134 



THE NE>V GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. ? 



Uiay's Elemtnts oi Scip.itific and Practical 

 Agriculture* 



Thiscompend is designed to supply n great desid- 

 eratum among agriculturists. It has been compiled 

 from all the important works on the subject which have 

 appeared in the last few years. Its object is to exhib- 

 it the principles of agriculture, and to set before the 

 farmer the chemical and philogophicul reasons for many 

 operations with which tbo practical farmer is familiar. 

 It presents at the sams time many new principles and 

 reasons on the business of agiiqulture. It is ihe post- 

 ing up of the discoveries and elements and details of 

 this first of arts and sciences to the present day. It is 

 not a servile copy of any work, though it pretends to 

 little originality. It embodies and carries out the 

 grand principles of Liebig, perhaps the most distin- 

 guished of all the scientific agriculturists of the day. 

 " Agriculture, «ayo he, is the true foundation of all 

 trade and industry— it is the foundation of the riches 

 of slates. But o rational system of a riculture can 

 not be formed without tlio application of scientific 

 principles." The nature of soil.-, the influence of 

 manures, the cqmpqsition of vegetables and the laws 

 of vegetable life, the phanges produced by cviltivation 

 upon the soil, the lilost economical means of preserv- 

 ing the heart of a farm or field, and the reasons of the 

 wasting influence of aoijie plants and somp modes of 

 cultivation-^all thei?e need to be well understood. The 

 great progress in this knowledge has been the result 

 of the advancement of chemical knowledge and its 

 application to practical agriculturp. A great amount 

 of this knowledge ia contained in Mr. Gray's work, 

 and presented in a form attractive, while it ia scien- 

 tific, minute and clear. The work indeed must be 

 read and pondered ; it must be studied, and made 

 familiar. It ia a dishonor cast upon agriculture, to 

 suppose that its principles or practice are too free or 

 simple or obvious, to require much thought, study, 

 efTirt or wiodom. Where the larger works of John- 

 ston, Liebig, &.C., are not possessed by the farmer, 

 the work of Mr. Qray will be a great uddilioti, and 

 not be out of place even with those. 



Mr. Gray maintains, in opposition to the conclusion 

 of Liebig, that plants dq not derive all their carbon 

 from the atmosphere through the absorption of carbon- 

 ic acid gas. Mr. Gray's reasoning seems to be deci- 

 sive. 



It was the doctrine of chemistry thirty or more 

 years ago, that the animal and vegetable kingdoms 

 mutually minister to each other, and that the carbonic 

 acid thrown by the respiration of animals, combus- 

 tion, &e., into the atmosphere, was removed by the 

 vegetable world, and that this is the grand instrument 

 of purifying the atmosphere and continuing its purity. 

 This is no doubt the fact. To maintain this grand 

 principle, it is not necessary, however, tosuppose that 

 the atmosphere is the only source, though it may be a 

 great one, of carbonic acid, the greac pabulum of veg- 

 etable life. 



Following great men, the author has given some 

 particulars, utterly incomprehensible. Thus he says, 

 p. 39, " The most correct definition of life is given 

 by Bichet, and modified by Whewell. ' Life is the 

 system of vital functions." No man can attach a 

 meaning to this definition. Does not the system, in 

 which the vital powers acted, remain after death, till 

 organic changes take place ? Then life is not the 

 system. Or, does he mean by " system of vital func- 

 tions," only the totality of vital operation t Then 

 life is life; the great wisdom in the definition. The 

 truth is, as long ago said, we know what life does, 

 not what life is; we define it by its operations, and 

 not by its nature or essence, for of this we are ignor- 

 ant. We are sorry to see any such philosophical ab 

 stractions. We «re glad they are so few. 



Ill some cases it is very doubilul whi-ther the true 

 philosophy has been given. The mistake is of little 

 consequence, because on the right or wrong principle, 

 the practice will be the same. Thus, the chief use 

 of gypsum is maintained by Liebig to be incojidens- 

 ing ammonia or othor elements, so that they may be 

 conveyed into the plant. Now it is far more probable 

 that a small portion of gypsu^n, potash, phosphate of 

 lime, &c., is necessary for the full developement of 

 the plant. The org-rt7tic elements are four, oxygen, 

 hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen ; the inorganic are, 

 besides gypsum and the oibera jast mentioned, silex, 

 soda, magnesia, iron, &c. The latter are supposed 

 to be as important as the other to the healthful and 

 powerful action of vegetoble life. To a certain ex 

 tent these niay he food and stimulus to vegetables. 

 They maybe far more important than to bo the mere 

 vehicles of transmitting other substances ; and such a 

 principle is far more consistent with the economy of 

 the laws of matter. 



Phosphate of limp ia essential to the formation of 

 bones in inun apd beast. In (bp growth of the young 

 t is rapidly deposited ; and in the older, it is npceeso- 

 ry for a new deposit to replace that part of the bone 

 which is removed on account of its being worn out. 

 How beauiiful that economy which supplies through 

 the food the constant (jemand for this substance. In 

 the mammiferoua tribe, the very milk of the mother 

 conveys this element of healthy growth and action. 

 Small as is the quantity in any article of food, it is 

 constantly passing in adequate supply, removed from 

 he soil by vegetobles, and by animal and vegetable 

 substances returned to the earth, again to perform its 

 wonderoua work. 



Plants take from the soil those substances which are 

 necessary for their healthy action. In time, these 

 must be exhausted, if the vegetable growth be re- 

 moved, and if they are not returned by monures. For 

 the growth of any one plant, the best manure must he 

 the plant itself, because it restores the elements re- 

 moved. Thus the straw of wheat would afford the 

 best manure for wheat ; the tops of potatoe, for thai 

 plant; of corn, for corn. This is the lesson taught 

 us by providence in the natural production of plants. 

 This doctrine is insisted on by Liebig, and mifintained 

 by Gray. It may be called ihe f.rst elaaent of scien- 

 tific agriculture. 



The second dement is the adapting the plant to the 

 kind of soil, or the kind of soil to the plant. This 

 opens before us the broad field of science and practice 

 in agriculture. In the examination of this field, the 

 work of Gray will be highly interesting and useful. 

 We cannot enter upon the details, but we trust the 

 farmer wijl examine them for himself, for he connot 

 fail to be amply repaid. C. P. 



Fermented Vegetable Manure. 



A new method of making Vegetable Manure by 

 Fermentation has recently bien patented ond brought 

 before the agricultural public, by Mr. G. Bommer. 

 Farmers and gardeners have an opportunity ol seeing 

 a heap of buckwheat straw under the process in the 

 yard of Mr. Pachmeyer, ) 19 West Market street, in 

 this city. Mr. B. is the agent of the patentee for ibis 

 and several of the adjacent counties. By means of 

 his method, it is said, every farmer may reduce his 

 straw, refuse hay, corn stalks, and all other vegetable 

 matter, to rich, unctuous manure, wiiijin 15 days, and 

 at very little cost. The preparation is very simple and 

 easy. 



This Manure is a composition of animal, mineral, 

 and vegetable substances, and may be made at any 

 season. A compost may also be made with common 

 earth, where straw and other vegetable matter is want, 

 ing, which will answer all the purposes of animal 

 manure, and prove a superior substitute for lime, 

 plaster, ashes, &c. The process produces nitrate of 

 lime, potash, ammonia, and saltpetre, fourof the most 

 fertilizing properties of good manure. Among those 

 who have tried it with success we notice ihe name of 

 Mr. J. W. PoiNiEK, of Morristown, and Mr. Pierre 

 Grey, of Madison, whose testimony we subjoin ; 



*'Mr. Boiiiiiur has publicly made uj un my prem- 

 ises his Vegetable Mnnure. The result of hie process 

 has been entirely satisfactory to me and those of my 

 neighbors who have witnessed the operation, and ex- 

 amined the product. 



" The inatgrials mode use of in that experiment 

 were straw from my barn, made into a heap on the 

 5th of May lest, and opened a fortnight afterwards. 

 At that time the straw was found altogether decompos- 

 ed, and changed into a dark Manure, very unctuous 

 and rich, having a strong smell of ammonia, and of 

 good litter. 



'• And I hereby further certify that this Manure has 

 been uepd on a field of Xurnipg, in wliich it hjid an 

 excellent effect, aad also in my gorden, where I ob- 

 tained superior vegetables, among others some pump- 

 kins of an extraordinary size for the kind, as may ba 

 seen at piy house. PIERRE GREY." 



The Norwalk (Conn.) Qazette of the IStb inst., 

 speaks of a sjucceestul experiment, in that place, witli 

 Sedge, a coarse grass which grows about the flais of 

 the liarbor, mixed Willi sea-weed. Those of ouf 

 readers who are interested in the cultivation of the 

 soil would doubileas be gratified to see the heap novv 

 fermenting in Mr. Bochmeyer's yard. 



Tlie coat of this meihod is inconsiderable. Clear- 

 ed land, intended for agricultural purposes, (wood 

 laud excepted,) under 50 acres $10; more lhi.n 50, 

 ten cents per acre additional. On payment of this 

 sum, the meihod becomes the property of tbepurchas* 

 er for evpr. — Newark Sentinel. 



liightning Bods. 



I wish every farmer would from this lime forth, 

 keep a register of all tjie accidents from lightning 

 which he sees in the newspapers — the deaths from the 

 striking of dwelling houses, the well filled barns laid 

 in ashes, &c., and if he is not then protected by a rod 

 beiore tbesumrnerof another yeaf, it must be from 

 the spirit of procrastination. What is the cost and 

 labor of erecting one, contrasted with the feeling of 

 Bpourily, 



"When o'er heaven's rending arch the rattling 

 thunder rolls — " 



What is the cost and labor of erecting one t Four 

 dollars — not often more. The writer lately put one 

 up on a building 23 feet high — the whole length of 

 the rod was 42 feet, so that Ig feel projected above the 

 building, and it descended 7 feet into the earth. The 

 iron cost less than two dollars — the blacksmith work 

 was a dollar, which I thought too much ; and digging 

 the hole and erecting it cost about fifty cents ; moking 

 only three and a halt dollars in all. The part belovy 

 the roof need not be large, — not more than five- 

 eighths of an inch ; the part above should be of three 

 or four pieces of successive sizes from one inch tq 

 half an inch, welded together, so as to form a some" 

 what conical piece, to slond firmly in the wind. 



The heiglit above the roof should be one half the 

 length of the building if placpd at one end, or one 

 quarter the length if placed in the middle. It shoulf] 

 be continuous throughout— not linked— ^but the joint* 

 welded together ; and it should descend into perma- 

 nently moiat earth, which is not often found at a less 

 depth than six feet. It may be kept to its place by 

 small pieces of plank, with holes bored through to 

 admit the rod, and these nailed to the house so as to 

 keep the rod several ipches off. 



The pqints, which should be several in number, 

 may be made of small iron rods welded together, and 

 to the rod, filed ;harp, and polished. Tinning them 

 might be an advantoge, When one point only termi- 

 nates the rod, it ia not always sufficient to carry ofT 

 silently the load from a heavily charged cloud, hence 

 an explosion follows, which in one instance familiar 

 to the writer, melted the point of the rod into a ball, 

 but without any injury to the house or its inmates, 

 though the noise of heavy artillery was a mere pop. 

 gun to it. 



If lightning ever struck a building protected by a 

 rod made as here suggested, or according toils leading 

 principles, I have not beard of it. tw- E- D 



