NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



our friend Holbrook discourse upon practical farm- 

 ing ; most any one of his articles is worth the price 

 of the paper for one year. Also, H. F. French, 

 upon the subject of draining, which I consider one 

 of the great subjects of the day, and ought to be 

 kept before the people. I should like to hear the 

 experience of our farmers in regard to seeding. 



A. Philbrook. 

 East Saugtis, Mass., Dec, 1861. 



Remarks. — Friend Philbrook will accept thanks 

 for his excellent article, and be pleased to remem- 

 ber that we have as many tastes to satisfy as we 

 have readers, and that some of the most progres- 

 sive and intelligent farmers are deeply enamored 

 with Natural HistorJ^ They desire that all the an- 

 imals, birds and insects common to the farm, shall 

 receive some attention, as well as the more import- 

 ant practical matters of the barn and fields. We 

 know of no more pleasing and attractive means 

 of instructing children, and of creating in them a 

 love of rural life and rural occupations, than the 

 plan we have long pursued of occasionally intro- 

 ducing interesting notices of the animated life on 

 the farm. 



LEGISLATIVE AGBICITLTUBAIi SOCIETY. 



[Reported for the Farmer by D. W. Lothrop.] 



The First Legislntive Agricultural Meeting was 

 held at the Representatives' Hall on Monday even- 

 ing. The subject for discussion was Manures, and 

 the Hon, JosiAU QuiNCY, Jr., was called to pre- 

 side. 



In assuming the chair, Mr. Quincy said he felt 

 honored by the committee in being thus selected, 

 and observed that the subject for discussion was, 

 to the farmer, one of the most important. As 

 Demosthenes said, "Action" was the first, the sec- 

 ond and the third rule for good oratory ; so for 

 good farming, the first, the second and the third 

 rule was, manure, manure, manure ! And the 

 important question was, how can we best obtain it ? 

 He alluded to the varied commercial or patent 

 manures, and to Prof. Joluison's analysis of them, 

 showing the worthlessness of most of them, and 

 said the question should be, not how we could bug 

 manure, but how we could make it. He alluded 

 to the practice and good effect of turning in green 

 crops, particularly in Maryland ; but after all, the 

 most important fertilizer was barn-yard manure, 

 and this, as far as possible, should be made at 

 home. Speaking of the manure of the cow, he 

 said the test of the value of her products, both as 

 regards milk and manure, was the quality of food 

 given her. You can get nothing out of her which 

 you do not put in. An Englishman will buy a 

 bullock, keep him a time for his manure, and then 

 sell him for what he gave, or less. Mr. Lawes, of 

 England, had made experiments in feeding cattle 

 on cotton seed meal, and found that wliile a given 



quantity of voidings from the food was worth 

 $27,86, the same quantity produced from carrots 

 and turnips was worth only 86 cents ! We hard- 

 ly know how to produce good manure. Guano, 

 the speaker said, was far more valuable from the 

 fact that birds have no liquid passages ; yet a cow, 

 on certain conditions, can make good guano, or 

 something equivalent. 



On his own farm, where he commenced farming 

 four years ago, Mr. Quincy stated that he had 

 raised his hay crop up from 150 to 400 tons. He 

 keeps many cows, adopts the soiling system,, 

 makes his own manure, and finds nothing is lost. 

 He alluded to Dr. Dana's experiments with the 

 urine and dung of the cow, showing that the liquid 

 voidings were worth more than the solid. Two- 

 thirds of muck and one-third of cow manure was 

 very valuable as a top-dressing. Farmers should 

 save urine. In Holland, the urine of a cow is val- 

 ued at $15 a year. The speaker said he saved it 

 at his farm in reservoirs and carted it out on to 

 his grass land. He alluded to Mr. Mechi, who 

 forced his out by a steam engine, through pipes 

 laid all over his land. But urine was best absorbed 

 by muck and then spread on the land. Those who 

 have no muck, can use anything that can be satu- 

 rated. In keeping cows, not simply milk should 

 be the object, but that of good quality, and rich 

 manure. In conclusion, the speaker said the 

 great secret of good farming was high feeding. 



A gentleman, whose name was not given, in- 

 quired if ui'ine should be reduced before being ap- 

 plied ? 



Mr. Quincy said no ; give the muck all it will 

 hold. He also inquired the views of farmers as to 

 the time of applying manure, and as to top-dress- 

 ing. 



Mr. Stedman, of Chicopee,was the next speak- 

 er. He has a barn cellar, and mixes muck with 

 his manure, Avhich increases its value very much. 

 He had put green muck on four acres of grass 

 land, and in his case it produced two crops, and 

 he thought it better than guano, as the latter was 

 not lasting. 



Mr. Davis, of Plymouth, had had some experi- 

 ence in regard to peat. Prof. Johnson spoke well 

 of peat. But the speaker said it was objectiona- 

 ble in requu-ing great labor. Barn cellars are too 

 much flooded, and he doubted whether they should 

 be tight. In the bottom of old vaults the sand was 

 perfectly pure ; and why not have the bottoms of 

 barn cellars porous, if there is no loss ? Upland 

 suffers very much in dry weather in his region, and 

 peat was a good mulcher. He had applied 128 

 horse-cart loads to an old pasture, but the labor 

 was objectionable. The soft paste at the bottom 

 of the peat was very valuable. 



Mr. Quincy said ccUai-s should be tight, and 

 should receive only the urine of animals. It was 



