66 
BOYS' department. 
the surplus amount of this gas, thus supplied to 
the air, must he too small to be deserving of much 
notice. 
The decomposition of humus is also attended 
with the formation of ammonia. It has the power, 
also, of absorbing and holding within its pores a 
very large amount of this gas. All plants require 
a small portion of nitrogen — and chemists are 
united in the opinion that the nitrogen of plants is 
obtained from the ammonia which their roots im- 
bibe. Hence, we may reasonably infer that ma- 
nures, containing nitrogen, are of much value in 
furnishing this element to plants. There are 
many respectable chemists, however, who contend 
that the ammonia existing in the soil, together with 
that brought from the atmosphere by every rain, is 
always sufficient for the wants of the plant; and 
that we have no reason, under any circumstances, 
to expect much benefit from that furnished by arti- 
ficial means. But repeated experiments made with 
nitrogenous manure furnish abundant proof of 
their value : though, owing to accidental causes, 
they may not always be productive of the same 
amount of good. In the sixth volume of the Agri- 
culturist, page 302, you will find a short article 
giving an account of some very conclusive experi- 
ments on this point. I would also refer you to 
vol. v., p. 250, where you will find an excellent 
article from the pen of A. Beatty, on this subject; 
and in vol. vi. pp. 46 and 112, the same subject is 
continued. These letters of Mr. Beatty's, on the 
" Preservation and Application of Manure," are well 
worth your careful perusal. 
Those who deny the value of nitrogen in ma- 
nures, account for the beneficial effects of humus 
by saying, that it improves the texture of the soil 
and supplies it with th'ose salts and other inorganic 
ingredients which are essential to the growth of 
vegetables, besides being of much service to some 
soils by its capacity for absorbing moisture. These 
are in reality considerations which ought not to be 
overlooked ; and, I doubt not, the benefit obtained 
from humus is more frequently derived from these 
sources than from the nitrogen it supplies. 
The manner in which humus promotes the 
growth of plants must vary with the conditions 
under which it is applied. When a soil is stiff, 
hard, and tenacious, it will be of service in im- 
proving the texture ; when a soil is so loose and 
porous that crops grown upon it are liable to 
injury from drought, its power of absorbing moisture 
will be of much advantage ; when a soil is deficient 
in nitrogen, and the crop to be raised upon it is 
one requiring a large supply of this element, the 
principal benefit of humus may be to supply this 
deficiency ; and when any of the inorganic ingredients 
are wanting, humus will be able to supply them. 
According to these views, circumstances can rarely 
occur when humus will he of no service, though 
we cannot always expect equal advantages from 
its use. 
Much more might be said on this interesting 
subject ; but I have already extended my commu- 
nication to a considerable length, and will close by 
advising you to seek further information from more 
elaborate productions. 
J. McKinstry. 
Greenport, N, Y. Jan. 1st, 1849. 
SAGACITY IN THE BARN-DOOR FOWL. 
The interesting observations of E. S., in the 
Boys' Department for December, reminded me of 
an incident, that, to my mind, went very far to dis- 
sipate the distinction between reason and instinct in 
the brute creation. Had the elephant, the horse, 
or the dog, such convenient apparatus as two hands 
with four fingers and a thumb on each, our power 
over them would possibly be much less than it now 
is — particularly if they had the faculty of speech 
to communicate ideas, and transmit knowledge by 
tradition or otherwise. I have not the time, how- 
ever, nor have you the space to spare for a length- 
ened discussion on the subject, but I will give your 
boys some facts and they can do up the reasoning 
for themselves. 
I let my chickens run in a plot before my door, 
where I raise a number of the hardier descriptions 
of flowers, which they cannot injure much in their 
lawful pursuit of hunting up the thousands of ma- 
rauding insects. Among the plants, last summer, 
was a tall sunflower, that bore a pretty luxurious 
crop of seeds. One afternoon, my attention was 
drawn to the operations of a rooster and his coterie 
of hens in the vicinity of the sunflower. He 
would walk back a few paces from the plant, and 
then run full speed and strike his bill against its 
stalk, when the hens would immediately busy 
themselves in picking up the spoils, which, I at first 
thought were insects. After watching the opera- 
tions of the rooster awhile with his " battering 
ram," a hen came flying from a little distance, made 
a dive into the ripe sunflower with her bill, and 
with a simultaneous strong action of her wings, 
shook down a plentiful repast of the ripe seed, 
which formed a delicious feast for her biped compa- 
nions. I now saw into the philosophy of Chanti- 
cleer's proceedings; and on examining the stalk, I 
found the outside bark, for a certain distance, had 
all been chafed away by his repeated hlow r s for 
bringing down the seed. 
There seemed to be more science in Chanticleer's 
operations, but there were richer results from Bid- 
dy's plan ; but both appear equally to prove a rea- 
soning from cause to effect. Were the battering 
rams of the ancients for breaking down the walls 
of a city, a greater display of reasoning ingenuity 
than the rooster's method of bringing down the 
ripe seed ? I think not. J. B. 
Harsimus, N. J., Jan., 1849. 
What the Steam Engine Does. — It propels, 
it rows, it sculls, it screws, it warps, it tows, it 
elevates, it lowers, it lifts, it pumps, it drains, it 
irrigates, it draws, it pulls, it drives, it pushes, it 
carries, it brings, it scatters, it collects, it condenses, 
it extracts, it splits, it breaks, it confines, it opens, 
it shuts, it digs, it shovels, it excavates, it plows, 
it threshes, it separates, it winnows, it washes, 
it grinds, it crushes, it sifts, it bolts, it mixes, it 
kneads, it moulds, it stamps, it punches, it beats, it 
presses, it picks, it hews, it cuts, it slits, it shaves, 
it splits, it saws, it planes, it turns, it bores, it mor- 
tices, it drills, it heads, it blows, it forges, it rolls, 
it hammers, it rasps, it files, it polishes, it rivits, it 
sweeps, it brushes, it scutches, it cards, it spins, it 
winds, it twists, it throws, it weaves, it shears, it 
coins, it prints. 
