THE SOUTHERN CULTUTITOR. 
139 
waste by premaiure sulutioa nor by evapuratiun. 
On the contrary, it is of incalculable value to 
mix with the liquid and solid excretions ol all 
animals, to absorb and fix in a tangible condi- 
tion those volatile, fertilizing elements, which 
are so pione to escape beyond our reach. 
“ When it is recollected that without nitrogen 
in some Ibrm, it is utterly impossible to grow 
one kernel ot "oou wheat, and that a pint of hu- 
man urine or i’our quarts ol that ot the cow, or 
one quart of that ol the horse fed on grain, con- 
tain nitrogen enough to supply sixty pounds of 
wheat, we may begin to understand something 
of the money value of this animal product. But 
mind this suggestion. Nothing is sooner lost 
than the hartshorn in an open smelling bottle, 
or a large share of the ammonia in free urine in 
a warm atmosphere, Chsrcoal and gypsum 
will absorb it in large quantities, and give it out 
at the roots ofplants as their wants require. In 
feeding plants, great judgment should be exer- 
cised. At least one-half ol the food led out to 
them in the shape of stable and barn-yard ma- 
nure, is entirely lost. It escapes into the air, or 
is dissolved prematurely, and carried like the pot- 
ash in water running through a leach, beyond 
the reach of your hungry, il not starving plants. 
“ I have just separated a half pound of wheat 
flour into its proximate elements ot starch and 
gluten. The gluten I have in my hand. It is 
nearly identical with animal muscle. It forms 
from seven to thirty-five per cent, of the bulk of 
wheat kernels. The more gluten flour contains, 
the more good bread a given number of pounds 
will make. A barrel of flour rich in gluten, will 
make ten per cent, more of bread than one which 
is nearly all starch. Gluten will bear far more 
water than starch. The quantity of lliis meat- 
forming principle in wheat, depends in a good 
degree on the quantity ot nitrogen in the soil 
where the wheat is grown.” 
From the M'iine Faimer. 
TURNERS AND TURNEP LIQUOR; 
We do not know whether the common flat 
English turnep, as we call it, is any more nutri- 
tive in England than in America. We pre- 
sume that there is no difference, and yet the far- 
mers make great account of it in England, 
while here most ot our farmers despise it. It 
has been asserted that the culture of turneps has 
more than double i the stock in Great Britain. 
It seems that men so shrewd, and so wella^^le 
to calculate profit and loss as the English are, 
would not cultivate this root so largely il there 
were no profit in it. They can raise everything 
that we do, except Indian co n. Why, then, 
should there be so much difference in their and 
our mode of rearing and feeding slock 7 It may 
be answered, that their climate, being more 
moist than ours, enables them to raise turneos 
easier than we do; andtheir winters being mild- 
er, enable them to let their cattle run among tlie 
turneps and gather for themselves. We are 
willing to admit this, but at the same time re- 
mark, that all do not let their stock run out 
among .hem during the winter, but gather the 
turneps for the cattle; and some go so far as to 
cook them by steam, and find a profit in it. 
We propose to give an abstract ot a statement 
made by Col. Scobel, President of the Pen with 
Agricultural Society, on the subject of steaming 
turneps lor his stock. He stated that he had 
tried this mode of feeding for twenty years, and 
that the more he tried it the more he was satis- 
fied with it. He fed them, steamed, to his cat- 
tle, sheep, hogs and horses. His cattle amount- 
ed, tor the last three years, to one hundred head, 
eighteen colts, seventeen horses, and about cne 
hundred and t.venty pigs. He stated that it did 
not require any more hands or help to steam and 
feed them out, than it did to feed without steam- 
ing. He said that he did not fatten his pigs on 
turneps, but asserted that he kept all his store 
pigs in good order bv the drainage of his steam 
vat — that is, the liquor which was condensed 
and settled to the bottom. He did not steam the 
turneps over much, merely softening them. His 
theory is this: There is an acid in the raw tur- 
nep skin which physics the animal too^ much. 
By steaming, tie extiiicied tliis, and sulteiieC the 
outside, which was iiiuch belter than steai.uing 
them U) a pulp. He also .stated, that when ihu- 
cooked, they could b-e given to any exsent in any 
weather, and that they would h ive the satne ef- | 
feci as oil :ake or hay an l grain. I 
A Mr. James, wiio lives neighbor to C-)l. 
Scobel, sai l he had also followed itie plan, and 
for five )'ears had ted Ills horses and pigs on 
steamed iqrneps, and be was sati-fied that there 
was nothing so good f ir feeding store pigs as 
the condensed liquor which was drained iroin 
ihe vdis. It mtist be remeiubered that he can- 
not obtain Indian corn there at a price which 
will warrant its u.se. It he'couLI, he would pro- 
bably not have made such an assertion; out 
nevertheless, if the above statements are irue, u 
is an objtcl worth atrial even here, where In- 
dian corn can be raised abundantly. 
We give these statements to our readers, nt t 
because we know any ining in regard to the me- 
rits or deinerits of the kind of foo 1 spoken of, 
but as agricultural news, and to let them know 
what the practice an I views ot f tr aers in other 
pans of the world are in regard to a root that is 
looked upon here, at he present day, with not 
very favorable eyes at least. Perhaps some of 
them may find themselves in a situation to give 
the plan a trial without much expense. If so, 
we hope they will do it, and let us know the re- 
sults. 
From llie American Farmer. 
THE tSMUT IN WHEAT. 
In looking over the Prices Currents in the 
chief vcheat markets this summer, we nave no- 
ticed unusual quantities of smultv wheat, and 
con-equent reductions in the prices between 
such lots and sound wheal. The existence of 
this disease sh-uiKI not be permitted among far- 
^ners and wheal grovvers, as uniailing nreven- 
tive means are wholly within the control ot all. 
Unlike the rust, thesinut may be prevented, by 
a veiy simple and unr'xpensive process. Such 
being the case, as the disease not only lessens 
the product to a very great extent, biitdepreciaies 
'he money value of the grain, and impairs the 
quality oi the flour made from it, common pru- 
dence, and a becoming attention to one’s inte- 
rest, would seem to indicate, that every wheat 
grower shr'uld take the necessary precaution 
with his seed wheat, to preyent the unpleasant 
recurrence ot the disease. All experience of 
wheat growers go to prove, beyond controversv, 
that smutty wheat, sown without preparation, 
will pro luce s nutty wheat, whereas, when pre- 
pared, even that which had been previously 
blackened with the fungus, yields a grain entire- 
ly exempt from the parasitical enemy of the 
plant. 
It is not our purpose now to en'er into an ex- 
amination of the varioussnpposed causes which 
teqd to pro luce the disease; fur, at best, the 
opinions of the various writers must be suppo- 
sed to be mere speculations, as there are scarce- 
ly any two who agree upon the subject. Nor 
shall we attempt to describe the appearance of 
the grain when affected by it, as all such infor- 
mation is unnecessary, the experience ot every 
wheat grower havinsr enabled him to anticipate 
us in that part oi our information: it is. there- 
fore, sufficient to the fibject we have in view, to 
point out a sure and effectual remedy, and at the 
same time to urge it upon all wheal growers to 
avail the nselves ol it the present fall. 
The preventive means u«ed, consist of various 
steeps, in which the seed wheat is to be immers- 
ed for 12 or 24- hours previous to being sown. 
These are — 
1. A brine made of common salt. 
2. A ley made of ashes. 
3. A lev made of lime — and 
4. Stale urine. 
Etch to be graduated to a strength that will 
float an egg or a potato. Salt is probably the 
best. 
After the wheat shall have been thus soaked 
or steeoed the requisite time, it should he drain- 
ed through a basket or sieve, and dried either in 
lime or ashes, taking care to add a sufficient 
quantity of eituer to cover the grains well. 
Wiiile the seed wheat may be in tne soak, it 
should be stirred two or three times well; the 
light or imperfect grains as they may fl lai upon 
the surface to be skimmed off aud fed to the 
stock. 
The most perfect and efficlual method of 
treating the seed wheat, would be, to w.ash it in 
pure water prior to putting it in the soak. By 
this process you make assurance doubly sure; 
though we do not consider it imlispensably ne- 
cessary, as the soaking and dusting -.vill answer 
without it, unless, indeed, the giain be more 
smutty than usual. 
It would be well to change the saad', after eve- 
ry parcel of wheat may have been soaked in it; 
and it is important that the gmin, as taken out, 
and dried, or dusted in lime, or ashes, should be 
i nmediately sown and covered. It may remain 
for 4H hours in the soak without danger ol im- 
pairing its vegetative properties, though there is 
peril t.f that effect bein? produced, should the 
grain be permitted to remain any considerable 
length of time unsown after having been taken 
out of the soak>and powdered with either ashes 
or lime. 
That the smiU is an infectious disease, there is 
not the sliirbiesi room for doubq fw innumer.a- 
j b!e experiments prove the fact; but it is equally 
true, that it is controllable by a resort to the sim- 
ple means we have p Anted out. Then, why 
should it be permitted to exist and interfere with 
the interests of the farmer 1 
Besides the certaintv of exempting the pro- 
duct from ihe disease, the soak operates benefi- 
cially, in prorryoiin? an earlier germination, and 
by urging forward the young wheat plants to 
form rootlets, thus entrenching themselves in 
the earth a sufficient depth, and defying the bad 
effects resulting from frosts and the alternations 
between the freezing and thawing points ot the 
atmosphere. 
We have before called the attention of our 
readers to this subject, and revert to it now, as 
the approaching seeding time seems to render 
the occasion a fit one to elicit attention. 
From the American Agriculturist^ 
SUI5SOII, PLOWING. 
We are highly gratified loobseive an increas- 
ed attention to subsoil plowing, fur we consider, 
if il could be generally introduced among us, it 
would be found one of iheyreatesi agricultural 
improvements ot the aye. In vol. 1, page 199, 
we gave full details of the successful operation 
of the subsoil plow in EnglanJ, wh^re il was 
shown, that by its use, crops may be doubled 
without addiny a particle of fertilizing materials 
to the land. Two year’s subsequent experience 
by the farmers of that country, corroborate the 
benefits to be derived by the free use ol the sub- 
soil plow, for grain as well as root crops. Mr. 
Tilley recently asserted before the Cornwall 
Ayricu'tural Association, that he had the past 
yearraised hundreds ofrootsof mangel wurizel, 
weiyhing twentv-five pounds each; that the 
crop of these, per acre, as well as carrots and 
turneps, was at least doubled by subsoil plow- 
iny. 
Five years ago, we had a piece ol land con- 
taining two and a quarter acres of a hard clay 
soi', which, with the best manayement we could 
bestow upon it, yielded ]e.ss than one hundred 
and fiftv bushels of potatoes to the acre, and 
lour hundred of sugar beet — while parsnips, 
carrots, or any lony roots, it would scarcely 
grow. We had just heard of Mr. Smith’s sub- 
soil plow in Scotland, and determine! upon an 
experiment. We had no plow of this descrip- 
tion, nor could we then obtain one: we accord- 
ingly took the mould-board off from a large, 
strong road plow, and used the point of the share 
alone for subsoiling. We plowed the land in 
the fall of the year, by taking a common plow 
and one yoke ofcaitle, and lurniny over a sur- 
face furrow six inches deep. We then f jllowed 
directly after this in the same furrow, with three 
yoke of cattle attached to the roa:l-p’ow, stirring 
the soil eight inches deeper, making fourteen in 
all. This we then bountifully limed, and the 
