116 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
viz., that linen or any kind of cloth can be per¬ 
manently marked by it. We believe indelible inks 
cannot be kept in papers in any form. If you 
want these papers to take impressions of leaves 
of plants, then buy them for a quarter; but 
our word for it they are useless for marking 
linerf to be washed, or for writing double letters. 
Skilful and practised pedlers make them appear 
very fine, but-nine out of ten quarters paid for 
them, is so much money thrown away, as few 
rut them to the only use they are good for— 
that of coDving leaves. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
PATAGONIAN AND PERUVIAN GUANO, 
DEEP PLOUGHING, &c. 
Being unable, last spring, to get Peruvian 
Guano for some corn ground, for which I had 
not manure, I was induced to try the Patagonia. 
By the way, I may here say, that I always put 
my manure out upon my corn in the spring, 
considering this more profitable than to let it lie 
in the yard wasting its strength during the long 
summer. I sowed about 400 lbs. of the Patago¬ 
nian Guano to the acre, and harrowed it in, side 
by side with the manured part. I should men¬ 
tion, however, that the part where, the guano 
went was a hill side, that was enough steeper 
than a house roof, still the soil was good, and 
was not, this year, much affected by drouth. 
Well, the contrast in the growth of the corn 
from its first start to the period of earing, be¬ 
tween the manure and the guano, was not at all 
favorable to the latter. I shall not have more 
than half as much corn to the acre where I put 
on guano, as where I manured. Allow a loss of 
one-fourth for the unfavorable situation of the 
ground where the guano was sown, which would 
be a just deduction, and there would still be a 
loss of a fourth of the crop by the different ac¬ 
tion of the two manures. Indeed I do not know 
that the guano was the least benefit to me.’ In 
sowing it, my man was not careful in casting it 
close to the manure, yet, at no place could I see 
any difference in the corn, but where the manure 
was used the difference was distinctly marked. 
That I could see, but there was a something 
about my corn-field, and one owned by a neigh¬ 
bor friend of mine, that I could not account for, 
and cannot yet. 
Our fields joined, the natural character of the 
land was the same, but mine, I thought, and my 
neighbor admitted, was the richest soil, and the 
best improved. I manured mine as stated above, 
and he put nothing at all on his, I plowed mine 
deep, with two sturdy yoke of oxen, with a 
Michigan double plow—in my opinion the best 
plow in the universe for sod—he plowed his with 
two old horses and a Wiley plow, which never 
could, can, or will, plow deep. I planted with 
E. I. Dickey’s patent drill, as did he also, and 
only three days later. “ Well, I had by far the 
best corn,” you will say. T did expect to have, 
undoubtedly. Indeed, I looked for stronger and 
better stalks, and larger and more plentiful ears, 
with as much certainty as I did for the alterna¬ 
tion of day and night, or for the advent of June- 
bugs and harvest; but, alas! true it is, that the 
“best laid schemes o’-mice and men gang oft 
astray.” I could sit on the dividing fence and 
plainly see.the difference between his yellowish 
earth and my darker, richer-lookingloam, but no 
particle of difference could I at any time see in 
the growth of the corn. Inch for inch it grew 
■with mine. How it will measure, whether he 
will produce me ear for ear, remains to be seen. 
I will inform your readers about that when I 
measure It. 
Now, Mr. Editor, if there is any one thing you 
keep telling us farmers to do, more than another, 
it is to “plow deep." That is a sort of standing 
heading you keep up, like the name you have 
upon your paper, and the next thing you say, is 
“pile on the manure.” Well, I did both, and 
yet if you had come down here a month ago, 
and gone through my field, and then over my 
fence into the field of my neighbor aforesaid, who 
dj^neithet^^h^ttwMjhing^ymwnsis^iuon, 
and who does not take any agricultural paper, 
or even borrow one from somebody that does, 
you would have found corn that looked as well 
as mine. Ilowis it? Is skiming the ground as 
good as stirring up its foundation, and is manure 
useless ? 
Well, I have more to say about Patagonian 
Guano. Another neighbor of mine made.a 
fairer test of its value than I, his field being level. 
It contained about 25 acres. Part of this he 
manured. On part of this he sowed guano in 
addition to manure; on another part he sowed 
guano alone, 300 lbs. to the acre, and on another 
part he sowed Chappell’s Fertilizer, the same 
quantity as the guano to the acre, and another 
left without any thing. Now r for the 
result; the part sown with the fortniao*- tu<> 
best of all. The part with the manure and guano 
was next, though there was but little difference 
between that and the part that had manure, and 
which was the next best. The part with guano 
was rather better than the part that had nothing. 
The owner thinks he will have six or eight bush¬ 
els more from it, than where he had none. This 
result shows that for corn—with us at least— 
Patagonian Guano is of but little value. The 
Peruvian, on the contrary, has always fully sa¬ 
tisfied the expectations of those using it. But, 
for corn, I believe I would as soon have “ Chap¬ 
pell’s Fertilizer.” It is manufactured in Balti¬ 
more, but I suppose the kindred stuff made in 
your city is about as good. It gave me last year 
seventy six bushels of corn on one field, on an¬ 
other one ninety, while on a lot covered with 
manure I had one hundred and eight. I have 
two other fields in corn this year, beside the one 
alluded to above, one covered with manure and 
one with the “ Fertilizer.” When they are 
husked I will write you how they measure. For 
wheat, the fertilizer did not answer with me on 
one trial. On a field of wheat I have sown this 
fall, I have manure on part, ground bones, 
twenty bushels to the acre on part, and fifteen 
bushels per acre on part, and six hundred lbs. 
“ Fertilizer” on part. When harvest comes 
round, if I am here to see it, I will tell you 
which was best. D. D. IX 
Mount Vernoni Chen. Co n Fa. 
Patagonian Guano is not near so rich in ferti¬ 
lizing matters as Peruvian Guano, as good results 
cannot therefore be expected from it. We know 
nothing of the particular fertilizer alluded to 
above. We avoid recommending any particular 
manufacture of artificial fertilizers till we be¬ 
come well acquainted with them. There are so 
many manufacturers, so many different qualities 
of these, so much difference in the quality of 
articles from the same manufactory, and such a 
variety of soils, to a part only of which they are 
applicable, that we do not give any direct or 
implied recommendation of any one. 
Notwithstanding the above and other similar 
results, we still recommend deep plowing. We 
do not say plow very deeply at once, but plow a 
little deeper every year, and subsoil as deep as 
you can at once. The subsoil is stirred with the 
subsoil plow, without mixing it with the surface. 
Generally the subsoil needs the action of the 
air before it is fitted to'come in direct contact 
with plants. A little—an inch or two in depth- 
may be safely brought to the surface each year, 
while a large quantity may at first be injurious. 
We are quite certain that ultimately Mr. D. 
will have a better soil, than his shallow- 
plowing neighbor, one that will produce larger 
crops with less manure. As soon as the air, 
rain, and frost have acted upon the deep soil 
he has brought up, it will become fertile instead 
of injurious, and he may prepare his cribs for 
an increased yield of corn hereafter. We must 
not depend upon an experiment succeeding the 
first year, especially that of deep plowing; it 
frequently requirers several years working and 
manuring to make a fresh, poor sub-soil recently 
turned up, equal to a good surface soil; and till 
this is done the experiment cannot be said to be 
fully tried. 
0 0' 
For tlie American Agriculturist; 
AMERICAN FAIRS. 
The fact is generally admitted, that the pros¬ 
perity and happiness of the people of this rapidly 
advancing republic, has been in no small de¬ 
gree promoted, by the means of these public 
exhibitions, where the producing classes bring 
together, for comparison, the products of their 
industry and skill. It will readily be perceived 
that the aim and object of ^he public-spirited 
men, who have laid the foundations of these in- 
otUutions will be defeated, unless a wise and 
faithful administration can be maintained. 
A laudable spirit of emulation in the produc¬ 
ing classes will only be moiled and maintained 
where merit is discerned, and receives its re¬ 
ward. What seems to be necessary, and at the 
same time the most difficult, is the selection and 
attainment of men of sound and discriminating 
minds, who have a minute and practical ac¬ 
quaintance with the class-of objects submitted 
to their examination and decision. Men of in¬ 
dependent minds and uprightness, cannot be 
dispensed with in any of the departments, in 
order to the maintenance of the public confi¬ 
dence, so necessary to success. 
Mistakes on the part of managers or those de¬ 
puted by them, cannot fail to be noticed by an 
intelligent and discerning public, as well as by 
the exhibitors themselves, and if often re¬ 
peated, will tend to undermine public confi¬ 
dence, as well as to defeat the praiseworthy ob¬ 
jects had in view. The entire property of a 
skillful and meritorious mechanic may be placed 
in jeopardy, or his zeal and spirit of enterprise 
crushed by (he mistakes of incompetent men. 
As merit fails of its award, so will the aims 
of the public-spirited men, and founders of 
these institutions, who have devoted their 
energies to this object be frustrated; and the 
nation’s progress in the the arts and kindred ob¬ 
jects be retarded. 
Where interests of so much importance to 
the private and public weal are at stake, too 
much caution cannot,be observed iti the selection 
of intelligent, upright men, who have special 
adaptation by knowledge and experience to the 
work assigned them, which shall fit them in a 
high degree for the positions they are called to 
occupy. 
Thus conducted, our fairs will continue to 
exercise a salutary influence upon the arts and 
industry of the nation ; if otherwise, it will be 
far better that public opinion, either with or 
without a public exhibition, shall fix the award 
to the skill and industry of the producing classes 
in our country. Justice. 
The subject of which our correspondent 
speaks demands attention ; but it is one of the 
most difficult things among us yet, to get judges 
who are well qualified to decide upon the merits 
and demerits of the different manufactures, pro¬ 
ducts, and animals exhibited at our cattle shows 
and fairs. We trust, however, more intelligence 
will be brought to bear on these important mat¬ 
ters as we grow older, and that decisions will 
gradually be come enlightened, just, and satis 
factory to all parties. 
What is Education. —Education does not 
commence with the alphabet. It begins with a 
mother’s look—with a father’s nod of approba¬ 
tion or a sign of reproof—with a sister’s gentle 
pressure of the hand, or a brother’s noble act of 
forbearance—with handfuls of flowers in green 
and daisy meadow—with bird’s nests admired 
but not touched—with creeping ants, and almost 
imperceptible emmets—with humming bees and 
glass bee-hives—with pleasant walks in shady 
lanes—and with thoughts directed in sweet and 
kiudlj'- tones, and words to mature to acts of be¬ 
nevolence, to deeds of virtue, and to the sense 
of all good, to God himself.— Frazer's Magazine. 
It is not the money earned that makes a man 
wealthy—it is what he saves from his earnings. 
