THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
aasiii^ 
100 
the purveyor-general — no — the /armer must fill 
that ofiice: it is the "chef de cuisine" that selects 
the ingredients, mixes and seasons almost eve- 
ry dish to suit the delicate appetite ol the grow- 
ing plant. It is from the materials placed in 
the soil by nature, or the industrious husband- 
man, fhat this skillful artist draws the rich re- 
pasts it furnishes ; and it could no more furnish 
them without these materials, than your cook 
could make your soup without joints and spi- 
ces, The larder of the marl must then be 
amply supplied. The means of doing it are 
rest and manure. The great gain to the far- 
mer is, that having once engaged in his service 
this powerful, untiring, and almost universal 
agent, he may safety exert himself to the utmost 
ot his ability to supply it with everything ne- 
cessary toxarry on its important operations. 
Seizing on whatever is valuable, it preserves it 
from waste — combining with the utmost gene- 
rosity the wisest economy, it not only yields to 
the plant all it requires, but stimulates it to ask 
more, while it is inaccessible to demands from 
all other quarteis. 
There is no fancy in this — theory and experi- 
ment unite to prove it true. And 1 trust that 
no great length ot time will elapse befoi’e* marl 
shall have written its own eulogy in indelible 
characters over all the broad fields of your 
county. 
Permit me to conclude this letter, for the 
great length of which 1 owe you an apology, 
by returning my acknowledgments lor the ho- 
nor you have done me in electing mean hono- 
rary member of your Society, and by wishing 
each member of it the utmost success in his 
agricultural pursuits. 
I am, very respectfully, your ob’t serv’t, 
J. H. Hammond, 
Hamilton Raiford, Esq., Corresponding Secretary of 
the Agricultuial Society of Jefferson County, Geo. 
From the American Agriculturist. 
Prepared Manures aud ttieir Elfiects on 
Crops. 
The substance of the following remarks was 
lately delivered at the meeting ot the American 
Agricultural Association in New York, by R, 
L;Pell. 
Mr. Pell rose and said: By analysis it is 
known that all cereal grains, cruciferous and le- 
guminous plants, trees and shrubs, require in 
the soil the same chemical substances, but in 
different quantities. These are eleven, viz : 
potash, soda, lime, magnesia, alumina, oxide 
of iron, oxide of magnesia, silica, sulphuric 
acid, phosphoric acid, and chlorine. If one be 
absent, the soil will not grow any cultivated 
plant. Hence analysis of soils is necessary 
lora proper and economical application of ma- 
nure, In a barren soil one necessary ingredi- 
ent alone might be absent. If then, ten ingre- 
dients be added and the eleventh kept back, the 
soil is still barren. Hence, the reason why so 
much of New York will not grow wheat, and 
yet will grow other grain: the requisite quanti- 
ty of some one or more chemical ingredients ne- 
cessary for wheat is absent, but in sufficient 
quantity for rye, &c. When, at last, cultivated 
plants cease to grow, the five-finger vine ap- 
pears, as it requires still less of them. In such 
a stage it is not rare that an expense of S3 per 
acre will enable the soil to produce 30 bushels 
ot wheat. I produced 78| bushels of wheai 
on a piece of worn-out ground, by fifty cents’ 
worth of two ingredients. Like produces like ; 
and hence if straw or wheat be given to the 
ground it will produce wheat ; indeed, wheat 
may be grown on a pane of glass, if the seed 
be covered with wheat straw in a decomposing 
state. Hence the farmer may sell the grain but 
not the straw. The farmer who sells straw be- 
comes poor; he who buys it grows rich. 
I apply straw to the cattle yard ; it absorbs 
the liquid excrement, and -rots^ What is long 
or partly unrotted I apply to hoed crops; what 
is fine I mix with the eleven requisites and ap- 
ply as a top dressing. It may be advisable to 
apply the straw to the ground and plow it in 
B'bea uttfoued. To grow grains, give the soil 
straw ol its kind; for potatoes, their vines; 
grapes, their vines; to apples, their branches- 
and so of all. The droppings of cattle are the 
best manure to grow grasses, as they feed on 
grass; those of horses fed on grain for the 
growth ot cereals. Onions are grown year af- 
ter year, by only returning the tops to the 
ground. In Virginia, had the refuse of the to- 
bacco plant been returned to the soil, she would 
not now be barren. The bad farmer is injured 
by the vicinity of well manured land, as ma- 
nure has an affiniiy for oxygen, hydrogen, am- 
monia, &c., floating in the air, and attiacts 
them to the provident farmer’s land. 
Formerly, I applied composts of various 
things, and had wonderlul results; I dared not 
omit any one, as I knew not which had produ- 
ced the result. Now, science by analysis shows 
what is necessary. By these composts, I grew 
a squash to weigh 201 pounds, the heaviest on 
record ; and a cabbage to weigh 44 pounds. By 
it I grew wheat to weigh 64 pounds, rye 60 lbs., 
oats 44i lbs. When Sprengel made known his 
analysis, showing that eleven substances are ne- 
cessary to all good soils, I found that my com- 
post by chance had them all, and twenty other 
enriching ingredients. 
Previous to 1840, my orchards bore only eve* 
ry other year. Since then I make them bear 
every year; and this year, a bad one for fruit, 
found my manured trees full, and those not ma- 
nured barren. The drought of this year was 
fatal to fruit; yet my manured trees had abun- 
dant moisture’ and were fruitful. I prefer the 
manure of decayed vegetable matter to the ex- 
crement of cattle, as the material that makes 
and supports fhe animal has been extracted, 
and the excrement is not so rich on that account. 
If the vegetable matter be rotted and its ammo- 
nia fixed by charcoaldust, all the chemical sub- 
stances are present. Thus, rotted ‘vegetable 
matter is more beneficial than the dung of cat- 
tle, quantity and quality alike. 
A most valuable manure is the liquid remain- 
ing after the boiling of bones. It is very of- 
fensive unless disinfected. When hot it is not 
offensive, but becomes so when cold. It is a 
jelly when cold. By the application of char 
coal dust to the hot liquid, the jelly when cold 
is not offensive. In this state it may be made in- 
to compost with other substances, in that condi- 
tion it is a most valuable manure. At present, 
large amounts of the liquid are thrown into the 
rivers, I prevailed upon a grinder of bones to 
save his liquid by charcoal, and he now sells 
what formerly he hired carried away. I have 
used it with greac advantage, both on arable 
and meadow land. 
Charcoal is one of the most valuable ma- 
nures. It is the most powerful absorbent 
known. It takes from the atmosphere oxygen, 
hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, &c., and holds 
them while the weather is dry. During rain it 
absorbs 80 percent, of water, and releases the 
gas to descend to the earih to fertilize it. When 
the weather becomes dry it parts with the wa- 
ter, and absorbs from the air the gases again. 
This it continues almost perpetually, and it is 
nearly indestructible. When applied to the 
earti), the trees, plants and grasses are found 
to have it adhering to their roots ready to im- 
part gases and moisture as wanted. Trees 
packed in it have remained green lor 80 days, 
while others without it have died in like cir- 
cumstances. Hams and salt meals are preserv- 
ed perfectly when packed in it. I preserved ap- 
ples in perfect condition for one year in it. If 
spread over compost heaps, barn yards, stable 
floor, in privies, it absorbs the ammonia, pre- 
vents offensive smells, fixes the volatile gases, 
and thus makes a valuable compost. 
Ashes applied to sandy soils are valuable, 
and on some soils leached are as good as un- 
leached. I have known land too poor to grow 8 
bushels ©f corn, made to produce 45 bushels by 
ashes alone; and they are more valuable on a 
sandy soil than any other manure except marly 
clay. They enable the sandy soil to retain its 
moisture— agreat point. They are used to great 
advantage on Long Island and in New Jersey, 
They stimulate growth as does plaster. Sown 
broad-cast on grass, the effect is perceptible at a 
great distance. They yield the first year on san- 
dy soils in grass and will pay the expense of ap- 
plying 40 bushels to the acre. They give to the 
soil silicate of potash, which is needed to form 
stems. 
Ashes have two actions on soils, viz: chemi- 
cally by alkali they neutralize acids ; and me- 
chanically by rendering sandy lands more tena- 
cious. Muck is made valuable by them, when 
mixed in compost; the acid ot the muck is de- 
stroyed by the alkali, and fermentation follows. 
Lime has been used by me to great advan- 
tage. I prefer oj'ster shell lime, as it contains 
no magnesia, which most stone lime does. I 
think oyster shell lime has a tendency to lessen 
in growth the stem and leaves, and increase the 
fruit and seeds. I put on barren or worn-out 
land 300 bushels of oyster shell lime, and it 
grew wheat to a weight ol 64 pounds per bu- 
shel ; with the wheat I sowed one bushel ot clo- 
ver seed and hall a bushel of timothy seed per 
acre, and the next year cut two and a hall tons, 
and the second year three tons ol hay per acre. 
1 have found it of great advantage in potatoe 
culture; the potatoes do not rot in the ground, 
while neighboring unlimed ones all do. They 
are mealy and fine, and do not rot after gather- 
ing, and have been free of rot in dry, wet and 
average seasons. I think it desiroy? the fungus 
or insect, if either be the cause ol rot. 
Bone dust I have used and find it most valua- 
ble, and advise its use, especially on soils long 
cultivated, destitute of phosphate ot lime; it is 
the most efficacious manure that can be used on 
an exhausted soil, but will do better on dry cal- 
careous soil than on such as contain alumina. 
It should be mixed with earth to ferment before 
spreading. There should be used from 12 to 20 
bushels to the acre. It seems best on turnips. 
In compost it is valuable, as it yields phos- 
phates largely. It is said that in England, 
where on lands it had been applied 20 years be- 
fore, its effect could be seen to a yard. I trust 
ihe exportation of bones from our country will 
soon cease. 
1 have used guano successfully and unsuc- 
cessfully, Mixed with earth and applied to 
plants in close contact, it was injurious; ap- 
plied in weak solution to grass land and green- 
house plant.s, its effect was wonderful. My 
experience shows that its method ot use will de- 
termine its value. In composts 1 have found it 
very effective. 
Night soil is one of the most valuable ma- 
nures. In this country as well as in England, 
great prejudice prevails against its use in agri- 
culture or gardening. For ages it has been 
used in Asia, and particularly' in China. In 
France, Belgium, Bohemia, Saxony, all the 
German Confederacy, and Sweden, its destruc- 
tion or waste is prohibited by law. In England 
and America it is thrown into the rivers to be- 
foul them, and the fish which devour it are eat- 
en, instead of vegetables grown by it. As ma- 
nure, six loads of it have been lound to produce 
650 bushels per acre of potatoes, while, on the 
same giound, 120 loads of horse manure yield- 
ed only 480 bushels. 
In conclusion, 1 have to remark, that the 
main stay of the farmer is his barn yard manure. 
Yet, this varies in quality, according to the ma- 
terial of which it is made, and the manner of 
making. Thus the droppings of cattle led on 
straw and turnips, are tar less valuable than 
those of cattle fed on hay and oil cake ; and it 
is economy to feed hay and oil cake rather than 
straw and turnips. So in manuring ; that which 
is leached by rains and volatilized by the sun, is 
less valuable than the unleached and unsunned. 
But this is too extensive a subject to lake up, 
and is so well understood by good farmers that 
it is unnecessary to say more on the subject. 
Draining low lands will contribute to promote 
health and profit. Generally speaking, our wet 
and marshy lands are the richest in organic 
matters, and become the most profitable to the 
owner, when thoroughly drained. — Buel's Far. 
