AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
157 
benevolent expression in the eye of a toad ? 
If it were not for his uncouth dress, we could 
call him a gentleman. His philosophic 
mien was catching, and we fell to speculat¬ 
ing upon the value wrapt up in that carbun¬ 
cle jacket. We asked the question, so cur¬ 
rent in upper tendom, what is he worth? not 
looking upon him, however, as a candidate 
for matrimonial honors, even if it should ap¬ 
pear that he had a million of jewels in his 
head. It is said that the Creator has formed 
nothing in vain, nothing without specific 
plan and design. Why was the toad made 
so disgusting, dirt-colored, wide-mouth¬ 
ed, pot-bellied, and moping? There is 
nothing about him to inspire affection or 
terror. Just then, some pestiferous squash 
bugs were crawling upon a neighboring leaf, 
and to see how ugliness would look in com¬ 
pany, we threw a couple over to old car¬ 
buncle In a moment his eye flashed with 
intelligence, and quick as thought his capa¬ 
cious jaws closed over the unlucky insects, 
with a snap like that of a miser’s purse-clasp 
closing upon mint drops. We saw at once 
the worth of toads. The jewel in his stom¬ 
ach was an appetite for bugs. 
We are not certain but a good supply of 
these animals in a garden would be as good 
a protection for the vines that bugs prey 
upon, as any of the specifics so confidently 
recommended. At any rate, the bugs and 
millers that pass their jaws, go to a return¬ 
less bourne. We could but think of the fol¬ 
ly of the prejudice against this very useful 
class of animals. They should be domesti¬ 
cated in every garden, where they will lead 
reputable lives, and set man an example of 
patient industry in bug-killing, worthy of im¬ 
itation. 
HOUSE SLOPS—A GUUl) WAY 10 DISPOSE 
OF THEM . 
See here! Messrs. Readers. Don’t pass 
over this article with the mental conclusion 
that this does not interest you. as you have 
prepared a drain for your house slops, or 
that the “ women” will look after such mat¬ 
ters. We have half a tun of first best guano 
to sell you for three dollars sixty-two and 
a half cents—usual price, thirty dollars. 
Will you taxe it? Of course you will, 
especially if we pay the transportation, as 
we propose to do. But on a second thought, 
we have concluded we cannot spare what 
we have, but we will tell you where you can 
get it, or rather something equally good, and 
just as cheap. 
In the Agriculturist for June, 1856, we de¬ 
scribed one method of using sink slops and 
all other liquids from the house. Here is 
the outline of the plan : In a large garden, 
in the corner nearest to the kitchen door; we 
dug out a pit, sunk in it a large pine hogs¬ 
head, made for sugar and afterwards used 
for packing crockery. The upper head was 
taken oui, and a board nailed across it to 
hold the pieces together. This board pro¬ 
jected on each side far enough to serve the 
double purpose of handles, and to keep the 
head from falling in. The earth was filled 
in around the outside, the top being get on a 
level with the ground. 
Into this reservoir, costing about 621 cents 
we directed the kitchen and chamber maids 
to throw all sink slops, dish water, washing 
suds, chamber liquids, in short, all fluids 
and waste materials from the house. The 
coal ashes were also sifted into it. Though 
the hogshead was a loose affair, not tight 
enough to hold dry sand, the soapy materi- 
rials soon formed a tight bed of the earih 
around it. As fast as the liquids accumulated 
sufficiently, they were baled out and depos¬ 
ited around the various plants in the garden. 
This was usually done at evening, after the 
labors of the day were over. To dip them 
out, we used a home-made 
ladle, made by fastening a 
long handle, with screws and 
wrought nails, upon the side of 
a large paint tub that chanced 
to be at hand. 
Now for the result. At the time of plant¬ 
ing, the only manure used was less than a 
barrel of bone-sawings, put in with the seed, 
upon a quarter of an acre of poor soil, one- 
half of the surface having been covered over 
with earth from a cellar, and no manure 
having been applied in previous years to any 
part of the lot. We were unable to do any¬ 
thing at working or planting the garden umil 
about the middle of May and later, and yet 
our “slop tub” produced such a magical 
effect that every thing planted, and there 
were not a few varieties of plants, grew most 
luxuriantly. If anybody had better vegeta¬ 
bles, or more of them on the same amount of 
ground, we did not hear of it. 
Moreover, though we live in a house of 
“ moderate pretensions,” and have but a 
“ small family,” there was about twice as 
much liquid in our reservoir as was needed, 
and we were really puzzled to know where 
to put it all. It could easily have been 
spread over half an acre of moderately good 
soil, that is around the roots of plants. If 
this appear like a large statement, just 
reckon how much soap, for example, is used 
during a single Summer, how much dish 
water and suds are required on a single 
washing day, and how much other waste 
fluids. Add to these, stale water thrown out 
when fresh is drawn, the drippings from 
the pump in the sink, the water used in 
washing potatoes and other vegetables, the 
sour milk, &c., &c. 
The whole extra labor of saving these li¬ 
quids in the reservoir, and distributing them 
over the garden, was not a dollar and a half. 
And how much better to use them thus, than 
to let iliem run off into a stagnant drain, or 
allow them to breed miasma, and an unplea¬ 
sant stench under the sink-spout. 
We have given you the result on our gar¬ 
den. A little reasoning upon the nature of 
the materials, and the benefits of using 
them in the liquid form, will show that just 
such results might be expected. As great 
sticklers as we are for the use of good 
Peruvian guano, when cheaper manures can 
not he obtained at home , we believe that it is 
more economical to husband the house slops 
in the manner we have described, than to 
buy guano at $7 a ton (regular price, $60 
to $65)—though note here, that guano is 
profitable at the highest price, after the 
home manures are all used. 
A word more about the reservoir. In 
May, this year, while making sundry im¬ 
provements, we concluded to give our hogs¬ 
head a neater look. To do this, we cut four 
pieces of boards, ten inches in width and 
four feet long. These we nailed together at 
the corners, to form a square frame, which 
was set down around the top of the hogs¬ 
head, leaving the top a little above the sur 
face. This was covered with four boards 
sawed into right lengths, and nailed, one 
upon the back side, and the other three fast¬ 
ened together by two strips on the under 
side, to form a movable cover. The rear 
edge of the cover is attached to the board 
nailed down by a couple of iron hinges. 
Whenever we wish to get at the reservoir, 
to pour in or take out the liquid, the covet 
is turned back. A coat of cheap dark paint 
was applied to the unplaned boards, and the 
whole is as neat as a painted box set down 
into the ground. 
Cost of the superstructure: Two boards, 
32 cents ; hinges, 10 cents; paint, 12 cents, 
and one and a half hours time spent in mak¬ 
ing, not reckoned—paid by the pleasure of 
doing the thing. 
Es'imated value of the liquid manure this 
Summer, twenty to forty dollars, according 
to the season, and the consequent amount of 
extra watering the garden may require, plu„ 
the promotion of health and pleasure result¬ 
ing from having all decaying slops neatly 
disposed of. 
THINNING OUT VEGETABLES. 
It seems a pity to put a hoe into those 
luxuriant rows of beets, carrots, parsneps, 
and onions, that already give promise of an 
abundant harvest. But full two-thirds of 
them must still be sacrificed, before you can 
get a full crop. They are cramped for room. 
The carrot sends out its roots on all sides of 
the main tap, and if it have chance, will 
completely occupy the soil on all sides of it 
with its fine rootlets. One root will appro¬ 
priate the aliment in a square foot of soil, 
much better than a half dozen, and will make 
a greater weight of nutritious food at the 
harvest. This is what wise cultivators are 
seeking for,—the most food upon the least 
surface. Thin out then to six or eight inch¬ 
es apart, and if you want very large speci¬ 
mens for the Fairs, make the spaces a foot 
wide; The roots that are pulled up are ex¬ 
cellent fodder for cows and pigs, and if you 
throw a few into the poultry yard, they will 
be appreciated. Try it and see. 
MULCHING VEGETABLES. 
Most rural improvers understand the value 
of a heap of old hay, or straw, around the 
trunk of a newly-set tree. It keeps the 
roots cool and moist through the season, 
and gives it a fair chance to live. It is 
equally serviceable in the vegetable garden. 
There are many plants that throw out their 
roots near the surface of the ground, and 
these fail as soon as the dry weather of 
Summer comes on. Peas frequently fail be¬ 
fore yielding half a crop. A mulch of old 
straw between the rows will be of great ser- 
