THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



189 



A bad system is better than no system. 



Avoid him as a friend, who makes a wry 

 mouth at the praises bestowed on a good farmer. 



Imitate him whose observation passes not 

 over the most minute, whilst it follows only the 

 highest objects. 



The more there is of mind in your solitary 

 employments, the more dignity in your cha- 

 racter. 



Two misfortunes — thinkers are scarce as gold, 

 and those who think least are least disposed to 

 let others think for them. 



Trust him little who praises all, and him less 

 who censures all, and him least who is indiffer- 

 ent about all. 



Who postpones the business of to-day till the 

 morrow will probably postpone his to-morrow to 

 eternity. 



He is much greater, who produces one thing 

 entire and perfect, than he who does many by 

 halves. 



As the captain with a foil on the point of his 

 spear, so the farmer with a dull implement — 

 hard labor and but little execution. 



If you will put your mark on such of these 

 aphorisms as create an uneasy sensation, and 

 send me the copy, I will know you right well. 



Argus. 



Amherst, July 8, 1843. 



For the Southern Planter. 



BOMMER'S MANURE. 



Mr. Editor, — The following communication 

 I am sure will be read with interest by most of 

 your subscribers, and as I have received recent- 

 ly, so many interrogatories concerning "Bom- 

 mer's Manure," I have concluded to send it for 

 publication in the Planter, w T ith such remarks 

 as I may make upon it : 



King William, July 6, 1843. 



Mr. Woodfin : 



Dear Sir, — I have seen the result of your ex- 

 periment with Bommer's patent manure, in the 

 last Planter, and while I believe every word you 

 have said about it, I am not entirely satisfied 

 that it will be to the interest of every one to 

 purchase the right to make and use it. Virgi- 

 nians have been so often humbugged with pa- 

 tent inventions, that I am very slow to receive 

 any notion that comes secreted under a patent 

 right, I will, therefore, be obliged to you to an- 

 swer the following questions : 



1st. Can the materials of which the manure 

 is composed, and also those required to produce 

 such speedy decomposition, be procured in suffi- 

 cient quantities on a poor forest farm to make 

 it an object on such a farm ; or is it only adapted 

 to the neighborhood of towns, where mineral, 



animal, and other substances can be readily pro- 

 cured at little cost? 



2d. From the experiment you have made, do 

 you think that labor may be profitably employed 

 in making this manure on large farms, or is 

 it merely intended for experimenters on truck 

 patches, gardens, &c. 1 



3d. As the decomposition is so rapidly pro- 

 duced, does not the ammonia (or whatever you 

 chemists call it, I mean the strength of the ma- 

 nure,) as speedily pass olT, and the manure be- 

 come comparatively worthless, as you have seen 

 farm-yard manure become by being kept too 

 long? 



4th. You say it is not costly, but troublesome; 

 how much, and what kind of trouble is it ? Is 

 it that kind of trouble with which every suc- 

 cessful farmer is acquainted, and for which he 

 gets rewarded, more or less, or is it like the In- 

 dian's gun, cost more than it comes to ? 



5th. Taking every thing connected with it 

 in consideration, would you advise a farmer 

 owning some five or six hundred acres of poor 

 land, situated twelve miles from navigation and 

 thirty miles from any town, employing the la- 

 bor of twelve hands, and with a large and 

 growing family, and not a cent to spend in hum- 

 bugs or costly experiments, to purchase the 

 right to make and use this manure 1 



You will please pardon the liberty I have 

 taken in addressing this communication to you ; 

 my only apology is my great desire to use all 

 the means in my power, for the improvement of 

 our mother earth, and I should like to become 

 acquainted with this process of Mr. Bommer's, 

 but do not like the idea of buying a pig in a 

 bag. 



Should you think it worth while to reply to 

 this, you can do it through the Planter, if 

 you prefer it, (as I suppose it probable you will 

 receive other communications on this subject,) 

 or by letter privately, by mail, as you may 

 choose. 



Yours, most respectfully, 



Wm, S. Ryland. 



In answering the foregoing queries I shall 

 take them up in the order they are propounded, 

 without any farther preliminary remark. 



1st. " Can the materials of which the manure 

 is composed, and also those required to produce 

 such speedy decomposition be procured in suffi- 

 cient quantities on a poor forest farm V &c. &c. 

 I answer yes — they can be procured in abun- 

 dance, both for making the manure, and also for 

 their speedy decomposition, with the exception 

 of some articles necessary to make the lees.* 



* The articles alluded to in the exception, which 

 Mr. Woodfin did not consider himself at liberty to 

 specify, are lime and salt; about fifty pounds of the 

 former and a couple of pounds of the latter being 

 required to an ordinary heap of the manure. — Ed. 



