No. 149.] 199 



Compost h-eaps should never be dry, or they will fire-fang^ 

 which is collateral with burning, as it leaves only the ash with 

 the part affected. To this cistern may be added any fluid water, 

 dissolved bones, urine, spent lye of the soap-boilers, potash, soda, 

 or any other requisite soluble material, and thus the labor of 

 turning over this mountain of manure is done away with; the 

 ■soluble portions of every part of the manure is carried to every 

 other part, and thus a more even mixture is brought about than 

 could be had by one hundred turnings over of the mass with 

 forks. With such an arrangement the gardener may at anytime 

 supply himself with liquid manures for special purposes, for if 

 the cistern contains no leakings, he can pump up water, and on 

 its return it has full strength, and is ready to be applied to the 

 land by the sprinkling cart. Indeed, many European gardeners 

 «se all they can of their manures in this liquid form, for if the 

 soil is properly prepared to retain it, tlie manures so applied are 

 equally lasting and much sooner at the roots of the plants for 

 use. Crops raised by the application of liquid manures grow 

 evenly, clearly proving that the iiuid supplies their roots equal- 

 ly, whereas, when applied in more solid form, a single plant find- 

 ing a mass succeeds, while a less fortunate neighbor is not so 

 successful. 



I have endeavored in the above to give all the necessary in- 

 structions, but should you find any points not clearly explained 

 it will give me pleasure to supply the deficiency. 



JAMES J. MAPES, 



Consulling Agriculturist^ JWioark, jY. J. 



STEAM AND ITS USES: 



Jl Lecture^ delivered before the Jlmerican Institute^ by James Fkost, 



Civil Engineer. 



[As reported for the Tribune.] 



OnWednesday evening, James Frost, Esq., a distinguished prac- 

 tical engineer and scientific scholar, delivered before the members 

 of the American Institute, a lecture upon steam, with special refer- 



