276 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



I left it, informed me that he lost his crop of 

 grass on that part in consequence of its lodging. 

 Thus the personal was made real or fast proper- 

 ty, and remains so to the present day. 



" Having experienced such beneficial effects 

 from mixing clay with sand I was afterwards 

 induced to try what effect sand would have on 

 a rather retentive soil. The garden at Three 

 Hills Farm, is a stiff clay loam resting on a 

 strong tenacious clay subsoil, rather inclining to 

 moisture. The second year after I purchased 

 and took possession of it, I caused a coat of 

 sand, from six to eight inches in depth, to be 

 put on one of the squares, which was spaded in 

 with the manure, and I had the satisfaction to 

 witness the most gratifying and happy results — 

 the crop on that square was far superior to any 

 other in the garden. Since then I have caused 

 over five hundred one-horse cart loads of sand 

 to be put in the garden, and the effect is still 

 visible although the sand has disappeared." 



Also the following upon the use of 



SALT FISH AS MANURE. 



"Four years since I applied six barrels of 

 spoiled salt fish to a strip of potatoes in a field 

 of four acres, in comparison with yard manure. 

 To every hill I put half a herring or mackerel 

 at the time of planting, covering it with the po- 

 tato. The season proved a dry one, and while 

 the vines in the other part of the field suffered 

 greatly from the drought, those where the salt 

 fish were used maintained a dark, vigorous and 

 healthy color, vines very large, long, and con- 

 tinuing green some time afier the others were 

 shriveled, dried, and dead. On digging them 

 in the fall, I found them much larger in size and 

 nearly double in quantity to those where yard 

 manure was applied. 



"At the time I attributed the great yield, over 

 the others, to the animal substance, as nothing 

 but the bones of the fish were found' in the fall, 

 but on further reflection and observation, I am 

 inclined to think that the salt was the most 

 powerful agent after all, as will appear from the 

 crops taken off the three following years. 



" The next crop I took from the field was ru- 

 tabagas, and that part where the salt fish was 

 used showed a much more vigorous growth of 

 plants, maintained the same dark, healthy ap- 

 pearance, and could be distinguished from the 

 rest at a great distance ; but on lifting them in 

 ' the fall I found that the great growth of top 

 was at the expense of the bottom, the bulbs 

 were smaller than those in the other parts of the 

 field ; thus for rutabagas it proved rather inju- 

 rious. 



" Last year the field was sown with oats, and 

 produced a very heavy crop. The strip where 

 the salt fish were used, was visible to the eye at 

 a great distance from the field, and the straw- 



much larger and longer, but just as the heads 

 were filling out a severe storm of wind and rain 

 prostrated it 5 before which it presented the most 

 vigorous growth of oats I ever beheld. 



"After the oats were taken off, I had it 

 ploughed deep, and the stubble well turned un- 

 der, harrowed and rolled until well pulverized, 

 and then sown with wheat, and stocked down 

 with clover and timothy. The plants soon made 

 their appearance, and grew off vigorously in 

 the fall, but owing to the small quantity of snow, 

 and the severity of the frost in the winter, much 

 of the grain was killed. During the summer 

 the same vigorous growth, dark color, straw 

 much taller, heads longer and better filled on 

 that part of the field where -the fish had been 

 applied, were noticed by all who passed, and 

 the lines where the fish were used could be 

 traced by the eye 'at a great distance. 



" The question now presents itself, which is it 

 that has been such a lasting and powerful agent 

 in producing such extraordinary fertility 1 Is it 

 the flesh, the bones or the salt, or all combined? 

 The animal matter disappeared the first season, 

 and nothing but the bones were to be seen, and 

 the quantity of salt was so small, that it would 

 seem hardly possible that it would have such 

 an effect. Salt, as a manure for grass lands, 

 has been used in England with varying success. 

 It is said to sweeten the herbage, and when 

 sprinkled about and over a portion of pasture, 

 cattle, sheep and horses will constantly repair to 

 this salted portion, in preference to any other 

 part of the field. It evidently, therefore, renders 

 grass more palatable to live stock, and upon 

 consulting the old agricultural writers it was 

 found that notices of salt ag a manure, were 

 many and important, and that it had been used 

 in various agricultural operations from a very 

 early period." 



CLEANING SILK. 



The following directions for cleaning silks are 

 by one of the first Parisian dyers: Half a pound 

 of soft soap, a tea-spoonful of brandy, and a 

 pint of gin; mix all well together; with a 

 sponge or flannel, spread the mixture on each 

 side of the silk without greasing it ; wash it in 

 two or three waters, and iron it on the wrong 

 side ; it will then look as good as new. 



TO CLEANSE FEATHER BEDS AND MAT- 

 TRESSES. 



When feather beds become soiled or heavy, 

 they may be made clean and light by being 

 treated in the following manner : Rub them over 

 with a stiff brush, dipped in hot soap-suds. — 

 When clean, lay them on a shed, or any other 

 clean place, where the rain will fall on them. 

 When thoroughly soaked, let them dry in a hot 



