34 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ACGUST 8, 1SS8. 



nures on a new foundation, on which great practi- 

 cal results may be erected. 



Practical applicaliun of the tkconj of the action of 

 lime. 

 Taking the preceding principles as our guide, 

 we may lay down a few general principles. for the 

 application of marls. 



1. Enough ought to be applied to neutralize all 

 the free acids in a soil ; which may be known by 

 its ceasing to produce acid plants, such as sorrel 

 and pine. Generally, however, the amount requir- 

 ed for this purpose is small. 



2. It will be serviceable to add enough to con- 

 vert the earthy geates of a soil into geate of lime. 

 The richer a soil is, tlie greater we may conclude 

 is the (piantity of geates which it contains. 



3. It will be seniceable to add enough to con- 

 vert all tlic insoluble geine and vegetable fibre in a 

 soil into soluble geine. Hence tlie richer a soil is, 

 and tlie more manure is added, the more marl will 

 it bear with benefit. Indeed, there appears to be 

 no dan^-er of adding too much marl, provided a snjji- 

 cient quantity of manure be also added. Ignorance 

 of tliis principle, I apprehend, is the source of most 

 of tlic failures that have occurred in tlie use of 

 lifac upon soils. Farmers have supposed that its 

 action was like that of conunon manur% viz. to 

 serve as direct nourishment to the plant ; whereas 

 it only coolis the food, if I may be allowed the ex- 

 pression, which exists in the soil, or is added along 

 with the lime. In nearly ail cases of over marling 

 which I have read of, a fresh supply of manure has 

 been found to be tlie remedy ; which shows the 

 truth of the above principle. Agriculturalists have 

 spread marl alone, or with very little manure, upon 

 land that has been worn out, tliat is, whose geine 

 lir.s been exhausted; and because such soils have 

 not thereby been recruited, they have infeiTed that 

 1 irne was injurious. Without acids, or geine, or 



geates, or vegetable fibre, to act upon, much excess 

 of lime appears to operate injuriously, so as to di- 

 minish, instead of increasing the crop. They have 

 also e.xpected a sudden and surprising increase of 

 fertility : whereas in some cases the chief benefit 

 seems to consist in causing the land to produce for 

 a greater number of years, by preventing the ulti- 

 mate decomposition and escape of the organic 

 matter. In general, however, it will add also to 

 the yearly product: but those who employ marl or 

 lime in any form, ought to moderate their expecta- 

 tions that they may not be disappointed, and to be 

 satisfied if they can slowly and surely improve 

 their lands, as they most assuredly can do, by this 

 substance, provided they do not expect to accom- 

 plish it by the use of lime alone. — Hitchcock's Re- 

 Examination of the Geology of Mass. 



From the New York Observer. 



FLAX-SEED MEAL. 



Mr Editor 1 observe a communication in 



your paper of last week, on the subject of feeding 

 cows on still-liouse slops. On the immorality of 

 encouraging sucli a practice, your readers would 

 probably so generally concur, that I need say noth- 

 ing on that point ; and the unhealthiness of the 

 flesh of cows so fed, as an article of diet, or the in- 

 humanity of condemning an animal to which we 

 are so mucli indebted to such fare, need not be in- 

 sisted on. My immediate object is, to direct the 

 attention of your readers to a kind of feed for cows 

 and other cattle, as healthful to tliem and profitable 

 to tlie owner, as the slops are pernicious and waste- 



ful. I allude to the flax-seed meal, after the oil 

 has been expressed from it ; the value of which, as 

 a feed for cattle, appears to be but little known in 

 this part of our country. The superiority of the 

 cattle raised in those parts of the country where 

 flax-seed mills are established, has long been a 

 matter of notoriety ; though few, excepting those 

 residing in such localities, are aware that it is 

 chiefly owing to the kind of feed supplied by them. 

 I have been informed by a farmer of Pennsylvania, 

 who has used tiie flax-seed meal for years, that, 

 mixed with other feed, it is the best thing that can 

 be given to cows for increasing the quantity and 

 enriching tlie quality of their milk ; and at tiie 

 same time getting them into good condition for the 

 butcher. He says that they will give, ou an aver- 

 age, at least one third more milk than if fed on 

 otlier food ; and a little given to horses, also, very 

 much improves their appearance, making their skin 

 sleek and glossy. An experiment I have just 

 made will, I think, justify me in endorsing his opin- 

 ion. I have a cow which a few weeks since might 

 well have claimed affinity to Pharaoh's lean kine, 

 and she gave so little milk, that I began to consider 

 her a " cumberer of the ground." As no butcher 

 would look at her, it occurred to me that I would 

 try tlie flax-seed meal which had been so highly 

 commended ; and the eifect exceeded by most 

 sanguine hopes. Within the space of a few weeks, 

 her milk has increased to nearly three times the 

 quantity, whilst her flesh has increased so much 

 and her general appearance has so much improved, 

 that her former keeper did not know her when 

 shown to him a few days since. I need only add, 

 that she has been called one of the best looking 

 cows in the neighborhood, and I have been offered 

 a handsome advance upon her cost. Although liv- 

 ing at some distance from the city, the meal I used 

 was procured there ; and your readers may bo in- 

 formed that there is an establishment there, which 

 grinds as much, perhaps, as would supply all the 

 milkmen of the city. I have been informed that it 

 is so much prized as feed by the agriculturists of 

 Europe, that it is exported from this coimtry ; 

 while its value is comparatively unknown here. If 

 so, you will doiibtless render a service to the ag- 

 ricultural community by directing their attention 

 to it. Yours, RusTicns. 



P. S. The manner of feeding generally practised 

 is, to give two or three quarts in the morning be- 

 fore the cows are turned out to pasture, and as much 

 in the evening after their return, mixed with other 

 feed. It may be given dry, but it is better for 

 them and more tasteful, if put to soak in water for 

 some hours previous. The common mode, I believe, 

 is, to put that in water in the evening, which is in- 

 tended for the morning, and then to put to soak 

 that for the evening. Some cattle will at first re- 

 ject it ; but they almost invariably become so fond 

 of it in a few days, that they prefer it to almost any 

 other feed. If given in very large quantity, it is 

 thought by some to impart an unpleasant flavor to 

 the milk, I cannot say whether this is fancy or 

 fact ; but can testify that moderately given, it im- 

 proves it. In large quantities it is said to be de- 

 cidedly injurious to horses. I have not tried it 

 upon hogs, but propose to do so. 



[The bad effects here mentioned, are only such 

 as result from over-feeding with any highly nutri- 

 tious substance. We understand that the meal may 

 be procured in any quantity along tlie Great West- 



ern Canal, by over-bidding the farmers in that r 

 gion, — wliich dairj'men in this vicinity can wi 

 afford to do.— £</. Obs. ] 



From the New V'ork 01)server. 



Having read the communications which have a 

 peared in the Observer by R. M. H. on " Milk Di 

 ries and Distilleries," I have felt both surprise i 

 regret tliat the attention of our citizens has not I 

 fore been called to so important a subject Whj 

 ever concerns health and morals, should deei 

 interest us all, and I think, your correspondent h( 

 clearly shown, that both, to the extent the systil 

 complained of is patronised, will be sufferers by i 



But my object is, to state very briefly a few fa( 

 on the use of impure milk, corroborative of the vie' 

 of R. M. H. as they occurred in my own family, w: 

 the hope that others may be benefited by my e 

 perience. A fine healtliy child, aged about t| 

 montlis, was on account of his motlier's healtli taki 

 from her ; and his diet, prepared by the direction 

 a physician, was co«-'s milk, and the precaution c 

 served to use the milk of one dairy. But the hea 

 of the child presently began to fail, and in defiani 

 of the most tender and assiduous care, continued 

 do so for many months. Medical skill did not av 

 to restore its iiealth, or even to alleviate its sufl^i 

 ings ; and at length its wasted and diseased con 

 tion destroyed all hope of rearing it. At this tii 

 a friend, conjecturing that the kind of milk on whi 

 the child was fed might have some influence on 1 

 health, desired the writer to ascertain its quali 

 which he did not fail to do, and was grieved to le; 

 that it was produced from distillery slush. On ; 

 quainting a physician with the circumstance, t 

 milk diet was continued, but by his advice was < 

 tained from a dairy kept on natural food. Tl 

 he believes, was the means, in the hand of Pro 

 dence, of saving the child's life. The advanta; 

 of the change were almost immediate. But thou 

 life was saved and health mended apace, dises 

 was probably too firmly seated in the constituti 

 to be ever entirely removed. He still lives, a 

 may be spared many years ; but his health, compar 

 with that enjoyed by other children of the sa: 

 family, is feeble. He is often sick, and throu 

 life will doubtless suffer from the consequences 

 pernicious diet. 



The writer of this article would not attach und 

 importance to a single fact, unsustained by otk 

 evidence. But subsequent observation convinc 

 him that he did not misjudge in the case of his chi 

 Other cases very similar have come to his knov 

 edge, and he cannot doubt, that the same cause 

 now destroying not only tlie health, but also t 

 lives of great numbers of children in this city. 



Senex. 



From the Fariner'j Cabinet. 



CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO EM 

 GRANTS. 



Sir, — Permit me to narrate a conversation whi 

 passed a few days ago between two emigrants frt 

 the old country. Although the subject might r 

 strictly come under the head of either agricultu 

 or horticulture, yet as it embraces that of mentici 

 ture (if you will allow me to coin a term) which 

 nearly allied to both ; perhaps the lesson which 

 teaches will procure for it a place in your interef 

 ing pages. 



John D. " Do you know wliy I left the o 



