BONE MANURE.-FARMING IN NEW JERSEY. — WESTERN CALENDAR FOR JULY. 
221 
BONE MANURE. 
The farmers on Long Island have been using this 
article for about fifteen years, and are now making 
golden harvests as the fruits of their experiments. It 
was introduced there by an Englishman, who first 
commenced grinding bone in this country; and so in¬ 
credulous as to its value did he find the farmers in his 
neighborhood, that he could scarcely dispose of a 
bushel to any one. He therefore purchased, in the 
vicinity of Hempstead, a farm, which was reduced so 
low as to scarcely produce a crop worth harvesting; 
but, by a judicious application of ground bones, he 
made it the most fertile of any in its neighborhood. 
So practical a demonstration of the advantages of 
bones as this, could not be resisted, and extreme in¬ 
credulity gave way to the greatest confidence; and it 
is now very extensively employed by the largest 
farmers on the Island, some of whom now use from 
500 to 1,000 bushels per annum with success and 
profit. 
When it is to be applied on corn, it is first mixed 
in a compost with barn-yard manure or swamp muck, 
in proportion as 1 to 2, and after fermenting two or 
three weeks, applied in the hill; but wheat, rye, 
oats, and buckwheat, are the crops mostly chosen for 
its application. On these the bone dust is sown 
broad-cast, and harrowed in. The quantity used in 
this way is from 35 to'hO bushels per acre, according 
to the previous strength of the soil. For grass lands 
it answers well, more especially such as have been 
depastured for some time by milk cows, or other 
stock. The reason why it acts so beneficially here 
is, that the animals have exhausted the lands in a 
great measure of their phosphates, and the bones re¬ 
store it again to the land, they abounding with 30 to 
70 per cent, of phosphate. Another important effect 
of the application of bones is, that they have a ten¬ 
dency to prevent clover heaving out. The clover can 
be top-dressed any time convenient before September, 
and just previous to the frost setting in, say the last 
of November, and the field should be heavily rolled 
with a common roller. The bones and the rolling 
tend to stiffen and bind the soil, and make the action 
of frost less powerful upon the clover roots. 
I find the bone dust that I purchased through your 
agency has acted in a superior manner to any I 
have before used. I apprehend that this arises from 
their being ground in a fresher state. Old bones, and 
such as are hard boiled , are not near so valuable as 
fresh ones, especially in their lasting qualities. 
Hempstead , Long Island. R. M. Bailey. 
FARMING IN*NEW JERSEY. 
Steeping Corn and Compost .—I observe that some 
of the farmers in this delightful section of country are 
trying many of the improvements of the age. A Mr. 
Weble says he has tried steeping his corn and other 
grain in a solution of ammonia, and found much 
benefit from it. Last year that grown from corn thus 
steeped was in harvest much sooner, and had larger 
ears than that planted dry in the same field. He 
aiso made a compost or mixture of 1 bushel salt, 1 
do. lime, 1 do. plaster, and 1 do. ashes, and put half 
a gill in each hill at the time of planting. This pro¬ 
duced nearly one-third more corn than that alongside, 
planted dry without any of the mixture. Otherwise, 
the land was manured alike. 
Potato Culture .—I noticed a method of treating 
potatoes which struck me as very good, especially on 
old ground. First, furrow the field both ways, and 
then plant in the check or cross of the two furrows, 
cover them lightly, yet deep enough to have them 
vegetate quick. As soon as the sprouts begin to 
crack the ground, go into the field, and from the cart 
put a fork or shovel full of coarse or green manure on 
top of the hill, then plow between, turning the fur¬ 
rows together, and cover the manure Always fol¬ 
low with a hoe and see that the manure is well cov¬ 
ered. As the rows run both ways, when time to 
hoe, plow contrary from the first time, and very little 
labor is required to hill sufficiently and keep the 
weeds down. The manure is as safe in this man¬ 
ner as heaped up in the yard or field to wait the fall 
crop. It is not exposed to the sun, nor is it as likely to 
heat and throw off the ammonia and other properties 
essential to vegetation, as it would be in larger quan¬ 
tities or heaps. In digging the potatoes and plowing 
again for the grain crop, the manure is completely 
mixed with the earth. I go heart and hand for put¬ 
ting all manure into the earth as soon as it can be got 
from the farm, whether coarse or fine, especially in 
the spring of the year, instead of heaping it up to rot 
and waste through the summer. 
Mr. Demarest says, he gets nearly double the 
quantity of potatoes from this method to what he 
would without this manure. Coarse manure helps 
to keep the earth moist under it. I have seen pota¬ 
toes vegetate and produce well, lying only covered 
with straw, about 6 inches, and no earth over them. 
Passaic County, N. J. E. 
WESTERN CALENDAR FOR JULY. 
Early in this month harvest usually commences, 
in latitude 39° and 40°, with some variation for 
higher or lower latitudes. The farmer should bear 
in mind, that by cutting his wheat a week before the 
usual time, he avoids the risk of injury from the rust, 
secilYes a better yield, and harvests a grain more pro¬ 
ductive of good flour. But if he shocks his wheat 
immediately after cutting, it will mould and be much 
injured. It should either be cradled, or thrown in 
small grips, as it is reaped, and suffered to lie till it is 
cured, before binding. When sufficiently cured it 
should be bound and put in shocks ready to haul to 
the mow, the stack-yard, or the threshing-machine. 
Timothy meadows are usually ready for cutting 
about the time the operation of harvesting is com¬ 
pleted. But as timothy (phleum pratensis) when fully 
ripe, contains more than double the quantity of nutri¬ 
tive matter, which it contains, when cut at the time 
of flowering ; and moreover produces a greater quan¬ 
tity of hay (see A. Beatty’s Agricultural Essays, p. 
233); it should never be cut before the ends are ripe 
If cut, when fully ripe, it will cure sufficiently in the 
svvarth; and by the use of the horse rake, the hay 
may be made with less labor than any other kind. 
Those who raise hemp should be careful so to 
arrange matters as to have the hay in stack before 
hemp is fit to cut, in order to prevent the hay harvest 
and hemp cutting from interfering with each other. 
The garden must not be neglected. The cabbage 
plants will have been set out, in the previous month, 
and must be well cultivated in July. This can be 
done of mornings, while the dew is on the hay. 
Cattle, sheep, &c., must be salted as usual. 
Prospect Hill , Ky. A. Beatty* 
