186 THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR, 
who intern s to farm it in this way, should avoid 
plaster; but let any larmer alternate wheat and 
clover; husband and apply his manures; feed 
oT his clover in his fields, or to his stock in their 
stills; let him r.ot s'pare his grass seeds in seed- 
ing, or his plaster in dressing, and his farm will 
never run down. Such men need not fear 
plaster, 
SALT, 
Condmoti salt is an active and Valuable ma- 
htire, and has been itsed successfully as such, in 
all parts of the world where it can readily bo ob- 
tained. In England, the pickings or impure 
salt is used for this purpose; and many experi- 
ments are on record to show that the eflect is 
most marked an I decisive. The following is 
one of a series ot experiments instituted by Mr. 
Sinclair, to test the value of salt as a manure. 
The soil was light and gravelly. 
No. 1. Soil without any manure 
for four years. Product 
per acre 13 bush, 36 lbs. 
No. 2. Soil manured with stable 
dung to the previous 
crop, (potatoes,) 26 “ 52 “ 
No. 3. Soil with 5 bush ol salt 
per acre, and no other 
manure for 4 years 26 “ 12 “ 
In the opinion ol Mr. Sinclair, the effect of 
salt as a manure was to lessen the produce of 
straw as compared with other manures, and to 
increase the weight of the grain. 
Prof. Johnston has done more than any other 
person to extend the use oi salt as a manure, by 
giving to the world his excellent Essay on salt 
used on soils, and the mass of experiments he 
has recorded. It appears that salt, in small pro- 
portions, promotes the decomposition of animal 
and vegetable substances; that it destroys ver- 
min and kills weeds; that it is a direct constitu- 
ent of some plants, and therefore necessary to 
their perfection; that all cultivated plants of ma- 
rine origin contain it, asparagus tor instance; 
and that all such succeed better when watered 
with salt water, t^an when deprived of it; that 
salt preserves vegetables from injury by sudden 
transitions in temperature, salted soils not freez- 
ing as readily as those to which salt has not 
been applied; and that it renders the earth more 
capable of absorbing the moisture of the atmos- 
phere. When salt is applied as a manure, it 
may be used in quantities from six to fifteen 
bushels per acre; although some have gone as 
high as 50 bushels. Farmers, however, should 
be cautious how they venture on excessive do- 
ses, as an extravagant one could scarcely fail of 
being atal to any crop. Legrand, in his exper- 
iments with salt, found that it gradually improv- 
ed the crop of barley until sixteen bushels per 
acre was reached, when it gradually diminished 
until the amount of forty bushels per acre was 
reached, when vegetation was destroyed. Salt 
combined with manure, has proved very elfi- 
cient; and in the Woburn experiment, the wheat 
so treated exceeded all others. The most fa- 
vorable proj ortions were found to be 45 tons of 
dung, and five and a half bushels of salt per 
acre; the manure plowed in, the salt sown with 
the seed. The experiments that have been 
made, would seem to indicate that a. preferable 
mode of using salt, in most cases, would be to 
sow it on the land some weeks before the seed 
is to be put in. In this case, where lime exists 
in the soil, a chemical change takes place, at 
least partially, and muriate of lime and soda is 
the result. Such a change would seem to be 
most favorable to vegetation. 
SALT AND LIME. 
Salt and lime, artificially mixed as a manure, 
promises to be a valuable aid to the farmer in 
those positions where the soil abounds with in- 
soluble silicates or geine, and where other ma- 
nures necessary to produce decomposition or 
fermentation are not at hand. Prof. Johnston 
recommends a mixture of two parts of lime 
and one part ot salt, the mixture to remain in- 
corporated in a shady place, or covered with 
sods two or three months before using. Salt and 
lime should not be used immediately after mix- 
ing, as bad results are apt to ensue; but after 
being well mixed in a dry state and lying as di- 
rected, it may b" applied at the rate of from 
thirty to sixty bushels per acre, either before or 
at ihe time of sowing. Mixed with soot, salt 
acts with great power on roots. Mr. Sinclair 
mixed six and a half bushels ol soot with the 
same quantity of salt, and used the mixture on 
lands sowed to carrots. The re.sult was, that 
unmanured land gave twenty-three tons of mots 
per acre, and the manured yielded forty tons per 
acre; and Mr. Cartwright, found that where ttn- 
manured soil gave 157 bushels of potatoes per 
acre, 30 bushels of soot and six of salt, made it 
produce 240 pushels per acre. Dr. Dana fur- 
nishes so beautiful an explanation of tbs man- 
ner in which this manure acts, that it deserves a 
place entire: “By mixing quicklime with com- 
mon salt, Its soda is let loose, the acid combifles 
with the lime, forming a soluble salt of lime, 
and so long as the soda remains caustic, it has 
no effect on the muriate of lime, but as soon as 
the soda becomes mild or caibonate, decompo- 
sition of the muriate of lime is produced, and 
the common salt regenerated, Commencing 
then with quicklime and salt, we pass to a solu- 
ble salt of lime ai;d caustic soda, and from that 
to mild soda, and to carbonate of lime and the 
original salt. If these various changes take 
place in the midst of peat or geine, it is evident 
that the caustic soda acts upon the geine, and 
also evolves ammonia from that substance; sec- 
ondly, that the muriate of lime, in its finely so- 
luble state, insinuates itself among the particles- 
of the geine; that the soda is also equally dif- 
fused, and that -when the sixla becomes carboo.- 
ated, it produces an almost impalpable carbo- 
nate of lime throughout the whole mass, which, 
by its equal diffusion through the soil with the 
geine, acts upon the silicates, as has been here- 
tofoie explained.” To produce these effects. 
Dr. D. directs to take one bushel of salt and two 
bushels of lime; to make the salt into strong 
brine, and with it slack the lime. Mix both 
well together, and let them remain ten days; 
then let them be well mixed with three cords of 
peat, shoveled w'ell over for about six weeks, 
when it may be used. A quaatity of salt suffi.- 
eient to destroy all vegetation, may be applied 
to a soil with safety when a few months are to. 
elapse before the crop is to be put on; as the 
chemical changes which take place, partially 
neutralize its effect during this time. A small 
quantity mixed with the soil in each hill of corn, 
has been found to- protect it the wire worm, 
and the cut worm;: indeed there is no substance 
that insects of all kinds more dread than salt. — 
It is probable, therefore, that further experimem-s 
will show that not the least value of saitisto be 
found in its preventive properties against these 
depredators 
CHARCOAL. 
Charcoal fe a valuable manure, and applied 
directly to the soil in a pufveriaed state, produ- 
ces excellent effects. It acts by rendering the 
soil more permeable to atmospheric air, by ab- 
sorbing and retaining for the use of jdants the 
ammonia of the atmosphere, or such as falls in 
showers; by rendering soils with which it is in- 
corporated warmer; and by furnishing a con- 
stant supply of carbonic gas to growing plants. 
The great productiveness of what are called 
coal hearths, or those places on which charcoal 
has been burned, has long been a common re- 
mark, but this has been commonly attributed to 
the ashes, burned earth, on such spots, rath- 
er than the coal. The use ot coal alone, how 
ever, shows that though these other matters are 
not without their value, the great additional fer- 
tility of these places is mostly owing to the coal. 
Immense quantities of this substance are wast- 
ed in the vicinity of forges, furnaces, smith’s 
shops, &c. which would be of great value, were 
farmers to collect such reluse or dust coal, and 
apply them to their farms. On heavy soils in 
Europe, it has long been customary to pare the 
surface, and burn the turf so collected, taking 
care to incorporate as much of the clay soil as 
will consist with the ignition of the turf. This 
burnt mass ol clay and ashes is scattered ovef 
the ground, and is found to make a vaL.abl^ 
dressing on such .soils, 
ot'liba ftl.4NtjfiEg.- 
It is impossible to particularize all suhslafi- 
ces that may be used as manure. It is evident, 
from the definition first given, that they would 
embrace all animal matters without exception; 
all excrementitioiis secretions of afiitnals, and 
all vegetable ifigredients ifl one form or another, 
together with a few of the mineral salts, such as 
the alkalies, silicates, Thus, oil-rake, 
brafi, yeast, brewers’ gtalns, putrid meat, ifi 
short aiiy substance that can be classed under 
the above divisions of matter, may be Useful as 
manures, and this fact should induce great fiafl-! 
tion in their presfervatiofl and application. — 
Whatever may be the present condition of a 
partick ol matter, if it has ever formed a part 
of an organic body, it can again become such 
under circumstances lavorable to such a condi- 
tion. 
In the preceding rapid sketch of the principal 
substances valuable as manures, the best meth- 
ods of prepai ation and use have also, to a con- 
siderable extent, been given. All then that 
woxhhl sow seem necessary for the purpose of 
this: Essay, is a condensed view of the princi- 
ples laid down, with such incidental topics as 
have- been passed ove’-, but of which a notice 
appears necessary. 
gGSPARATION AND USE OF STABLE MANURES. 
As the common farmer must always rely osi 
stable or farmyard manure, as his principal 
means of fertilization and renovation of his 
soils, it is to these, to their preparation and use, 
that his attention must be principally di'-ected. 
It is an important question for him to deeide, 
whether he should apply his manure in a long 
state, that is, apply it fresh from his stables and 
yards before undergoing decomposition, or let it 
remain until the litter and straw has fermented 
and become rotten, before using it. Some re- 
marks on this topic have been made in the pre- 
ceding pages, when treating of such manures, 
buti its importaac®- wiH justify their extension 
ia this place. It has been said that rotted ma- 
nure contains more geine or humus, weight fot 
weight, than usrotted or fresh manure. This is 
probable, but to make this test decisive, equal 
weights of dung should be taken while fresh, 
one analyzed at the time, and the other when 
fermented and rotted. This course, it is believ- 
ed, wmuld show a result in favor of the unrolled. 
There can be no doubt, however, that straw, 
stable litter, &c. should be partially fermented 
befors- usiBg., and tihe moisture necessary for the 
process should, if possible, be- the urine of the 
animals or the drainings of the yards. Straw, 
in dung intended for a particular crop, is of little 
use unless the fermentation has far progressed; 
and a distinguished German farmer has assert- 
ed that he considered straw as of no conse- 
quence in manure, except as acting the part of 
a sponge to retain the fluid parts of the animal 
manures. There are some exceptions to this 
remark, as when straw is applied to heavy clay 
grounds before rotting. In this case, w'hen 
plowed under, it gives a degree of porosity to 
the soil, absorbs part of the moisture, and acts 
the part of a valuable amender, while it is even- 
tually Goa verted into a manure, or a source of 
carbonic gas. Where the unfermented dung of 
the yard or stable is applied to the soil, i>' should 
be covered at oace by the plo\y, that the ga.ses 
liberated in fermentation may not be lost, and 
that the moisture necessaiy for fermentation may 
be secured. When rotted or fermented, the co- 
vering is not of so much consequence, and it 
may, without loss, be scattered on the surface 
and mixed with it. If used without fermenting, 
it should be applied to hoed or summer crops, 
such as com or roots, as these are in that state 
while the manure is at the height of its fermen- 
tation, when forcing manures are the most use- 
ful; but if applied to the smaller grains, they 
are most active when matter for the perfection 
