98 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
them longer, that 1 now obtain eggs from the 
North for my third and fourth feeding; but I 
hope we shall yet be able to overcome this dif- 
ficulty. The early part of this season was cold, 
wet and unfavorable, yet my worms have ne- 
ver been more healthy, or made better cocoons. 
My second lot are just beginning to spin, and 
my third are hatched and read}^ to take their 
places. Respectfully )murs, &c. 
HUGH CASgJDEY. 
Cracker’s Neck, June 12, 18-13. 
Messrs. Jones — Having given the weight of 
my small influence towards the circulation of 
the Cultivator, and believing that any idea, 
however humble, that is profitable, will receive 
a welcome from the Iriends of agriculture and 
rural economy, I drop you a few lines relative to 
my mode of attending to cattle, especially 
milch cows, and I have found it so cheap and 
profitable that I cannot consistently withhold it 
from your numerous readers. 
My mode is to build a common shed or shel- 
ter, having the roof to turn either way from the 
centre — to effect which, I place my centre posts 
say 14 feet high, and my eave posts say 7 feet 
high. From the centre- to the side post there is 
a space of some 7 feet. I then put up what 1 
term my ridge and eave poles,, and nail on my 
rafters and cover in with four foot boards. I 
then have large troughs and place them through 
the centre of my shed, and fit it out in stalls 
some five feet wide, and place a rack immedi- 
ately over the troughs to hold the provender. I 
have a small lot attached, which I keep well lit- 
tered, and from which I make an immense 
quantity of first rate manure. I use the leaves 
of the woods for my litler, and when I find they 
are sufficiently decomposed to make a good ma- 
nure, I pUe them up and haul in more, by which 
means I find no difficulty in keeping on hand a 
good supply of first rate manure. I always 
keep plenty of salt in my troughs, and I find 
cattle do much better than to salt occasionally, 
as the cows do not overchai’ge their stomachs, 
and the consequence is they keep in a healthy 
condition and give us any quantity of rich milk 
and yellow butter. If you think the above 
worthy a place in the Southern Cultivator, it is 
at your service. 
Respectfully, c. s, c. 
Cattle and Sheep of Great Britain. — We 
find the following in a late English journal, and 
give it for the purpose of comparing it with 
some of our own statistics and prices: 
“The total number of horned cattle in the 
United Kingdom is estimated at 7,000,000, and 
the total number of sheep at 32,000,000. Val- 
uing the first, per head, at .€10, and the last at 
25s., both together will give a total value of 
iCllO, 000,000. 
In the United Stales, according to the census 
of 1839, the number of horned cattle was 15,- 
000,000, and the number of sheep 20,000,000. — 
But the difference in the estimated value is the 
most striking point in the comparison. There 
the average value is put at about S45 for the 
cattle, and about ^6 lor the sheep. Here, an 
average price of $12 for the cattle, and $1 50 
for the sheep, must be considered a liberal es- 
timate. This fact shows why the prices of meat 
are so high in Great Britain, and proves that 
we ought to be able to furnish them a supply of 
beef at remunerating prices. We think it clear 
that in the present position of trade, tariffs and 
prices, a fair e.xport trade in beef and poi k to 
England may be expected. — Albo.ny Cult, 
ASHES. 
To the Editor of the Farmers’ Monthly Visiter t 
Mr. Hill — I have read in several of the ag- 
ricultural papers, within a few months past, va- 
rious accounts ol the value of ashes in agricul- 
ture, both leached and unleached; and in most 
cases their application was attended with deci- 
dedly beneficial results. But there is a great 
difl’erence in the value ol soapers’ leached ashes 
and those f rom the pot orpearl ash factory. Dr. 
Dana says, “the soap chandler, in leaching 
ashes, uses about one peck of lime to each bush- 
el of ashes.” This is used for the purpose of 
taking up the carbonic acid in the ashes, which 
makes the ley caiisttc; it then readily combines 
with the oil or grease, and forms soap. The 
lime used with the ashes is “quick lime,” or in 
other words lime that has had its caibonic acid 
driven off by the process of burning. After be- 
ing leached it is carbonate of lime, from the car- 
bonic acid derived from the ashes, and is chem- 
ically the same as before being burnt. Then in 
125 bushels from the soap boilers, we get 100 
bushels of leached ashes, and 25 bushels of car- 
bonate of lime. The manufacturer of pot or 
pearl ash, covers the bottom ot his leach tubs 
with swingle tow or straw, and puts over it a 
bushel or two of slacked lime, and does not re- 
new the lime again during the season of mak- 
ing; consequently, there is no lime mixed with 
the leached ashes from the potash. 
From the above facts, eveiy one will see there 
is a material difference in the value and effects 
of the two kinds. Therelore, the farmer that 
uses leached ashes from the potash, expecting to 
realize the same results as those do that make 
use of soapei ’s ashes, will be likely to meet with 
disappointment. I have never seen Dr. Dana’s 
“Muck Manual,” but have read a lew extracts 
as published in the agricultural papers. In one 
of them, the Doctor goes into a calculation to 
prove that soils are not exhausted of their lime 
and ashes by cropping or cultivation. For by 
his figures he makes out that an acre of soil to 
the depth of six inches “contains 3,626 lbs. of 
lime, and 73,311 lbs. of potash, or nearly If ton 
of lime, and 36 tons of potash.” Well, every 
farmer must say there is enough in all con- 
science of lin e and potash in his soil; and I do 
not at all dispute tl e Doctor, but if there is that 
amount I believe it is nearly insoluble, and 
therefore, of little use. Liebig sa3^s, the lands 
in Virginia, by long cultivation, become entirely 
unproductive in wheat, for toant of potash in the 
soil; he says, (if I recollect right, it being more 
than a year since 1 havq seen his book,) that 
there is twelve pounds of potash annually earn- 
ed off the soil, in the grain and straw of an 
acre of wheat — 1200 lbs. in a hundred years. 
But according to Dr. Dana’s statement, there 
would be left there, in the soil, some 36 tons of 
pota.sh per acre. Now, Mr. Editor, I am.a 
“plain, practical, every-day farmer, and shall 
not attempt to decide where learned doctors dis- 
agree. But being willing to contribute my 
mite for the benefit of our craft, I will state a 
few facts, and give my views, with the hope 
that they may result in further investigations, 
but not having the happy talent of saying much 
in a few viord^, I hope you and your readers will 
excuse the long yarn I am about spinning. 
I think I can furnish a few facts, to prove that 
the application of ashes to the soil in addition 
to the 36 tons, is attended with beneficial results. 
I believe also the part that ashes perform in ag- 
riculture, is not fully understood. The general 
opinion is, that it acts as a stimulant to the 
growing plants, and a decomposer to vegetable 
matter in the soil, and perhaps the above opin- 
ion is partially correct. I apprehend the most 
important part ashes perform in agriculture, is 
in decomposing sUicia, and rendering it soluble, 
so as to be taken up by the rootlets of plants, 
and by proper vessels carried to every part, and 
there assimilated and applied to the various 
purposes for which nature intended it, viz: to 
form the skeleton of the plant or tree — the glaze 
on the corn stalk and kernel, the outer covering 
upon wheat and other straw and grasses, &c. 
The material of this glaze is derived from that 
kind of lock called quartz, (sometimes called 
rock chrystal, or wffiite flint stonej) it is dissolv- 
ed and rendered soluble bj* an alkali. Some 
kinds of trees require a much larger quantity of 
their structure than others, and produce a much 
greater amount of ashes upon being burnt. The 
burning of wood converts it again to silica;- the 
insoluble part of ashes is mostlj' silex. Oak re- 
quires a much larger amount as it is much hea- 
vier than pine wood. To prove the solubility 
of silica by potash, I v/ill state a few plain facts, 
because we common farmers want facts, and il- 
lustrated in a way that we can understand them. 
From the fact that ley dissolves the silica inj 
wood, tubs for leached ashes are usually made 
of pine, as they are not so powerfully acted up- 
on by the ley as if they were made ol oak. An 
oak tub, after having been used a few times for 
a leach tub, would have its silica dissolved, and 
a stave four inches in width upon being dried, 
would shrink to two inches, -wholly in conse- 
quence of the dissolving of the siUca (gritty 
part.) But the ashes do not operate upon the 
vegetable tissue or fibre of the wood. 
When it was the custom of farmers’ wives 
and daughters to spin their thread from flax, the 
next process -was to boil it out in ley to soften 
and remove the harshness of the thread by dis- 
solving the minute particles ot silex; but it did 
not destroy the strength of the vegetable texture. 
Manufacturers of paper from straw go upon 
this principle: the straw is boiled in lime water 
or ley, the glaze upon it is dissolved, and the ve- 
getable fibre is unhaimed. From these facts, 
then, il would seem the alkali acted upon the in- 
organic rather than upon the organic or vegeta- 
ble matter. 
Dr. Dana’s statement of the amount of pot- 
ash may be correct; but 1 will try to prove that 
I am right in my conjecture, as to its being in- 
soluble, and therefore inert. Common granite 
is the prevailing rock in New England, and is 
composed ot three different minerals — quartz, 
felspar and mica; quartz is supposed to be of an 
acid nature; felspar contains 12 to 15 per cent 
of potash; mica from 5 to 8 per cent ot potash. 
Chemists tell us that the rootlets ofliving plants 
and trees have the power of decomposing graw- 
ite rock, to obtain the potash we find in their 
ashes. ’Tis said, “the living plant is a consum- 
mate analist.” I will, though with much diffi- 
dence, give you my theory of plants decompos- 
ing rocks. 
The decomposition of vegetable matter al- 
ways produces an acid — or in other words the 
decaying or rotting, or more properly the slow 
combustion of vegetable matter partially con- 
verts it into carbon. The oxygen of water com- 
bines with the carbon and produces carbonic 
acid. This acid in its liquid and gaseous form, 
having an afiinity for the alkali in the rock, dis- 
solves it; the alkali dissolves the silica, (quartz) 
and by the endosmose principle of the living 
plant, the water holding these in solution is 
drawn up by the rootlets, and these salts dispos- 
ed of and assimilated to the purposes designed 
by the first great cause. In proof of this posi- 
tion, I forward you a piece of rock, not acted 
upon by the “living plant,” but by decomposing 
vegetable matter, and it will convey to j'our 
mind a better idea of my meaning than 1 can by 
the pen. 
In some situations there is a superabundance 
of alkali and silica — in others just the quantum 
needful; and in others a deficiency. These pro- 
positions I think I can explain to the satisfac- 
tion of jmu and your readers. Upon the banks 
of a small river running through this town, 
there is frequently a strip of land one or two 
rods in width, and sometimes several rods in 
length, a few feet above the bed of the river. — 
Upon every overflow of the banks by a freshet, 
there is left upon them a deposite of gravel and 
fine sand; yet every year these strips produce a 
