134 



f iarbtner's Pontl^Is, 



rocks in the subsoil, have decomposed, and yielded 

 up their precious elements of fertility; chemical 

 changes, as varied as the seasons and the changes 

 of the moon, have taken place in sod, and blade of 

 grass, and fibre of root, and in the particles of soil 

 and rock, until, at last, this precious " hit of turfy 

 ham,'' which the gardener prizes so highly, has 

 been elaborated, — possessing a sweet and occult 

 power to revive the exhausted garden or the per- 

 verted soil, just as pure air, sun-light, pure water, 

 and the sweet influences of Nature always have 

 power to restore diseased and perverted organisms, 

 in man or plants, the world over. 



Pure Brick Clay.— Pure clay, such as is used 

 for making bricks, — the most solid, pure white or 

 colored clays, — (I do not mean clayey loam,) is an 

 article whose value in the compost heap is but little 

 known. In my opinion, it is more valuable than that 

 much coveted material, leaf mould, or fresh wood's 

 earth, for many purposes, and but little short of 

 old sod as a fertilizing agent. As an absorbent of 

 manure it excels loam, charcoal, land plaster, or any 

 other substance that I know of ; but to obtain its 

 best effects, in this last respect, it should be mixed 

 with old. well rotted stable manure or leaf mould. 

 Pure brick clay is a compound of alumina, lime, 

 potash, silica, magnesia and iron. It may be called 

 the strongest element of all strong, rich, loamy, clay 

 soils. It is not only in itself very rich in the ele- 

 ments of fertility, but it possesses the power of seiz- 

 ing and holding ammonia, and the acids and salts 

 ^hich promote fertility, with a tenacity possessed 

 by no other constituent of soils. When dug out of 

 the clay bank and exposed to the action of fer- 

 menting manures or of frost, pure brick clay 

 crumbles into an almost impalpable powder ; and 

 when mixed with rich composts, absorbs, with great 

 avidity, the valuable gases and soluble mineral 

 substances, yielding them up again only when at- 

 tacked by the roots of living plants. As an absorb- 

 ent material for compost heaps, (I repeat) I think 

 it has no equal ; and when saturated with the es- 

 sence of manures and of guano, I think it has no su- 

 perior for almost any purpose, especially on light or 

 sandy soils. Applied as a top dressing to grass, 

 after having passed through the compost heap, its 

 effects will be found truly remarkable. I formerly 

 thought that leaf mould, wood's earth, and old sod 

 were the most valuable materials, after stable ma- 

 nure, that could be employed in the compost heap ; 

 but since 1 have discovered the virtues of pure brick 

 clay, I care but little for those substances, except 

 as a useful addition to the clay. Give me plenty of 



pure clay and rich manure and lean easily dispense 

 with leaf mould and hotbed material. 



Tan Bark — I do not hold this substance in much 

 esteem, for any purpose. The market gardeners, 

 who have tried it to some extent, all declare that it 

 renders the soil sour and full of grubs. I know that 

 many persons have recommended fresh tan bark as 

 an excellent mulching for Strawberries, thinking it 

 not only kept the beds clean, but also acts as a fer- 

 tilizer, by furnishing tannic acid and carbonic acid. 

 Bat the usefulness of tan bark, lor this purpose, has 

 been stoutly denied by others ; and I must say that 

 I favor this latter opinion. Many practical garden- 

 ers assert, most positively, that, when largely used, 

 it "ruins the soil." Lime would correct much of 

 its injurious effects, but still it is of little value. — 

 Bark is not rich in chemical elements, its ashes, 

 when it is burned, being small in quantity; and as 

 a source of carbonaceous matter, it is hardly worth 

 handling. 



Refuse Charcoal. — The refuse charcoal, ob- 

 tained from the rectifiers of spirits, from the Rail- 

 roads where wood is burned in locomotives, from old 

 charcoal beds, &c., is a very useful material in the 

 garden. As a mulching about fruit trees I consider 

 it very valuable. It keeps out frost in winter: it 

 keeps the soil loose and moist in summer, and it j 

 does not afford a haibor for mice or insects. In the 

 soil, it assists to promote moisture in a dry season ; 

 and by its slow decay (for it does decay more rapid- 

 ly than is generally supposed) it yields carbonic acid 

 gas to plants, and greatly assists in the decora- 

 position of vegetable and mineral matter. It is 

 an excellent mulching for Strawberries, in winter or 

 summer. 



Road Sand. — The sand obtained from turnpikes 

 or roads macadamized with any sort of stones like 

 granite, hard blue stones, very difficult to break and 

 pulverize, has a peculiar value. The grinding of such 

 rocks or stones under the iron-rimmed wheels of 

 wagons, the wear of horse shoes, and the mixture of 

 this ground rock with the manure scattered along the 

 roads— produces a compound which is found to be 

 highly acceptable to trees and plants. The granite 

 rocks, we know, is rich in potash and silica ; but it 

 is not these elements alone which give this road 

 sand its peculiar value. By the process of grinding 

 and triturating inert substances, such as oyster shells, 

 charcoal, quicksilver, we develope medicinal and 

 other virtues which these substances do not possess 

 in their crude form. And so it is supposed to be 

 with road sand. By the constant grinding and trit- 

 urating of the iron bound wheels and horses' shoes, 

 the comminuted granite becomes prepared for the 



