'56 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



"[ueous products of decomposition, but by hav- 

 g its own integrants so altered in condition as 



■ ) become food for plants. If, at the lower end 

 t' the compost heap, a cistern be sunk, supplied 

 ith a pump, so as to return the drainage fre- 



■•'.cntly to the top of the heap, the decomposition 

 ill go on without fire-fcmging, and the soluble 

 ■'ilions of the manure will become equally di- 

 'ded throughout the mass, and after sixty days 

 le whole mass will be sufficiently homogeneous 

 1 cliaracter to be ready to be carted to the field 

 lien it is required for use. 

 W'e observe many writers now recommending 

 10 carting of the muck from the swamp directly 

 ■ the field, leaving it thei'e in heaps to be bene- 

 rnj by the disintegrating influences of the win- 

 ■r. but they certainly overlook the fact that the 



■ eat value of the rauck as an assistant in the 

 'm;)ost heap, is not availed of by such practice. 



— Working Farmer. 



TOP-DRESSING MEADOWS 

 NOVEMBER, 



nsr 



There will be many days during this month 

 • 'len hands cannot conveniently work at any- 

 ling, on account of snow and frost. On such 

 .ys manure may be collected with broad hoes 

 r.o heaps, and hauled out on meadows, and 

 u\ ad evenly over the entire surface of the 

 . ')und. If it is fine, well rotted manure, or com- 



st, the better way is to spread it as it is hauled 

 i:, instead of putting it in heaps. It will require 

 i!y a few minutes longer to spread a load from 

 c wagon or cart with a shovel than to unload it 

 . heaps ; and if it is spread as fast as it is drawn 

 it, the job will be conipleted in a more farmer- 

 ^0 manner than it usually is when the manure 



left in heaps, because when it is spread fi-om 

 ,c cart it will usually be distributed much more 



i.-aly than when left in heaps. Unless a man is 



ly careful, he will not leave enough in a heap, 

 . he will leave too much. 



.\ thin coat of well rotted manure spread over 

 irtoadow in November will be the means of pro- 

 ..■ngaheavy crop of grass next season. But 



;^ not the best policy, by any means, to allow 

 i luure to remain in heaps during the winter, and 

 i);ead it in the spring. It would be better to 

 .y a hand a double price per day in order to 



ve it spread before winter comes than to allow 



.1) remain in heaps on meadow land until next 

 '.iiig. Surface manuring in late autumn on 

 ii ..lows, pastures and lawns, will start the grass 

 ly next spring, and produce a bountiful crop 

 iiing the season, providing the soil is not too 

 .;. — S. Edwards Todd, i/i Country Oeatleman. 



has secured patents in all the great European 

 States for extracting the maize fibre in a form like 

 flax, so that it can be spun or woven like flax 

 thread. In these days, when there are so many 

 experiments to procure a substitute for cotton, 

 the trial of the maize plant is of iotereat. — Provi- 

 dence Journal. 



Iaize Papek and Maize Cloth. — Mr. John 



.'ones, of this city, has received from his son 



at Vienna, and has shown to us, some very 



dsome specimens of paper made from maize 



v, at the im])erial paper manufactory, Schloe- 



irnihle, near Gloggnitz, Austria. We believe 



:f it cannot yet be produced so cheaply as paper 



■i(le of rags. But in the experiments necessary 



• r.iaking the paper, it was discovered that the 



i;',e i)lant contained a fibre capable of being 



'n or woven, which furnishes in its waste a 



• i;) paper. Dr. Von Welsbach, the Director of 



" Imppvinl Pvintin'T F.s*''^'>lis)'n->f>r\t in V'.^imi- 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CliEEGYMEN IN "WAR TIMES. 



Messrs. Editors : — We read in the history of 

 the war of 1775, that patriotic clergymen were in 

 the country, and that they took an active part, by 

 every possible means, to assist in its defence 

 against a powerful enemy, and ultimately gain its 

 independence. Since my remembrance, these cler- 

 ical heroes were active preachers of the Gospel in 

 almost every neighboring town. It does me good 

 to look back and see with what enthusiasm they 

 engaged in every good work. In war time, they 

 would mount their pulpits to attentive audiences, 

 and proclaim the dangers of the country, and the 

 necessity of repuls-ing the enemy, and at the same 

 time kindling the patriotism of the young men in- 

 to a flame. These good ministers made more vol- 

 unteers than all the recruiting officers, or the 

 edicts of government, put together ; tbey, (the 

 volunteers) were forced by no threats of penalty, 

 but persuaded by a sense of necessity and duty, 

 and as conscripts, they did not labor under the 

 stigma of being "drafted." 



In those days, clergymen shared privations 

 losses and sufferings with their people ; an anec- 

 dote will illustrate how they got along in a neigh- 

 boring town to help their minister ;. the inhabi- 

 tants were mostly formers, and in small towns, all 

 were included in one society. In the pressing ne- 

 cessity of the times, when money was scarce, or 

 rather not to be had, the members of ^L-. C.'s so- 

 ciety were summoned to meet in convention, to 

 consult upon some method to supply the gastric 

 requirements of the minister and his family. Af- 

 ter some deliberation and talk, one loquacious 

 member, noted for doing business for every body, 

 got up and made a speech, stating that Mr. A. 

 could furnish a certain description of jiroduce, and 

 Mr. B. another Idnd, and Mr. C. a third sort, and 

 so on to the middle of the alphabet, and I can do 

 the rest, and I am sure the Rev. Mr. C. cannot eat 



the d and all. In the present struggle, a most 



gratifying ciixumstance is the unanimity of all de- 

 nominations of good Christian ministers, in using 

 their influence to suppress the rel>ellion. 



Now, as in revolutionary times, the ministers 

 have done as much, if xiot more, to collect an ar- 

 my of volunteers as the recruiting officers. All 

 religious prejudice appears to l>e out of the ques- 

 tion, and the main question, the best way to sub- 

 due the rebellion, and conquer a peace by restor- 

 ing all mankind born into the world, to equal nat- 

 ural rights and privileges. The time has come 

 again which "tries men's souls," and if there are a 

 few clergymen taking a South side view, or halt- 

 ing between two opinions, it will not excite our 

 wonder, making allowance for the fallibility of 

 human nature, but I believe most of them are 

 sound to the core. In the days of the revolution, 

 there were a few tory, or loyal ministers, but they 

 had to keep their tongues in their heads, and their 

 heads between their shells. Silas Brown. 



