SPECIAL MANURES, ETC. 
63 
much more valuable for fuel than when cut in 
winter or spring. 
I advise young farmers to try the experiment 
for themselves; and if post fence will not last twice 
as long, I forfeit all my experience as worthless. 
William Painter. 
Concordville , Del. Co., Pa., 1 mo. 1st , 1849. 
SPRING FELLING TIMBER. 
Seeing an article in your January number, on 
the proper time for felling timber, I would just say 
I differ in opinion with the article in question. I 
have for the most part cut my timber, for rails and 
posts, for the last ten or fifteen years, as early in 
the spring (say last of April, or first of May), as 
to get off the bark conveniently, and secure a 
growth of sprouts from the stumps. And I have 
no reason to return to the old custom of winter cut¬ 
ting, which practice originated from the fact that 
farmers had more leisure than in the spring. 
This will apply, also, to the erroneous habit of 
trimming fruit trees in February, which I consider 
the most fruitful source of decay in orchards, and 
imperfect quality of fruit. 
Henry Baker. 
Pennington , N. J., December 30th, 1848. 
Here we have two communications from practi¬ 
cal farmers, whose intelligence and veracity w r e 
have no reason to question; yet, their opinions, 
it will be perceived, are at variance with each 
other, as regards the proper season for felling tim¬ 
ber, and doubtless both are right, so far as the 
barking of fence rails is concerned, which should 
always be done, whether they are cut in winter or 
summer. 
The views on this subject, heretofore expressed 
by us in the Agriculturist, are corroborated by a 
long series of experiments, instituted by the Board 
of Admiralty of Great Britain, as well as by the 
Navy Commissioners of the United States. 
RAT CATCHING. 
The professed rat catchers in England are in the 
practice of using both the oil of rhodium, and the 
oil of anise to draw rats from their holes, in order 
to kill them. Dr. J. V. Smith, of Boston, lately 
stated at an agricultural meeting, the complete suc¬ 
cess of an experiment in which he used the oil of 
anise alone, when the rats immediately came out of 
their retreats, even while he was present. He also 
said that ground plaster of Paris (gypsum), well 
mixed with dry meal, will be eaten greedily by 
rats and mice, and that it becomes hard in their 
stomachs and kills them. Nux vomica powdered, 
and mixed with Indian meal or oat meal, will also 
destroy them, without danger to domestic animals, 
which are often injured, and sometimes killed by 
other kinds of rat poisons. 
The following ingenious mode of catching them 
is often successfully practiced in my part of the 
country, from twelve to twenty having been caught 
in one night:—We place in the barn, or near the 
corn crib, a barrel or deep tub, half full of corn 
meal, oats, or any other food, of which rats or mice 
are particularly fond, and let them eat of it 
for a night or two, to attract them to the spot. I 
Then empty out the corn, &c., and replace it with { 
water; cover the water with thin flat shavings, and ' 
strew over them a thick layer of their favorite 
food. The rats will jump into the barrel as usual, 
slip through the covering of shavings, and will 
be drowned in their efforts to get out. E. S. 
SPECIAL MANURES. 
We condense from an article in the Agricultural 
Gazette, by Mr. Prideaux, the following informa¬ 
tion on the actual quantities of the essential inor¬ 
ganic ingredients carried off from an acre of pro¬ 
duce of our leading agricultural crops, which are 
to be restored to the land in order to maintain its 
fertility :■— 
Potass in 
lbs. 
Soda in 
lbs. 
Magnesia 
in lbs. 
Phospho¬ 
ric acid in 
lbs. 
Sulphuric 1 
acid in 
lbs. | 
Chlorine 
in fbs. j 
Wheat grain 25 bshls. 
7.15 
i 2,73 
; 3.62 
15.02 
0.07 
Straw 3,000 lbs. 
22.44 
0.29 
6.88 
5.54 
10.48 
1 1.97 
Total.... 
29.59 
3.02 
j 10.52 
20 56 
10.56 
1.97 
Barley grain 40 bshls. 
7.24 
4.32 
3.97 
20.74 
0.05 
0.02 
Straw 2,650 lbs. 
10.29 
,0.92 
5.25 
5.02 
2.66 
1.53 
Total.... 
17.53 
5.24 
9.22 
25.76 
2.71 
1.60 
Oats grain 50 bushels. 
10 
.88 
3.52 
14.48 
5.28 
0.35 
Straw 3,800 lbs. 
64 
.78 
8.95 
5,38 
9.95 
8.51 
Total.... 
75 
.66 
12.47 
19.85 
15.23 
8.86 
Beans grain 25 bhsls. 
13.601 
4.30 
3.15 
15.20 
0.40 
0.30 
Straw 2,800 lbs. 
90.21 
2.72 
11.38 
12.32 
1.85 
4.35 
Total.... 
10.381 
7.02 
14.53 
27.52 
2.25 
4.65 
Red clover. 
26.70 
7.07 
4.45 
8,80 
5.98 
4.86 
Potatoes 8 tons. 
222.56 
7.44 
21.08 
50.20 
54.48 
17.04 
Tops 1,000 lbs. 
50.44 
29.27 
12.76 
13.72 
12,38 
22.19 
Total.... 
273.00 
36 71 
33.84 
63.92 
66.86 : 
39,23 
Turnips 20 tons. 
142.66 
17.31 
18.16 
25.77 
46.24 
12.24 
Tops 1,850 lbs. 
88.82 
16.76 
9.58 
28.80 
38,81 - 
49.75 
Total.... 
231.48 
34.07 
27.74 
54.57 
85.05 ( 
31.99 
Cabbage 20 tns. 900 lbs. 
105 | 
184 
54 
112 
192 • 
52 
These, then, we have to restore to the land, after 
each of the crops specified. The straw, it is true, 
ought not to be carried off; but it is better not to 
reckon too close. 
The best supply of phosphoric acid for the farmer 
will be bone dust; because the fossil phosphates, 
though cheaper, are so uncertain in strength that 
he would never know how much he was using. 
Genuine bone dust will contain about 25 per cent, 
of phosphoric acid; and will require one half its 
weight of salt, and one third its weight of strong 
sulphuric acid to soften and render it soluble; and 
these will also more than supply the sulphuric acid, 
soda, and chlorine. Brown sulphuric acid of spe¬ 
cific gravity 1.75, is to be preferred where it can 
be had, as cheaper, although it requires one half 
instead of one third the weight of the bone dust. 
The little portion of magnesia will often be more 
than supplied in the lime used about the land ; or 
if the limestone does not contain it, may be put 
in at very small cost, either in crude sulphate of 
magnesia, or in the bittern residual liquor of the 
salt works. 
The potass is the most difficult. Pearlash con¬ 
tains about 50 per cent., and is rather dear. Po¬ 
tass of commerce is a little cheaper and stronger 
(say 60 per cent.), but not so readily procurable 
