198 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DEC. 20, !<!' 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



Kdlted by Joseph Crick. 



Boston, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 1843. 



POUDRETTE. 



By tlie request of llie President of tlie "Lodi Manu- 

 facturing Company," we publish Mr Kentish's certifi- 

 cate, commending his pouHrette; we also insert his ad- 

 vertisement, although it is our wish to hiive it under- 

 stood that we do not desire from any source, adverlise- 

 ments of such length, as we have no looni to spare fur 

 them. On tlie subject of poudrettu, we think quite 

 enough has been said and wrillen, for the preseni, at 

 least, by the manufacturers themselves, or any of their 

 agents. We consider Mr Kentish's communication in 

 the light of a well writlen, scientific "puff" — and no 

 doubt our readers will receive it for what it is worth. 

 If we iiave any more communications to publish relative 

 to the subject, we hope they will come from those who 

 have no particular interest at stake, and who have proved 

 the article's' value. Other manufacturers claim the same 

 superiority for their articles that the President of the 

 Lodi Company does for his. It is natural for every one 

 to think his own the best, because his own interest so 

 dictates. We have not noticed any perceptible differ- 

 ence between Mr Dey's, Mr Minor's, or the poudretle 

 manufactured by the Brookline company. We have 

 used poudrette from »ach of these establishments, not 

 with that cari^ r 'quisite to test the comparative value 

 of each variety, but so far as to be convinced that there 

 was no material difference betvreen them. 



As to the economy of poudrette as a manure, it de- 

 pends very much upon ciicumslances, whether it is 

 profitable or not. We have never been very sanguine 

 in the belief that it would be for the interest of the com- 

 mon farmer to use it extensively, unless in a situation 

 where the highest prices are obtained for all the products 

 of the farm, and where there is a scarcity of manures 

 and the price extravagantly high. 



In the neighborhood of cilies, whore there is a lar"e 

 suburban population, who cultivate small gardens, and 

 not convenient fi)r the p'"oprie:or to collect materials 

 for composts, we have no doubi but what It would be 

 one ol the most economical manures that could be ap- 

 plied, provided the article is faithfully manufactured. 

 It might also be profitable lor some partiaular crops on 

 a large scale ; but when a farmer has peat, salt mud, 

 and other materials on his own premises, is the owner 

 of a slout team of oxen or horses, and lives within 5 or G 

 miles of a city or village, where he can obtain a plenty 

 of good stable dung at ,«;3 per cord, or have the contents 

 of privies at the ralo of jjiti per cord, delivered on his 

 farm, we say, give us the raw materials, and let us mix 

 to suit ourselves, rather than pay the present prices for 

 poudretle. 



Poudrette has been u*ed to considerable extent in the 

 neighborhond ol Boston, and various ore the opinions 

 relative to its merits as a mnnure. 



The process of making it may vary eiiher by accident, 

 design or ignorance, so that it may be comparatively 

 worthless, and in cf<e of a person using a had article, 

 there is no wonder that he condemns indiscriminately 

 the manure, vender, and manufacturer. 



In our use of it, we must s.iy it has succeeded very 

 well, generally. We have applied to rur farm within 

 the last two years, from 75 to 1(10 barrels, mostly on gnr- 

 den-seed crops, and on flowering plant^. We have 

 raised very fine corn on a smill scale, with thi< dreesing 



alone, on land well manured the previous year. With 

 melons it has not succeeded so well. By applying a 

 liberal dressing to a bed of fine Pinks, they were very 

 much irjured. Early peas planted with it, did well. 

 On seed onions, we fancied its effects were too quick, 

 forcing the stalks rapidly during the first part of the sea- 

 son, and not holding on long enough to perfect the seed, 

 consequently much of it was light and worthless; this 

 may be in part owing to the season, for as we before re- 

 maiked, our experiments have not been conducted with 

 much attention or exactness. We do not hesitate to 

 say that it is excellent for corn, provided about one-hall 

 the usual quantity per acre of green manure is plowed 

 under in the spring, and the corn planted on the pou- 

 drette. The corn takes a vigorous start, and before the 

 virtue of the poudrette is exhausted, the decomposition 

 of the green manure begins to take place, and affords 

 nourishment for the numerous roots, which are greatly 

 multiplied by the powerful excitement occasioned by 

 the poudretle. If the ground is not in good heart, pou- 

 drette alone is not suffii lent in itself to perfect a good 

 crop, although it may give a very flattering appearance 

 in Ihe first part of the season. This is our experience 

 in the mailer, and here is Mr Kentish's: — 



JVew York, \Clh Kov., 1843. 



Anthony Dev, Esq., President of the Lodi Manufac- 

 turing Co. : — Sir — Some twenty years pretty close atten- 

 tion to the subject of Agricultural Chemistry, in Eng- 

 land, France, Belgium, and other pails of the globe, has 

 rendered me familiar with the niiture of manures and 

 amendments generally, ns used by various nations. 



lor the last 18 months, I have carefully examined 

 your system of preparing poudrette from night soil and 

 other fertilizing compounds, at your establishment on 

 the Haekensaek river, near the city of New York, and 

 1 have no hesitation in staling that 1 have witnessed 

 very important improvements [introduced by you into 

 the manufacture of poudrette during that period, which 

 render the compounds far more fertilizing than anything 

 I have ever before encountered, either in this couniry 

 or in Europe. I am not, therefoie, surprised at the re- 

 sult of your experiment on Indian corn, grown in the 

 vicinity of New York, and recently exhibited to the 

 Farmers' Club in this ciiy. It seems that it was planted 

 on the 27th June, 1843, during a severe drought; that 

 it was up two feet in three weeks ; was fit for the ta- 

 ble as green corn in G6 days, and was suflicienily glazed 

 to prevent injury from the frost, in 78 days. All this is 

 easily accounted for, from the fact ihat your nexo combi- 

 nation is calculated to absorb immidity, ammonia, car- 

 bonic acid aflU nitr;igen,from the atmosphere, as well 

 as to retain these fertilizing substances in the poudrelte 

 itself, giving them out only as vegetation requires them 

 for nuirition. This has been hitherto a desideratum in 

 manure, as other poudrette* soon become exhausted by 

 the too rapid exhalation of these fertilizing substances. 



In a word, the fructifying power in your poudrette is 

 (greatly increased ; its operation upon vegetable matter 

 quickened ; it obviates the effects of a long continuance 

 of dry weather; retains the ammonia and other fertiliz- 

 ing gases in the soil ; attracts similar gases and moisture 

 from the atmosphere ; and of course ripens crops quick- 

 er, is much more lasting as a nutritive amendment, and 

 what i^ of no little importance to the farmer, I see you 

 niean to reduce the price from 40 cents to 25 cents per 

 bushel. 1 further undertake to certify that in your com- 

 pound there is no raw peat, turf, or meadow mud, nor 

 any oilier article that is not in itself highly firtilizing, 

 and consequently it is adapted to every climate and to 

 nil descriptions of soil, whether calcareous, argilaceous, 

 cr silicious. I ain, respeclfully, sir, your ob't si-rv't, 

 (Signed,) W. A. KENTISH. 



MULES— FILMS ON ANLMALS' EVE3. 



Messrs. J. Brcck S^ Co. — Sirs— -I am very desire 

 obtaining some information respecting mules 

 thought through the medium of your valuable pat 

 should be able to acquire some knowledge of the 

 mal. I wish to purchase a pair of mules from Spi 

 or Maltese jacks, eith-T three, four or five years' 

 Ihpy should be perfectly broke, but ought never to 

 been wliipped. They are so little known in tliia 

 of the country, ihat I am rather at a loss where to 

 for them. It you allow such questions to be t 

 Ihrou Jh your paper, I should be glad to avail niysi 

 the answers of some of your correspondents. 



Films. — Perhaps all your readers do not know 

 easiest, as well as most effectual remedy for rem. 

 a film from the eye of an animal. It is simply ti 

 a teaspoouful of molasses on the eye-ball. I hav 

 lieved oxen, horses, cows and sheep in this ma 

 and know of no other equal to it. 



Glenburn, Me., Dec. 5, 1843. 



We cannot give any information relative to the 

 from our own observation or experience. They ai 

 raised or used in this Slate, to our knowledge, F 

 or twenty years since, there was a gentleman in 

 anon, N. H., who did a large business at raising n 

 and about Ihat time we saw a number of hundred i 

 mules feeding in his pastures, and saw his jacks i 

 he kept for, the use of marcs. We understood tli 

 paid a certain price for all the young mules raised 

 his jacks, at the age of one year. We do not re 

 ber the name of the gentleman, or know whethi 

 business is continued. The postmaster of that pla 

 doubt, would give information on the subject. 



Il'cstern Pork and Beef.— The Cincinnati Ga 

 speaking of the prospects of the approaching pork 

 son, says that the stock of hogs, it is universally a 

 led, is fully an average one throughout the regio 

 pendent on Cincinnati for n market, especially in 

 lucky. The preparations for slaughtering and pa 

 are very extensive. The editor of the Gazette ini 

 to the belief that ilie business in pork this season 

 be a good and profitable one, both to the faiinei 

 packi^r. 



Cincinnati has establishments that are comnett 

 slaughter and dress from 8 to 10 thousand hogs i 

 and some 33 pork-houses, that can dispose of at 

 25,000 hogs per day. 



Beef-packing is an important branch of business 

 West. There are packed at Chicagn, Illinois, froN 

 hundred to a thousand barrels per day, and the mi 

 is continually incrosing. ' 



0°VVe have received Dr. S, L. Dana's Prize 

 on Manures, published by the Massachiiseits Sociel 

 the Promotion of Agriculture :— a valuable work, 

 which we shall copy freely for future numbers r 

 Farmer. 



We have also, in the same style, a Prize Essi 

 the same subject, read before 'lie Berkshire Ai»rici 

 Society, by Asahel Foole— from which we exti 

 copiously, when it was in course of publication 

 Berkshire Farmer, many months ago. It is a mos 

 uable treatise, easy to be understood, and its pus 

 well suppoited by citing the results of experimentE 



(CrWe have received a copy of the Hon. Mr 



sun's Address before the Worcester Agricultural 

 ty,and shall take an early opportunity to select frt 

 excellent contents, some portions for the benefit o 

 readers. 



