1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



491 



the crop. Such as may not feel disposed to 

 enter largely into experiments of this descrip- 

 tion, from an apprehension of loss or failure, 

 may try it on a small scale, — say on a quarter 

 or an eighth of an acre. 



It may not be uninteresting to the reader to 

 see the result, in this connection, of certain 

 organic analyses of wheat made in the labora- 

 tory of M. Boussmgault. The wheat upon 

 which he experimented, was previously dried 

 at 230 degrees in vacuo, and was found to 

 contain, — 



Carbon, 46.1 



Oxygen, 43.4 



Hydrogen, 5.8 



^Nitrogen 2.3 



Ash, 2.4 



Total, 100.0 



In charcoal we have a fair representative of 

 carbon, while water is the representative of 

 both oxygen and hydrogen, the two next im- 

 portant elements in wheat. 



"Azote, or nitrogen, in the form of ammo- 

 nia," says a distinguished writer on geoponical 

 science, "or nitric acid, (^aquafortis,) and the 

 incombustible part of plants are the elements 

 which least abound in soils, and should, there- 

 fore, be husbanded with the greatest care." 



If our farmers would give a little more at- 

 tention to applying what is termed concentra- 

 ted manures in the cultivation of their lands, 

 we should soon perceive the beneficial re- 

 sults of such a practice, not only in its im- 

 mediate influence upon the crops, but in its 

 permanent action on the soil. But the fer- 

 tilizers must be genuine. 



Charcoal, for instance, is a substance nearly 

 indestructible. When buried in the earth — no 

 matter what may be the physical character or 

 condition of the latter — it rarely undergoes 

 any perceptible change or alteration for a pe- 

 riod of many years. Old coal hearths which 

 have been cropt for generations, are still found 

 to retain their opaque color, and to contain 

 pieces of charcoal, the fractures of which are 

 to all appearance as perfect as when drawn 

 from the kiln. 



Charring wood is well known to increase 

 greatly its durability, if charred after the wood 

 i i seasoned ; if before the wood is seasoned, 

 the sap cannot readily escape and the centre 

 of the wood perishes rapidly. If the timber 

 is dry, charring greatly increases its capacity of 

 resisting atmospheric action, whether above or 

 under ground. 



Seasoned posts, which have been prepared by 

 charring that portion of them which is exposed 

 to the action of the soil, before "setting," 

 last much longer than the same kind not charred. 

 So that the farmer who applies an adequate 

 dressing of charcoal to his wheat crop this 

 season, may expect to derive important advan- 

 tages from it as long as he lives. Charcoal is 

 also valuable in the cultivation of fruits, par- 

 ticularly the plum and peach. 



Large quantities of charcoal dust may be 

 obtained from various portions of New Eng- 

 land, where coal is made for market, or the 

 coal itself may be ground at moderate cost. 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 



At the Farmers'' Institute, N. Y., a few 

 days since, Mr. Daniel F. Rogers, of 111., 

 said, — "It seems to be a question what sub- 

 jects are proper for discussion at the Farmers' 

 Club meetings. In my opinion, there is no 

 subject of any considerable importance to man- 

 kind, a liberal and intelligent discussion of 

 which is not within the proper limits of any 

 farmers' club. Many farmers seem to think 

 that farmers' talk should be only of farm stock 

 — pigs, poultry, plowing and manure. 



"There is nothing in the occupation of a 

 farmer that makes it necessary that he should 

 grovel in the dirt ; nothing in the occupation 

 of a farmer to prevent his being an educated 

 man. Intelligence, with them, should be as 

 free and glowing as the sunshine and air in 

 which we live." 



This sentiment elicited warm applause, as it 

 should. The more practical knowledge the 

 farmer has — knowledge that can be applied to 

 his business in all its bearings, and that will 

 embrace nearly all the sciences and arts — ^the 

 more he will enjoy his profession, and the more 

 power he will possess to make that profession 

 profitable in a money point of view, as well as 

 agreeable to his tastes. 



It is entirely an error, from beginning to 

 end, to say that the farmer need not be an 

 educated person. No business on earth, it 

 seems to us, needs it more, because Jiis busi- 

 ness is the source and support of all other 

 business. 



— In the Mississippi swamps herds grass has 

 been found which was five feet three inches high, 

 with heads eiglit inches long. The seed was from 

 forages scattered during the war. 



