1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



243 



times in quantity, by judicious mixtures with it of 

 your muck and any and all other available veg- 

 etable or earthy substances which contain fertiliz- 

 ing qualities. Where one has capital, as you 

 have, he will see times when he can even buy oil 

 meal or some kinds of grain and feed it to his 

 stock at a profit, besides enhancing the strength 

 and activity of the manure. If such opportunities 

 occur, you are able to take advantage of them, 

 and thus in turn increase your own farm-products 

 in these articles. With your capital, too, you can 

 take advantage of times and seasons, buying or 

 selling stock, &c., at the right time, and some 

 years feeding more, and other years less stock, 

 according to circumstances. Even a small float- 

 ing capital to use at will in farming, is oftentimes 

 a decided help towards success in the business, 

 making perhaps the difference between a profit or 

 loss on a given operation or crop. 



In another communication I shall answer your 

 remaining inquiries. F. HoLBROOK. 



Brattleboro', Vt, March 5, 1861. 



EXTRACTS AND KEPLIE3. 

 COPPERAS AS A DEODORIZER. 



In your paper of March 16th, in answer to your 

 correspondent's inquiry in relation to his manure 

 heap, and what remedies to prevent waste by too 

 much heating, you recommend, if he has not other 

 remedies at hand, to sprinkle it well with copper- 

 as water. I have formerly used copperas water 

 by the recommendation of agricultural chemists, 

 as a deodorizer, in vaults, also, to prevent wash 

 to the valuable parts of manure when in a liquid 

 state, as most farmers have their manures, more 

 or less, exposed to rains and wet, and do not al- 

 ways have absorbents to take up the liquid parts 

 in the stable. But I abandoned the use of it af- 

 ter reading a communication from an agricultural 

 chemist of good authority, stating, that although 

 copperas water was an effectual deodorizer, yet, 

 that it changes the parts into an indissoluble salt 

 or substance, and becomes so fixed that it is in- 

 ert and worthless as a manure. 



Not being a chemist, I do not pretend to use 

 chemical terms correctly, or as he did, and I have 

 not the communication before me. I think I read 

 it in your paper, how long since, I cannot say ; 

 nor can I remember the author's name. I pre- 

 sume almost every farmer has experienced the 

 same difficulty as your correspondent, in not 

 knowing how to save his manure from waste by 

 heating, and the loss in liquid manure when he 

 could not obtain absorbents, or use it on the soil 

 immediately. If the copperas will effect that ob- 

 ject for which you recommend it, and not be lia- 

 ble to the objections raised by the writer I refer 

 to, it would be a convenient and not expensive 

 remedy. I). P. Walworth. 



Coventry, Vt., March, 1861. 



Hon. Simon BROw-^f, — Bear Sir: — In reply 

 to Mr. D. P. Walworth's letter, which you have 

 transmitted to me for my opinion, I would say : 

 Copperas, (sulphate of the protoxide of iron,) will 

 undoubtedly fix ammonia as a sulphate, but at the 

 same time will render the phosphoric acid an in- 

 soluble compound, namely, phosphate of iron. 

 Gypsum, (plaster of Paris,) is undoubtedly better, 



but a mixture of swamp muck or peat, with the 

 plaster, is still better ; say 20 pounds of ground 

 gypsum to 200 pounds of wet muck or peat. This 

 preparation is a complete absorbent of ammonia, 

 and will effectually prevent the heatings of a ma- 

 nure heap, and the loss of valuable volatile mat- 

 ters. 



If muck or peat is not at hand, rotten wood, 

 partially decayed straw and weeds will answer, 

 and in case these cannot be obtained in adequate 

 quantities, mix the ground gypsum freely with 

 the manure. 



As to fixing ammonia, I would remark that the 

 more decomposable salts, especially the carbon- 

 ate, is better than the sulphate of ammonia. The 

 combination of ammonia with the organic acids 

 of peat, namely, the crenic, apocrenic and humic 

 acids, is one of the most valuable of manures. In 

 the mixture I have named, we shall have both the 

 sulphate and the organic acid compounds of am- 

 monia, and a portion of carbonate of lime. 



In a conversation some years since with Prof. 

 Joseph Henry, Secretary of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution, he remarked that the best manures were 

 the unstable compounds. Hence I remarked the 

 value of stable manure. 



Respectfully, your obd't servant, 



Charles T. Jackson, M. D., 



Boston, March 26, 1861. State Assayer, 



SEA KALE AND ASPARAGUS. 



I would like information in regard to the culti- 

 vation of sea kale. What kind of soil is neces- 

 sary, and how is it prepared ? How many roots 

 would be required for a family of six or eight per- 

 sons, and what distance should the plants be set ? 

 Where can the plants be obtained ? 



I would like information in regard to aspara- 

 gus, how to prepare the ground, &c. AXY. 



Weston, April, ]861, 



Remarks. — The soil for sea kale should be 

 light, moderately rich, and deep. Sow the seed 

 in drills as early in the spring as the ground can 

 be brought into proper condition. Let the plants 

 stand where they came up, and have them twelve 

 inches apart in the row. The plants are a long 

 time in making their appearance, never sooner 

 than six weeks, we believe. They must be pro- 

 tected in winter by straw or leaves. 



Asparagus. — Trench the ground two feet deep, 

 and while the operation is going on, mingle ma- 

 nure freely with the soil. Set the roots in rows 

 two feet apart, and one foot apart in the rows. 

 Keep all weeds down, and the ground well spad- 

 ed and light, and you will have a good bed of as- 

 paragus for a life time. 



ITALIAN QUEEN BEES. 



I wish those persons who purchased and kept 

 the Italian queen bee last year, would report their 

 success with them, through the Farmer, and let 

 us know whether they are an improvement over 

 our old stock. Many of us in this region would 

 be glad to buy, if that variety is really any better 

 than what we have. H. G. 



West Salisbury, N. E., 1861. 



