106 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



mode of applying them, their relative value and 

 durability, I am aware, admits of much discus- 

 sion, and in fact have already produced much, 

 both in this country and in Europe ; they will 

 ever be debateable until the chemist has fully in- 

 vestigated the subject and his theories have 

 been established by practical results. As it is 

 not my purpose to enter into any arguments to 

 refute or establish any of the different, theories, 

 which have been from time to time advanced, I 

 shall merely state the method pursued here gen- 

 erally, and my reasons for adopting a different 

 one. As I shall use the word fermentation fre- 

 quently, it may be best before proceeding fur- 

 ther to state briefly its definition. Berzelius de- 

 fines it to be that spontaneous destruction which 

 vegetable substances undergo when exposed to 

 air and water. Sir H. Davy gives the same 

 with the addition only " of a certain tempera- 

 ture." Liebig defines it. to be that change which 

 a compound organic substance undergoes when 

 separated from its organism, and exposed to the 

 influence of water and a certain temperature ; 

 indeed chemists generally have given in sub- 

 stance the same definitions, which may be stated 

 as changes (with names corresponding, as vi- 

 nous, acetous, &c.) which organic substances 

 undergo when exposed to air, water and a cer- 

 tain temperature. The last of these changes 

 or putrefactive fermentation we shall only speak 

 of. It is acknowledged by chemists that plants 

 can only be nourished by substances soluble in 

 water, (elastic fluids excepted) the roots being 

 then capable of appropriating substances so pre- 

 pared to the nourishment of the plant. The 

 chemical process above defined is that which 

 renders vegetable substances soluble, and which 

 we should ever bear in mind when preparing 

 our manure heaps. Our principal sources of 

 manure are wheat straw, corn stalks, and leaves, 

 all of which are from time to time hauled to 

 our farm-pens and stables, and trodden in the 

 former until required for use, but piled from the 

 latter at each successive cleaning. Our object 

 here being to manufacture manure for our to- 

 bacco crop only, we have heretofore made only 

 so much as we could, during the winter, com- 

 mencing, say, in the last of October, and ending 

 in April, laboring, as I conceive, under a great 

 mistake, since double the quantity could be col- 

 lected by littering our farm-yards during the 

 summer, provided, however, such a course would 

 not prove too disastrous to our stock, which, a 

 little experience will very soon prove. The far- 

 mers here have pursued the above course, it 

 seems to me, either from immemorial custom, or 

 regardless of the process of fermentation, upon 

 which the whole action of manure almost de- 

 pends. Whether then would it be better, in 

 view of the chemical changes, so far as ascer- 

 tained during fermentation, to pursue the old 

 custom, or throw the farm-yard manure into 



heaps long enough before using it to induce a 

 certain degree of fermentation, and that from 

 our stables into such as to retard it as much as 

 possible ? The latter mode I am in favor of, 

 and am now adopting. I have left enough 

 of my farm-yard untouched to try the relative 

 value of the two methods. My objections to 

 the old method, are, that we lose all the liquid 

 manure from our stables by excessive fermenta- 

 tion, and the farm-yard is not sufficiently decom- 

 posed to afford nutriment to our tobacco when 

 first planted. It seems to me both of them 

 could be avoided by pursuing the plan I am 

 now adopting. My stable manure is thrown 

 into such heaps as not likely to produce much 

 heat, and of course not liable to undergo decom- 

 position ; after my farm yard had been well lit- 

 tered during the winter, and the litter as well 

 trodden as possible, I determined a few weeks 

 since to have it piled, and found upon examina- 

 tion many leaves entirely whole, even in the 

 dampest places, though impregnated, I suppose, 

 with the various excrements of the cattle, parti- 

 cularly the liquid. Seeing then so much vege- 

 table matter undecomposed, and of course, unfit 

 to be appropriated by the roots to the plant, my 

 object was to form such heaps as to prepare 

 enough b} r fermentation to give aid to the to- 

 bacco early in May ; for which purpose, I di- 

 rected several heaps to be made with layers of 

 the coarsest at the bottom, as most likely to re- 

 tain the liquid, upon which was thrown stable 

 and farm-yard manure, intimately mixed, until 

 a sufficient quantity had been thrown together, 

 the whole of which was covered by fine ma- 

 nure ; all of this was done for the purpose of 

 producing fermentation, but not to excess. The 

 chief losses in this method (as in almost all 

 others I have seen recommended) consist in the 

 escape of gases, the danger of too great fermen- 

 tation, and the loss of the liquid manure. These 

 may be, in a great measure, if not entirely ob- 

 viated. The first by covering each heap with 

 earth, say to the thickness of two inches. — 

 Would not lime answer better ? Much carbonic 

 acid being evolved, the great, affinity between it 

 and lime would cause them to unite, and it 

 would do equally as well as earth with respect 

 to other gases, though this, we believe, is the 

 most important one. The second is attended 

 with great difficulty, indeed, to limit the degree 

 of fermentation, we must make practical expe- 

 riments, by a succession of which we may per- 

 haps be enabled to come to some definite con- 

 clusion. The third and last, though of great 

 importance, might be obviated by placing some 

 good absorbent for the foundation of every heap, 

 for example, saw dust. 



It appearing to me all-important that tobacco 

 should in its infancy have everything to favor 

 its growth, as well as enough to sustain it while 

 approaching perfection, I think the above method 



