iVo. 8. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



1^3 



iiiniu crop will be ready to be ploughed in for rvbeni 

 iBBoon ns the llowers are beginning to open. Tliie 

 ipcrniion luav bo easily neconiplibhcii whth lUo pl«ni 

 ma risen U or 4 feet high, by attaching a chain tu the 

 liead and handle of the plongh, Which will camplcte- 

 y draw it all into the furrow, and the following land 

 liuries it neatly. A large eupp'y of vegetable niannre 

 thns cheaply obtained, and the eeed costs now abonl 

 !3. 6d. per peck ; while the mustard, if wanted, is 

 xcellcnt feed for ewes at tupping time. II any fur- 

 her directions ehonld be deemed useful, I shall at nil 

 inies be most happy to supply any iiilormation 1 uiny 

 lessees." 



We give with the greatest pleasure the subjoined 

 oinuuinication, quoleil from the New England Fur- 

 ucrof the '23d of March, first, because of i.ls intrinsic 

 alue and interest j and next, because of the source 

 roni which it comes, Morrill Allen of Pembroke, 

 lass., one of tlic most practical, intelligent, and suc- 

 es.sful farmers in the country. AVe take, the liberty 

 D jo*; his elbow as ours is every day jogged, to remind 

 im that the time is short, that what wc do ice must do 

 uickly; and that he is bound on every principle of 

 uty and humanity to ict the world have tli? benefit of 

 is rich cxix-rience before he leaves it, especi?jly as he 

 now taken out of the yoke. It may not seem very 

 econiing for us to catechise an old friend in this way; 

 ut we hope he will remember that five hundred 

 liles makes no diflerence in the affections ; the chain 

 f friendship disdains all distance and reaches alike 

 om pole to pole and from earth tp Heaven From the 

 tter place, however, agrictiltural conununications will 

 ot be so direct as here, excepting in the form of dew 

 nd rain and air and ten thousand other blessed intlu- 

 ices, but not in the way of pen and ink. This is 

 infilled t.) earth ; Jo therefore let us hear from him 

 hile here , and we will listen as reverently and as 

 •atefully as if, as we have oflen done, we were guests 

 his hospitable board, or warming our feet (we can- 

 it say smoking the pipe of friendshij>, that we never 

 1 but figuratively) at his kitchen Circ.—RiJ. 

 Leather ShavMjgs for Mamtirc. 

 Mr. Editor — One of yourenrrespondenis inquires 

 hat is the value of a cord of leather shavings desti- 

 te of oil. We should suppose it v\'ould be difficult 

 find a cord of those ^havings,, in any manufactory, 

 tirely void of oil. There may, hov/ever, be opero- 

 ms e.xcli!sively in sole leather, which would produce 

 em . We can speak only of the efficacy of the shav- 

 gs in the shops of the shoemaker and currier. The 

 in those shavings is no doubt a powerful ingredient, 

 t cannot be powerful enough to produce more than 

 imnll portion of the efTccle witnessed. The gelatine 

 skins W'ould be generally admitted to be a very ef- 

 ;tive mahuie ; this quality may seem lost in the con- 

 rsion of skins into leather, /and there may be so firm 

 ;onibinttion of gelatine vvilh tannin, as to defy the 

 wer of the chemist to educe from the leather any 

 ■ng sti^'angly resembling the original qnalilies of the 

 in. The laboratory of nature, however, will often 

 3w results which that of the chemist cannot. The 

 pposed insolubility of leather shavings should not 

 erate as an objection against the use, nrore than the 

 ne supposition d'cs against the application to land 

 the hair and hoofs of animals, feathers and wool, 

 lich by general consent rank among the most pow- 

 "ul of manures. 



We did not sit down to write a disserta'ion, but to 

 'e a narration of facts. Forty years ago, we pur- 

 ased a small farm of a shoemaker, who had cast tbe 

 avinga from his shop by the roadside or in the cor- 

 rs ol lota. Our first object was to clear away those 

 sightly heaps. We carried them into the field?, be- 

 ?ing if the leather could do no good, the vegetable 

 bstances would, which time had incorporated with 

 Every field on which these heaps wee spread, 

 come remarkably productive ; — so much so as to cx- 

 e the admiration of neighbors. And something 

 ght have been ascribed to ingenuity in cultivation, 

 lich was due rather to the energy of old leather, 

 lis early, and in some degree accidental success, 

 ir then we had neither read nor thought much on 

 bjects connected with agriculture,) induced us to be 

 ry saving of scraps of old leather, we have been in 

 3 habit of cutting up old shoes and boots and spread. 

 ; them on fields, and always think there is an am- 

 3 remuneration for the labor bestowed. It will be 



pcrceiTcd there has been no course of experiment! 

 which could qualify U9 to give dtfihite answers to nil 

 tbe questions of " Inquirer." We think, however, 

 that leather shavings are a good dressing for almost 

 any desciiplion of soil ; that they w II assist in tbi 

 growth of nearly every class of plants, perhaps more 

 from prepariii!!; the soil lor vigounto acticui tlinii diieci 

 inliuenccs. \Vc think three cords suHieienl for one 

 dressing of an acre, and believe the ultimate results 

 of such a dreseing would be greater ibaii a dressing ol 

 six ccrdaof the richest barn maliure. 



M. ALLEN. 

 Pimbro kc, March, 1842. 



From the Rlnrk Lnnc Express 



Baieficinl Ell'ccts of Uraii ns Manure for 



Turnips. 



Sir— A letier appeared in the " Farmer's Mago- 

 ;tlnc'' of Inst year, giving the analysis of bran, (the 

 husk of ftbeat) and recommending the farmers to try 

 it aa a substitute for bones and oiher manures; and 

 when tried as an experiment in competition with other 

 qianuree. that the result of such c.':peiiinent should be 

 reported through some of the journals for the benefit 

 of his brother agriculturist. With this request 1 am 

 willing to comply^ After losing two crops of Swedes 

 successively in a field that had been drilled with ashes, 

 1. noticed tbe leltera on ll^is subject, and determined 

 on drillinj twenty. five strikes per aero of pollard, (the 

 finer portion of bian) Willi the turnip seed over one- 

 halt of the field ; tbe result proved that when the men 

 were put in to hoc the turnips, tbey fancied the field 

 had been sow.n at twice, and at an interval of two 

 weeks; so gr"nt was iheditrercnccin thecarly growth 

 — a most desirable point, ae is assists their getting out 

 of the range of the fly : this marked and sensible dif- 

 ference was always apparent throughout their growth, 

 and at the maturity of tne crop. There was as nearly 

 OS could be estimated an increased produce of unc- 

 third more in weight of iurvips per acre, w hich must 

 have arisen lohvlUj Irom the pollard, as ih all other re- 

 spects the field and its treatment were alike. 



The experiment has been to my mind so conelnsive 

 and satisfactory, that 1 intend drilling some quantity 

 this year, and shall also iry it with other crops besides 

 turnips where the land is not in high condition. It 

 can be easily carried back by tbe farmers when deliv- 

 ering CO n to their respective, millers, therefore with, 

 out any cost or expense of transit ; it is now selling ot 

 about il. 10s. per ton, which is cheap for the benefit 

 received when compared with the cost of bones, 

 about lOZ. ot I'M, per ton, which inakes jt the more 

 desirable. 1- would not recommend so much as six 

 cwt. being used to an acre, but any quantity fVpni six 

 cwt. to five cwt. per acre, which would be at a cost of 

 manure of uboiit \L 2s. 6. per acre for an increase nf 

 one-third more ill produce. SboulJ others follow, as 

 I have done, tbe recommendation given in tbe letters 

 before alluded to, it would only be fulfilling the duly 

 we owe one another to report the result, more espe- 

 eiolly if it should jirove favorable as in the above in- 

 stance. 



1 remain, your obedient servant, 



WILLIAM MONK. 



Midkurst, Sussex, April 14. 



Garden Seeds. — Why don't seedsmen mark the 

 year on their papers of seed, in order that tbe retailer 

 may not impose old seed on the customers? nothing 

 is so provoking, particularly in a backward aenson like 

 this, as, after waiting three weeks, to find no beets or 

 onions out of ground. If the doctrine that " honesty 

 ia the best policy," will apply to one trade more than 

 another, it is to that of a seedsmen — many of my 

 neighbors who are not pinching oi aid, nofrt-aise 

 their own seed to avoid being cheated. Onion seed 

 wants much soaking. S. W. 



Onondaga Sail. — The salt inspector at Salina has 

 turned the tabfca upon the Albany Cultivator, fo'r say- 

 ing that "large quantities of lime were used in the 

 adulteration nf salt." Had the Cultivator said a little 

 lime was used to discolor the red oxide of iron which 

 colored the salt, he would have nailed the inspector to 

 the counter. S. W. 



Indian Corn. — At the moment when the tempe- 

 rance reform is doing away with the use of corn as 

 tbe basis of alcoholic drinks, man has discovered '.be 

 invaluable secret of turning the stalk into sugar, at a 

 far greater profit to the agriculturist, if report is true, 

 !hon can be realized froin the ripened grain. ?. W. 



Asparagus Iletl. 

 To J. S. who inquires what is the best mode of 

 making and cuUi\aling an Asparagus Bed, wo anewor 

 that the whole nffiiir, which vvos once hidden in mya- 

 lery or rather involved a very eomplieaicd process, ia 

 now as simple as the simplest operaiiim in husbandry, 

 ^Sow your seeds in a nursery bed in diills and keep 

 ihcm clean of weeds the first year. The next year 

 prepare your bed by trenching the ground fourteen to 

 eighteen inches deep, always keeping the top soil up-* 

 permost ; or, If the bed is to be a large one, by treneU 

 ploughing, that is by passing twice in the same furrow 

 with a plough, tbe sscond time with a plough without 

 a mould board, or a subsoil plough ; and manure the 

 ground as highly as possible. After ii is well prepar- 

 ed, mike Irenehee with a spade or plough about eight 

 inches deep and two feet apart ; place your plants of 

 one years growth in these trtnches ; put in upon the 

 plants two or three inches of good well rutted cr com- 

 posted manure and cover them fully with dirt. Get 

 the fairest and largest kinds ot roots for planting. 

 Keep the beds entirely clean from weeds. They may 

 be cut the third year from the seed ; and in cutting 

 the plants, cut them obliquely about an inch below the 

 surface. Cover the bed, if convenient, annually, in 

 the fall with stable manure two or three inches thick ; 

 in the sprihg dig it with a dung fork about six inches 

 deep, and rake the bed clean. These directions will 

 almost insure success, if you desiie early asparagus, 

 secure a Worm and sheltered spot. Some persons re- 

 commend, as asparagus is a maritime plant, the ap- 

 plication of salt to the bed. A small omount mixed 

 witii the manure or scattered upon the bed would prob- 

 ably be beneficial. Asparagus well cooked, is one of 

 the earliest and best of vegetables. 



Manufacture of Paper. 



Mr. Diercey, a pnper nionufacluier of Ghent, 1 aa 

 discovered tbot the refuse ends of aspoiagtismuke ex- 

 cellent pnper, at half the expense of paper IVom rags ; 

 and that a still greater economy is obtained by mixing 

 the pulp ol asparagus with tiiat of tiie beet root — 

 E-ig. paper. 



lusfirauce against Damage to Standing Crops 

 by Hail storms. 



In.Fralicc, and some other countries of the conti- 

 nent, companies for the Insurance of Agriculturists 

 from loss through the destruction of steiiding croiis by 

 hail-stiirms have long been established, end have prov- 

 eil of great utility. In England, happily, our ripen- 

 ing harvests are not so liequenily exposed to injury 

 from such causes, but, neverihelets, it is tbe part of 

 prudence to guord against even impiobable danger, 

 when the cost is trilling. Men do not insure ibeir 

 houses from fire because tbey expect a visitation from 

 the devouring element, but 6ini|)ly as a measure of 



wise preeaution against a possible casualty Acio 



Farmer^s Joiirhid. 



Feeding Cattle on Carrots. 



To the Editor of the Doncastcr Chronicle. 



Carlton Hall, Feb. 9, 1842. 

 Sir— Noticing a question in your lost neck's Chro- 

 nicle, on Feeding Cottle on Carrots, being o means of 

 bringing on the Opthalmia, I beg to say, we have 

 been in the practice of feeding cattle with carrots 

 very freely, more particularly milch cows, and hove 

 never had any thing of that disease amongst them, 

 generally being very healthy, and I certainly consider 

 them very healthy food for cottle and horses. When- 

 ever they are amiss 1 generally order them a few car- 

 rots. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



V</. BaADLEY, 

 Steward to R. Rnmaden, Esq. 

 N. B. I wish to further observe, I have never 

 found anything to produce so sweet milk and butter 

 as corrois. 



Crater in the Suu. 

 Something exlroordinory is at tbia moment passing 

 in the sun ; o aort of crater is perceived in it, which 

 emits clouds of smoke that spread over a portion of 

 its surface like an enormous moveable spot.— Jin/3.5€/s 

 paper. 



