272 



NEW ENGLAND F \> Ji M E K ,- 



fTEB. I!4, 18 it, 



as the weight of an acre of this soil to the depth of 

 half a foot. 



If then the soil contain 9 1-3 per cent, of vege- 

 table matter, 3.2 per cent, being soluble and 6.3 in- 

 soluble— 859x9 l-2-*-100=81 1-3 tons of vegeta- 

 ble matter to one acre within 6 inches depth. Of 

 this 27 1-3 tons is soluble and .54 tons insoluble. 



This example is tal;en from an actual analysis of 

 a soil in the vicinity of Boston. The principles 

 laid down will suffice for the estimation of each 

 and every article found in given soils by chemical 

 researches, and the quantity of manure or of any 

 fertilizer may be easily learned. 



Some acres of land upon e.xamination, have been 

 found to contain 91 tons of vegetable matter — some 

 96 tons — 32 of soluble and 72 of insoluble. Exclu- 

 ding stones, we may consider that there are 800 tons 

 of soil to an acre 6 inches deep. In an acre of land, 

 by a calculation of this kind, containing 6.8 of phos- 

 phate of lime, bone manure would have no effect. 



The peat on the farm of E. Phinney, Esq., used 

 both for fuel and manure, contains 96 per cent, of 

 vegetable matter. The ashes of this peat contains 

 silex, aluraine, phosphate of lime, oxide of manga- 

 nese and oxide of iron. 



The carbonate of lime, of potash and of soda, 

 acts upon it. The carbonate of ammonia is taken 

 up by it. Lime neutralizes its acid. Peat bogs 

 are composed of sphagajieous mosses ; and on 

 Block Island they are said to renew themselves, af- 

 ter being dug over, in forty years, if the surface 

 paring is returned to the pit when they are dug. 



Besides decayed mosses, decayed trees and 

 leaves collect in these swamps and compose a part 

 of the deposit. Peat is of immense value, and not 

 well appreciated by farmers. Experiments of its 

 application in a natural state have proved failures. 

 The farmers on Block Island would not use it. A 

 farmer in Waterford, Me. applied it in a crude state, 

 and his corn was dwarfish and appeared as though 

 struck with the yellow fever. When its acid prop- 

 erties are neutralized, it becomes as valuable as 

 horse dung. Peat bogs must be drained. Cov- 

 ered drains properly constructed, are as effectual 

 as open drains. Peat bogs are remarkable for re- 

 taining moisture. Wetness is absorbed by the 

 peat by capillary attraction. 



Dr Jackson stated that he had fully described 

 Mr Phinney's method of management, in his third 

 report on the geology of Maine. His meadows are 

 drained. They are then ploughed or the sward 

 inverted; and then dressed with a compost of ani- 

 mal manure, mud and lime prepared in his hog 

 pens, where his bogs earn much of their living by 

 tlieir labor. 



On land thus prepared, he has obtained 75 bush- 

 els of corn to the acre, and from 4 1-2 to 5 tons of 

 hay per acre. The last season he got a crop of 

 corn of from 80 to 100 bushels per acre. After 

 such land is well drained, he can work upon it with 

 his cattle. He refuses to sell this poat upon this 

 land even at 500 dollars per acre. Being well sup- 

 plied with peat mud, each hog will make ten loads 

 of manure in the course of the year. This is then 

 thrown out and freely limed. After three weeks' 

 preparation by lime this compost may be applied 

 to the land, at the rate of twenty loads to an acre. 

 About one third of stable manure is deemed the 

 proper proportion to apply to the compost. In the 

 opinion of Mr Phinney and Mr Haggerston, three 

 loads of muck and one load of stable dung are 

 equal to four loads of stable manure. 



It is a singular fact that in England peat was 



formerly considered as a useless substant 



One 



great use of peat consists in its power of abi."'"'"'' ^ 

 liquid manures. In barn yards it absorbs '■'"- ' 

 urine. The liquid manure of an animal is con'i "" | 

 ered by many judicious farmers, where it can be 

 well saved and applied, as of equal value as the sol- 

 id. This subject deserves much attention. 



Dr Jackson here closed his address, with some 

 extracts from Young's letters of Agricola, in relation 

 to this subject, the most important parts of which 

 have been given in the Appendix to the Second Re- 

 port on tlie Agriculture of Massachusetts, to which 

 we must refer the reader for the present. 



The Dr closed with an apology for having de- 

 tained tlie meeting so long, and the expression of 

 his thanks for their indulgence. The meeting, he 

 may be assured, were highly gratified and instruc- 

 ted by his remarks, and felt that the obligation was 

 wholly on their side. 



We give below an imperfect sketch of the re- 

 marks of Judge Hayes, of South Berwick, Me., at 

 the Third Agricultural meeting, and present a 

 similar apology, but can ofter no other, for the man- 

 ner in which they appear, than we gave in report- 

 ing the speeches of Dr C. T. Jackson. 



REMARKS OF WILLIAM A. HAYES, Esq. 



AT THE THIRD AGRICULTURAL MEKTING. 



Judge Hayes began his remarks by expressing 

 the pleasure he felt in meeting the farmers of Mr.s- 

 sacliusetts ; and though he did not anticipate on 

 liis coming to town, being called upon in this way, 

 he was happy to encourage an object so valuable 

 as that contemplated by these meetings, agricultu- 

 ral improvement, by giving an account of his own 

 operations and the success which had attended 

 them. Farmers constituted a common fraternity, 

 and as their sole object was the improvement of 

 this important art, whose interests involved the in- 

 terests and comforts of e'rery class in society, he 

 should make no apology for speaking of plain mat- 

 ters in a plain way. This was the first time he had 

 been called upon to address a meeting of farmers 

 upon the subject of agriculture, and he must there- 

 fore claim their indulgence. He had derived so 

 much pleasure from reading heretofore the reports 

 of these agricultural meetings, made by the Com- 

 missioner, that he felt it to be his duty when called 

 ed upon, to C( ntribute his part. 



He should first relate his experience in the rais- 

 ing of wheat. He had attempted the cultivation 

 for many years and with very imperfect success. It 

 had been generally destroyed ; but whenever he 

 had succeeded, it was always upon high land. In 

 1838 he purchased of the Shakers, in Canterbury, 

 N. H., one bushel of Black Sea wheat. He sowed 

 it upon an half acre of loamy land, upon which the 

 previous year he had raised a cro|) of mangel wurt- 

 zel ; some time previous the land had been ma- 

 nured with muscle bed. The crop appeared very 

 promising but was destroyed by the grain insect, 

 and he obtained a return of only eight bushels. His 

 belief was that the crop was sowed too early. Tlie 

 last year he sowed his wheat mucli later in the sea- 

 son, and from two bushels sowing on an acre of 

 land, he gathered 41 bushels. His success in this 

 case he considered attributable to his late sowing, 

 .owing to which circumstance the wheat did not 

 come into flower until the season for the depreda- 

 tions of the insect had passed. He applied to his 

 wheat laud sixty bushels of leeched aehes, a matter 



which experience has satisfied him is of very gre 

 advantage. Like success has attended a simil 

 tnanagement in the culture of wheat in other pi 

 I ces. He thinks much of the particular kind 

 |,v-heat sown by him, as be has never known it tol 

 jjnjuvred fay rust or mildew. The kind here spokt 

 gf is a red wheat. In the town of Shapleigh, ( 

 gooa' gi'O""''. tiie crop on a part of a field sown wit 

 commo.*! '^heat was worthless ; while the Blac 

 Sea whe^it -'" ^^^ ^^'"^ field, gave 53 bushels fro: 

 one bushel of.^eed. 



' On the subj'ect of the evening's discussion. Soil 

 and Manures, hC eh ould give hia views, founde 

 upon long practice, as he had cultivated a farmut 

 der his own persona.' superintendence, for twenty 

 four years last past. Lanu « in good condition ca 

 easily be made better ; jyhile lands which are poc 

 and exhausted, are with -niuch ,'lifficulty raised u] 

 Various substances may be applied, but the mai 

 dependence must be placed upon v.«getable matte 

 in and upon the soil. His first object, with a viev 

 to enrich his farm, is to collect vegetable matte 

 for litter ; leaves and straw and waste substance 

 of every description. He collects leaves even lati 

 in the spring, as litter for his styes. These seen 

 to be small gatherings, but in the course of thi 

 season, where this habit of saving exists, the accu 

 mulations become very considerable. He is accus 

 tomed yearly to mow his pastures and gather al 

 the brakes and ferns and coarse grasses on whici 

 cattle will not feed. In this way his pastures an 

 greatly improved. There is a better quality o 

 grass comes in, and the quantity is much increased 

 He is accustomed, likewise, to mow his stubbh 

 grounds. He cuts the weeds and the old stubbl( 

 close for litter for his stock, and he does not fin( 

 that his grass is injured by this mowing. He thui 

 collects a large quantity of vegetable waste, am 

 uses in his barn a large basket, which will hold sev 

 en or eight bushels, to distribute it as litter to hii 

 stock. The great advantages of this managemen 

 appear in the increase of his manure and the com 

 fort and consequent thrift of hia cattle. 



He is in the habit of collecting large quantitiei 

 of swamp mud, which he deposits in his barnyard 

 to be trodden upon by his cattle, and he places 

 large quantities in his hog pens. He suffers this 

 to remain through the summer, deeming it not ad- 

 visable to turn it over. After keeping this through 

 a winter and summer, he carries it out upon his 

 land. He likewise casts soil into his yard ; carries 

 in a large amount of bog mud ; the wash of the 

 house, likewise, is conveyed to the same place ; and 

 he has always swamp mud on hand to place in the 

 yard that the offensive liquids may be absorbed. — 

 He uses lime, likewise, in his compost heap. For 

 many years he has practiced using from ten to thir- 

 ty casks per year. He deems it most favorable to 

 health, and as far as the uninterrupted health of a 

 very immerous family may be considered a test in 

 the case, the prudence and benefits of the practice 

 are perfectly established. 



A great object with him, and upon which he lays 

 most emphatic stress, is tlie using of all the vegeta- 

 ble matter which he can collect or apply, for en- 

 riching his farm. He never carries his manure out 

 in the fall ; and he regrets his want of a manure 

 cellar, as he thinks nmch would be gained by keep- 

 ing the manure under cover. He does not deem it 

 necessary that it should undergo a fermentation or 

 decomposition before it is carried into the field. He 

 applies twenty loads to the acre. He begins at 



