1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FAR^rER. 



149 



operation in this vicinity, says that "fire-fang," or 

 the burnjn|f of manure, is no injury ? Is it so ? 

 Iiandol^)h, Vt., March, 18G3. QuERYMAN. 



It will be seen, by what we have already said, 

 ihsitfa-mmfation, if carried too far, may be almost 

 as destructive to a compost heap as conflagration 

 itself, and we have quoted one of the highest au- 

 thorities of the age to sustain us. Is there a farm- 

 er among us, of any sort of observation, who has 

 not at some time, seen a portion ol a manure heap 

 nearly ruined by being too highly fermented ? 



Our practice is, to throw the manure of every 

 kind, coarse and fine, into a compact heap, beating 

 the coarse lumps to pieces and laying it up as 

 lightly as possible. When this is done, we thrust 

 smooth sticks as large as a hoe-handle, and twice 

 as long, into the pile, four or five feet apart. In 

 three or four days, these are drawn up, one after 

 another, and the temperature of the pile ascer- 

 tained by grasping the stick in the hand. Each 

 stick should be kept in its place, as they will in- 

 dicate different degrees of heat. Now, by exam- 

 ining the heap where each stick was drawn, the 

 true degree of heat will soon be learned, which is 

 necessary to induce the amount of fermentation 

 desired. There is no danger of loss in this pro- 

 cess, where close attention is paid to the heap 

 while the process is going on. It is a good plan, 

 not to wait for a high degree of heat, but when 

 the pile is fairly warmed through — which can al- 

 ways be ascertained by the sticks — throw it over 

 with a six-tined dung fork, and lay it up lightly as 

 before. In this manner, if there be warm show- 

 ers, any amount of coarse manure may be made 

 fine in the course of twelve to fifteen days. 



SAVE THE BONES. 



In another column, we publish the advertise- 

 ment of Henry A. Breed & Co., of Boston, who 

 are manufacturing and selling a flour which close- 

 ly resembles soiled or damaged flour of wheat and 

 rye mingled, but which consists wholly of the 

 ground bones of cattle reduced to fine flour by a 

 powerful mill constructed for that purpose. 



It is pretty well known that bone and dried 

 flesh are the basis or "stock" of nearly all our 

 artificial fertilizers, which are more or less valu- 

 able as "poudrettes" and "manures," just in pro- 

 portion to the quantity of bones and dried flesh 

 that has been worked into them or used in their 

 chemical preparation. The raw bone, after boil- 

 ing, we need hardly say, contains all that is re- 

 quired by nature for a first-class manure, namely, 

 phosphorus and nitrogen combined with lime and 

 other elements in just the right proportions to fur- 

 nish the food of plants. Bone and dried flesh 

 may be said to bear the same relation to plants 

 and fruits, as meat and bread to the body of man. 



Eneland is the largest consumer and buyer of 



bone, at present, and we are told that much of the 

 bone saved in the United States is exported to 

 Great Britain. This is an injury and waste which 

 ought not to be allowed. When we send away 

 our bone, we send away and sell for a small price 

 the essential and productive body of the soil. If 

 we value our own and our children's prosperity, 

 we shall take care that all the bone made upon the 

 soil of Massachusetts shall be constantly restored 

 to that soil, when it is no longer serviceable as a 

 part of the living animal. 



The Flour of Bone sold by our advertisers is 

 warranted pure bone, with salt enough to keep it 

 sweet, it being only five to ten per cent. From 

 the known character of the advertisers we deem 

 them entitled to perfect confidence. 



NEW BOOKS. 



The Field KXt> Gardes Vegetables op America ; contafning 

 full Descriptions of nearly Eleven Hundreil Species and Vari- 

 eties ; with Directions for Tropagating, Culture and Use. By 

 Fearing Burr, Jr. Illustrated. Bobton: Cro«by & Xicbols. 

 1 vol., 8vo., 674 pp. Price 82 50. 



To those who have not access to other books of 

 a like character, this will prove a useful and ac- 

 ceptable work. It is well printed, and the illus- 

 trations, from the pencil of Mr. Isaac Sprague, of 

 Cambridge, are very beautifully drawn, and en- 

 graved with considerable skill. 



The information contained in the book seems to 

 be designed for popular use, and such a work, in 

 the hands of every farmer and gardener, would be 

 useful, — but the large, open pages, large type, fine 

 paper and expensive binding, make it too costly, 

 and will greatly limit its circulation. Indeed, but 

 comparatively few who need the information it 

 contains, will be able to avail themselves of its 

 benefits. A large portion of its contents may al- 

 ready be found in a much cheaper form. 



Americas Pomolooical Society. Proceetlings of the Ninth 

 Session of the Society, held in Boston, Sept. 17, 18 and 1&, 

 1862. Published by the Society. 



This is a beautifully printed book of 227 pages, 

 with a full index, showing the financial condition 

 of the Society, the names of its members, and its 

 transactions for the year 1862. The first impor- 

 tant paper is the Address of the President, Hon. 

 Marshall P. Wilder, and the next the Cata- 

 logue presented by a committee, specially desig- 

 nated to revise it. We have spoken of both of 

 these papers in high terms, heretofore. Most of 

 the remaining portion of the work is devoted to 

 the discussions which took place at the annual 

 meeting, and which we spoke of at the time. 

 There is a paper on Orchard Culture in the West, 

 one on the Straicbernj Famibj, a.id some State 

 Reports. The work reflects great credit on its 

 animated and harmonious members. 



Grumbling is all very well in its place. It is 

 the deep bass that is needed to make up the full 

 harmony of being. 



