AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
63 
year: and this year, a bad one for fruit, found 
my manured trees full, and those not manured bar¬ 
ren. The drought of this year was fatal to fruit; 
yet my manured trees had abundant moisture and 
were fruitful. I prefer the manure of decayed vege¬ 
table matter to the excrement of cattle, as the mate¬ 
rial that makes and supports the animal has been 
extracted, and the excrement is not so rich on that 
account. If the vegetable matter be rotted and 
its ammonia fixed by charcoal dust, all the chemical 
substances are present. Thus rotted vegetable mat¬ 
ter is more beneficial than the dung of cattle, quan¬ 
tity and quantity alike. 
A most valuable manure is the liquid remaining 
after the boiling of bones. It is very offensive un¬ 
less disinfected. When hot it is not offensive, but 
becomes so when cold. It is a jelly when cold. 
By the application of charcoal dust to the hot liquid, 
the jelly when cold is not offensive. In this state 
it may be made into compost with other substances. 
In that condition 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 
great advantage, both on arable and meadow land. 
Charcoal is one of the most valuable manures. 
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 per cent of water, 
and releases the gases to descend to the earth to 
fertilize it. When the weather becomes dry it 
parts with the water, and absorbs from the air the 
gases again. This it continues almost perpetually, 
as it is nearly indestructible. When applied to the 
earth, the trees, plants, and grasses are found to 
nave it adhering to their roots ready to impart 
gases and moisture as wanted. Trees packed in it 
have remained green for 80 days, while others with¬ 
out it have died in like circumstances. Hams and 
salt meats are preserved perfectly when packed in it. 
I preserved apples in perfect condition for one year 
in it. If spread over compost heaps, barn-yards, 
stable-floors, in privies, it absorbs the ammonia, 
prevents 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 unleached. I 
have known land too poor to grow 8 bushels of corn, 
made to produce 45 bush, 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, a great 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. The yield the first year on 
sandy soils in grass, will pay the expense of apply¬ 
ing forty 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., chemically 
by alkali they neutralize acids ; and mechanically 
by rendering sandy soils more tenacious. Muck is 
made valuable by them, when mixed in compost; the 
acid of the muck is destroyed by the alkali, and fer¬ 
mentation follows. 
Lime has been used by me to great advantage. 
I prefer oyster shell lime, as it contains no magne¬ 
sia, 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 oys¬ 
ter shell lime and it grew wheat to a weight of 64 lbs. 
per bushel; with the wheat I sowed one bushel of clo- 
verseed and half a bushel of timothy seed per acre, 
and the next year cut *l\ tons, and the second year 3 
tons of hay per acre. I have found it of great advan¬ 
tage in potato 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 destroys the fungus or insect, if 
either be the cause of rot. 
Bone dust I have used and find it most valuable, 
and advise its use, especially on soils long cultivat¬ 
ed, destitute of phosphate of lime ; it is the most 
efficacious manure that can be used on an exhausted 
soil, but will do better on dry calcareous 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 phosphates largely. It is said that in 
England, where on lands it had been applied 20 years 
before, its effect could be seen to a yard. I trust the ex¬ 
portation of bones from our country will soon cease. 
I have used guano successfully and unsuccessful¬ 
ly. Mixed with earth and applied to plants in close 
contact it was injurious ; applied in w T eak solution 
to grass land and green house plants its effect was 
wonderful. My experience shows that its method 
of use will determine its value. In composts I have 
found it very effective. 
Night soil is one of the most valuable manures. 
In this country, as well as in England, great preju¬ 
dice prevails against its use in agriculture or garden¬ 
ing. For ages it has been used in Asia and parti¬ 
cularly in China. In France, in Belgium, Bohemia, 
Saxony, all the German confederacy, and Swe¬ 
den its destruction or waste is prohibited by law. 
In England and America it is thrown into the rivers 
to befoul them, and the fish which devour it are 
eaten instead of vegetables grown by it. As manure, 
6 loads of it have been found to produce 650 bush¬ 
els per acre of potatoes, while, on the same ground. 
120 loads of horse manure yielded only 480 bushels. 
In conclusion, I have to remark that the main 
stay of the farmer is his barnyard manure. Yet this 
varies in quality, according to the material of which 
it is made, and the manner of making. Thus the 
droppings of cattle fed on straw and turnips are far 
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 unsun¬ 
ned. But this is too extensive a subject to take up, 
and is so well understood by scood farmers, that it is 
unnecessary to say more on the subject. 
Mr. Pell made some further remarks on methods 
of cultivation, which we will report in our next. 
After some business relating to the Society was 
transacted, the meeting adjourned. 
