arrange the mate- 

 rials in alternate layers, — to shake up the litter and dung 

 with a hay fork that it may lie loosely, — to cover the 

 top and the sides with earth, — and to give it a sloping 

 direction that it may cast of! excessive inoislnr.'. Its 

 height should never exceed four feet or four and a half; 

 and its breadth shouhl be such, that a man on either side, 

 may be enabled to fling the ingredients into the centre, 

 without trampling on tlie heap; for compression, in all 

 CHses retards the putrefactive process. If the mass after 

 being compounded is long in generating heat, urine, 

 lalt water, or even fresh water, poured on the top slow- 

 ly^ that it may ooze downward, will bring it on with ra- 

 pidity. On the other hand, should the process advance 

 with too great violence, whicli can be known by keep- 

 ing a stick in the middle, and drawing it out occasionally 

 for trial, the fermentation must be lestraiiicd by turning 

 over the dung hill, and mixing anew the ingredients. 

 This will not only put a stop to the mischief, but facili- 

 tate a second fermentation ; and as fre^h particles of 

 «artb will be brought into contact with the decomposing 

 matter, the whole will be enriched and impregnated 

 with the fertilizing piinciples. — These general views 

 are applicable to every species of compost. 

 " Simple earth, although excellent fur bottoming and 



strewing overjihe pit dog near the barn, is of all materi- 

 als the III St unprolit^ blc in compost dunghills, lis su- 

 [lerio'rity in the farm yard rests on this obvious circum- 

 stance, that it is employcit to absorb the urine, and re- 

 press fermentation ; but in composting, fermentation is 

 courted as the grand agent in preparing the nutritii>us 

 food ; and the whole economy ofihe plan is to give full 

 scope and action to this miglity depositor of vegetable 

 and aniiiial remains. 



"A matted sward, thickly entangled with roots or mud 

 dragged from the bottom of hugs a;.d ditches, and replete 

 with aquatic plants are preferable on this account, that, 

 besides biinging earth to the composition they supply a 

 large quantity of vegetable matter. Whenever the soil 

 must be carted to the heaps, it is better to lay out the 

 expeni^e in transporting thost? enriching materials ; be- 

 cause they will not only eqiia.ly ab.sorb and retain the 

 evapiirating gases, but greatly augment the quantum of 

 manure." 



[Concluded next week.] 



.\ Proiiiising Silk CoiaPANr. — The Massachusetts 

 Silk Company was incorporated at the last session ofthe 

 Massachusetts Legislature, with a capital of $150,000. 

 On receiving the Act of Incorporation, they immediate- 

 ly organized ayd chose Mr Joseph R. Newell, of the 

 ^ew England Agricultural Warehouse, President. 



They subsequently purchased the fine farm in Fram- 

 ingham, lately belonging to Col N. Fisk, c ntiining 136 

 acres, and have made an addition of .about 25 acres by 

 purchasing an adjoining Int. They have 78,800 white 

 mulberry trees, 7,3 10 of the Morus Mullicaulis, now in 

 a flourishing condition on the farm, besides a seed bed 

 of 2 acres sown to White and Chinese Mulberry trees. 



The Morus Mnlticaulis trees, on replanting were laid, 

 so that the propagation therefrom will triple or quadru- 

 ple. Between the rows of trees, potatoes were, this sea- 

 son cultivalt J, and the overseer estimates that he shall 

 produce upwards of 1,000 bushels. 45 tons of hay were 

 cut Irom the farm this season from ground not yet broken 

 up and employed in the culture of the mulberry trees. 



From the above, which was furnished us in sibstance 

 from Mr Brown, Treasurer of said Company, as well as 

 from personal inspection oTthe Farm, &c. we aie happy 

 to perceive that the affairocf the Maasachusetts Silk Co- 

 pany wear a promising aspect. On the 1st inst the Ed- 

 itor, in company with a number of other stockholders in 

 the concern, made an excursion from Boston to Fram- 

 inghain on the Worcester Rail Road, to view the above 

 mentioned premises. Weweremuih pleased with the 

 Farm, and its improvements The situation is pleasant, 

 about two miles from the Rail Road ; the soil a light fer- 

 tile loam, precisely adapted to the culture of lb-' mulber- 

 ry. At eai ii end is a swamp from which rnud in any 

 quantity may be taken and will prove valuable for ma- 

 nure. In short, everything on and about the premises 

 exceeded our expectations, and the little stock we hold 

 in said Massachusetts Silk Company has (in our estima- 

 tion) risen a hundred per cent in value since we viewed 

 the Company-Farm, and learned its natural advantages 

 and capabilities of improvements, aud perceived that ev- 

 ery object relating to silk culture indicated correct man- 

 agement. 



Proposed Project for a Rail Road is the West. 

 — By an Act of Incorporation obtained f'rom the Legis- 

 lature of Illii.ois, there has been granted to John Tillon, 

 Jr., Esq. and others a Charter for the construction of a 

 Rail Road, which bids fair to become one of the most 

 important links in the great chain of communication, 

 unitin;; the "Magnificent West" with the Atlantic 

 States. Tho Rail Road will commence at Alton, athriv 



ing mart on the Mississippi, and from that place will run 

 through Hillsb..rough, Sli.lbyville and Danville, and 

 unite with the rail road from Lafayette, in Indiana, char- 

 tered by the Legislature of that State, at the eastern line 

 of the state of Illinois. 



'i'his road, when completed, as may be seen by refer- 

 ence to a map ofthe United Stales, will make tho com- 

 munication complete from New York to the Missisippi, 

 The shortest and most eligible route wi:i then be by the 

 New York and Erie Rail Road, and tlie Mauince and Wa- 

 bash Canal now in progress and Lafayette Rail Road, 

 which unites with the aforesaid Illinois Rail Ro d run- 

 ling from Alton to the eastern line of that State. 



We doubt whether any line of travel, or channel of 

 communication can be made to accommodate greater or 

 more fertile and important sections of the country, with- 

 in the limits ofthe United States than these above men- 

 tioned. And when we realize the fact that Rail Roads 

 and Canals arc not only valuable for affording facilities 

 of social and commercial intercnurse over the immense 

 territories, which constitute our great Republican Empire, 

 but that they compose bonds of union which almost guar- 

 antee against divisions, and supposed separate interests 

 between its great Northern, Southern, Eastern and West- 

 ern sections, every patriot must rejoice to perceive those 

 long arms enfolding in one fraternal embrace the mem- 

 bers ol the family, which compose our " Great, Free, and 

 Independent Nation." 



The Essex Agricultural Society will hold their annual 

 Cattle Show and Exhibition of Domestic Manufactures, 

 &c.,in the South Parish inDanvers on the 2titli inst. 



AiASSACHusKTTS hortici;l.ti;rai. societt. 



Saturday, Aug. 20, 1836. 

 exhibitioh of fbuits. 

 Peabs, by Mr Manning — Rousselet Hatif ofCoxe, an 

 excellent early fruits, of a fine musky flavor, and very 

 productive. Fine Gold of Summer, two specimens, one 

 from a very vigorous tree in cultivated ground — Green 

 Chisel, also the Robine, or August Muscat as received 

 by him — a small, pale, musky, breaking fruit, not rec- 

 ommended. Another fruit name unknown, handsome. 



Pears, by Mr Downer — Fine Gold of Summer — 

 another fruit, name unknown, pleasant and astringent — 

 also the Bloodgood Pear, a fruit of middle size, not hand- 

 some, but a fine flavored early fruit. 



Apples, by Mr Downer — Sopsavine,also Juneatingso 

 called, a middle sized green colored fruit, of a flattened 

 form, much resembles the Early Harvest, but evident- 

 ly superior as a dessert fruit. 



Plums, by Mr Bartlett — Italian Damask, very fine, 

 large and handsome and productive. 



By Mr Downer — A smalV early fruit very sweet and 

 good, a productive kind. 



Apricots — Handsome specimens, believed to be from 

 the Messrs Hovey. 



Grapes — Handsome ripe specimens, both of Black 

 Hamburg and Chusselas, by Mr Mason of the Charles- 

 town vineyard. 



For the Committee, 



WILLIAM KENRICK. 



Saturday, Sept. 3, 1836. .' 

 A stated Quarterly Meeting of the Society was held, 

 — tho President in the Chair. 



It was moved that a committee of arrangements for tK«< 

 Exhibition be chosen, .ind the follow ng gentlemen ara 

 put on the Committee: Messrs M. P. Wilder, S. Walk, 

 er, B. V. French, J. V Davis, Robert Manning, Charles 

 M. Hovey, W. Kenrick' S. Sweetser, H. Sheafe, T. 

 G. Fessenden, J. Breck 

 A communication was read from Mr E. T. Andrew* 



