m am 
172 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
raBDUB 
formed—one piece of considerable length, is 10 or lljlis sold. For every ton of hay sold, one cord of manure 
feet thick, 7 feet high, and covered with grapes,Sis purchased. To improve the land and keep it in high 
which have been set out on the south side of it; a finejjtilth, it is necessary of course to manufacture a large 
native variety found on the place. The vines were load-lamount of manure. This is first done by the hogs. The 
ed with fruit, and bring by the quantity from 8 to lOjman who has the care of them is constantly employed 
cents per pound; we should judge there might be a ton |at odd hours in furnishing them materials, such as mea- 
of them. All the other walls are double, from 5 to 10 Idow mud, peat, weeds, &c.: second, by sheep: in au- 
feet thick and 5 to 6 feet high, and must have consumediftumn 150 or 200 wethers are purchased from the droves, 
an enormous quantity of stone. We noticed grapes up- And fed through the winter: by March they are in good ] 
is also of opinion, “that for everycwt. of bones carted 
jupon the land in an unadulterated state, you have one 
|one-fourt.h hundred of flesh; and is not animal matter 
(he continues) the food of plants?” He also quotes, in 
a corroboration of his argument, some experiments made 
;jby the late T. A. Knight, Esq. of Downton Castle, the 
i eminent horticulturist, relative to watering plants with 
broth made from bones. 
on many other portions of wall. 
The orchard on this farm is equal if not superior tolling; their yards being furnished with plenty of mud and 
any we have seen. It contains from 400 to 500 trees,litter, when mixed by their excrements makes a rich 
principally Baldwins, Russets, and Rhode-Island Green-1compost: third, by the other stock and the manure pur- 
mgs. It produced a very abundant crop last year, butf chased, which is carefully mixed with twice the quanti- 
this year there is scarcely an apple upon it. It wasjty of meadow manure. One cord of this composition 
planted somewhere about 14 or 15 years since. The .is considered about equal to one cord of stable manure 
soil is generally a light rich loam, upon a gravelly, andgalone. 
in some places, a rocky foundation. The trees were! In making our observations upon this place, we feel 
taken from the nursery in autumn, and placed in trench-fas if it was not in our power to do it justice, as we spent 
es until the following spring. They weie planted near ]but a few hours upon it. Every part of it shows, that by 
the surface, and in many instances, upon the surface,J science, industry and skill, it has been rendered worthy 
without digging any holes, and the dirt placed upon the| of being ranked among the first of well cultivated farms 
vnntc The orchard is situated on a side-hill, having apjin New-England, and its proprietor worthy of all praise 
If we were to notice the great difference in the essen- 
fiesh and bring a high price, and pay well for their keep- fjtial parts, by a reference to the annexed table, it might 
roots. 
south and southeast exposure. 
Many of the trees were - for 
J. B. 
severely injured by the hard winters of 1835 and ’36,|jof his agricultural brethren. 
which caused the destruction of some of them. Theiri ~- 
places have since been supplied with young trees. Thef On Bones as a Manure for Turnips, 
mice injured some of the trees a number of years since,! [From the Farmers Magazine.'] 
by gnawing the bark, so that in some cases the trees! g; r —Seeing in your excellent periodical, The Far- 
were completely girdled, and to all appearance lost. AnJL, e? . s > Magazine, several opinions respecting the effica- 
mgemous method was devised to save them. Having| C y Q f p ones as a manure for turnip land, some stating 
prepat ed some large scions, five or six of them were in-| its beneficial effects to have been astonishing; while 
seited m each tree, beiow the wounds m the bark, and I 0 ti iers assert, and with equal truth, that from trials 
I-U 1 j ected J- llh biU -k, above by the common opera-|j mac [ e jjy them, no benefit whatever has resulted from 
lead into an inquiry why the vast quantity of bones, im¬ 
ported from the continent a few years ago, were found 
so excellent in quality, and so stimulating in their ef¬ 
fects. 
Vast quantities of bones are collected in carts, from 
the butchers’ shops in the metropolis, in their raw state, 
|all the meat having been previously cut from them; 
|these bones are taken to persons who, by roasting and 
||boiling, extract from them every particle of gelatine and 
fat they contain; nothing then remains to benefit the 
|land but the cartilage contained in the earthy salts. By 
I the above process, a great quantity of nutritious food is 
— —-,-- r--.- - . .. . |j extracted for the service of man, and other purposes con- 
the laudable example he has set for the irmtajron | nec t e d with his comfort and advantage, and consequently 
^ ' to the general advantage of the public: and although 
1 there is nothing to regret that their essential parts are 
| extracted for such valuable purposes, still we must not 
be surprised that bone manure is found, in many cases, 
deficient in its fertilizing effects upon the land, and of¬ 
ten disappoints the sanguine expectation of the indus¬ 
trious cultivator. I remain, sir, yours, &c. 
: Wv THOMAS JOY. 
tion of side giafting ; in this way the sap was conducted|^ e j r use wou u seem very difficultto account for this 
10 m the roots to the top, and the trees saved. We ® a w| difference 0 f opinion, more especially when trials have 
, ~ ‘ |been made by intelligent and practical farmers for se- 
fveral years. Those who found it beneficial, continued 
fits use; while others, who, upon trial, experienced the 
Ire verse, gave it up as not answering their purpose, 
Iwithout further trials or further investigation as to the| 
jcause, why it is not beneficial to the crops on all soils. 
some of the trees thus operated upon: the scions had| 
increased to the diameter of three or four inches, and! 
had nearly come in contact with each other; we should! 
doubt, however, whether the trees would be long-lived,f 
as the old wood must be unsound, and an early decay! 
must be the consequence. The trees appeared now as| 
vigorous as any ef their neighbors. The orchard hasf 
never been laid down to grass, but kept in constant cul-| 
The trees are finely shaped, having 
Now, if its salutary effects are as stated by its advo-,, 
cates, it must surely be worth inquiry, and ought to be is 
tivation. he trees are finely shaped, having beena investigated by scientific men, who would render a last- 
piuned with a skilful hand, and just high enough from|; n g benefit to the farming interest, bv showing on what, 
the ground to work under without inconvenience: the® - 
trees are about two rods apart: in some places they 
nearly cover the ground. We do not remember how 
many barrels were gathered for the market last year,| 
but the quantity was great. Besides this orchard, there' 
is another that has been set out only two or three years,I 
of 200 or 300 trees, all of which are sweet apples, de-~ 
signed expressly for the swine. All the refuse applesl 
are fed to the hogs, and considered much more valuable 
for that use than for cider. 
The farm is abundantly stocked with pears, plums,! 
peaches, grapes, &c. There are more than 2,000 fruit! 
trees of various sorts upon the place, and all have been 1 
reared and pruned by the hand of the proprietor him¬ 
self. 
One of the most pleasant sights is a trellis 30 rods In 
in length, covered with the Isabella grape, from which 
was gathered last year two tons of grapes, which found 
a ready sale in Boston market at 10 to 12 cents per 
pound. The crop was said not to be so heavy this year, 
but to us it appeared very great. There is also a small 
house where the more delicious foreign grapes are 
grown. 
The plums had suffered severely from the curculio, 
and most of the trees had lost their fruit. There is a 
disease upon the currant bush, which we have noticed 
in many other places as well as on this. The bush 
loses its leaves prematurely, and the fruit becomes wi¬ 
thered and worthless. We have in vain sought for the 
cause. Can any of our readers inform us, and prescribe 
a remedy? The vegetable garden is large and well 
stocked with every variety: what is not consumed in the 
family is marketed or fed to the swine. 
Mr. Phinney has taken great pains to improve his 1 
breed of swine, and probable there are none superior in| 
the state. As we have a promise from him of a de-| 
scription of his pigs and piggery for the N. E. Farmer,| 
we shall not enlarge upon this subject. He prefers a“ 
cross of the Berkshire and Mackey to any other, and 
most of his pigs for slaughter are of this description. 
He has the full blooded Berkshire, Mackey and other 
breeds, and mixes to suit himself. We noticed a sow 
lately imported from England, called the Essex half 
black: the hinder part of the animal is jet black, and 
the forward half white. There are some good points 
about her, and she may prove a valuable acquisition to 
his stock: not having recovered from her sea voyage, 
she does not appear now as she will after a few weeks of 
good keeping. There is an old sow here, quite an object 
of curiosity, (we do not recollect the brted,) that weighs^ 
900 lbs. a monstrous overgrown animal; she had beenl 
turned out of her pen to enjoy her liberty a little, which 6 
she did not, however, seem to appreciate much, as all 
the room she wanted appeared to be enough to turn| 
round and lie down upon. She looks as though she 
might be the parent of a most numerous offspring, but 
we understood she was without issue, having apparent¬ 
ly no inclination to form an intimacy with the other sex 
The number of swine is about 140, the 
employs one man constantly. 
The barns and other buildings for the accommodation 
by showing on what | 
soils it could be used with advantage, and also those | 
soils where its application would be nugatory. This 
would save many from a heedless expense and a conse¬ 
quent disappointment in the crop 
It appears, by an article in your number for June last, 
that an excellent lecture had been delivered, at the 
Wtodbridge Literary Institution, by a Mr. Webster; in 
the course of which he alluded to the merits of bones 
as a manure, and briefly described a method whereby 
their adulteration might be detected; and this adultera 
tion maybe done in various ways, and for very diffe¬ 
rent purposes, and appears to me to be a main cause, 
though not entirely, why on some soils they succeed 
well, why on others partially, and why again on others 
a total failure. 
As it is necessary, for the investigation of this sub¬ 
ject, that -the component parts of bones should be un¬ 
derstood by every one interested in their use as a ma¬ 
nure, I beg to submit, for the benefit of those of your 
readers who may have not seen a better, an extract from 
an analysis by that eminent chemist, Mr. Hatchett. He 
says— 
“ The component parts of bones are chiefly four, viz. 
the earthy salts, fat, gelatine, and cartilage. 
“ The earthy salts are three in number— 
“ 1. Phosphate of lime. 
“2. Carbonate of lime. 
“ 3. Sulphate of lime. 
“The proportion of fat seems to vary from one-sixth 
to one-fourth of the weight of the bone.” 
Annexed is also a table, calculated from experiments 
made from bones, both of the human species and also 
from various animals (by the same chemist) :— 
100 parts 
contain 
of the 
Gelatine. 
Phos¬ 
phate of 
Lime. 
Carbo¬ 
nate of 
Lime. 
Loss. 
Total, i 
Human,. 
23 
63 
2 
2 
100 
Horse,.. 
9 
67.5 
1.25 
22.25 
100 
Ox,. 
3 
93 
2 
2 
100 
Sheep,.. 
16 
70 
0.5 
13.5 
100 
Swine,.. 
17 
52 
1 
30 
100 
Calf, ... 
25 
54 
. • • 
21 
100 
Elk, .... 
1.5 
90 
1 
7.5 
100 
On Influenza in Sheep. 
[From the Veterinarian.] 
TO THE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
Gentlemen, —You having been pleased to elect me 
one of your corresponding members, renders it almost 
imperative that I should attempt some return for that 
distinguished honor. As an humble member of the ve¬ 
terinary profession, I am willing to contribute the little 
that I am able towards the advancement of our common 
science ; and therefore I venture to lay before you a few 
observations on the disease to which sheep are liable in 
this locality, and which is often attended with conside¬ 
rable loss to the grazier. 
The treatment of cattle and of sheep is a division of 
our art by many contemned. Such, perhaps, have not 
resided in districts that have called forth the energies of . 
their minds; nor have they seen the ravages which dis¬ 
ease often produces: had they, I feel assured,that the 
comments which from time to time are. maffe, would 
be thought unworthy of scientific men," and especially 
of those to whom the health of our domesticated ani¬ 
mals should have been, and even now is, in a great 
measure entrusted. There are many cogent reasons 
why instructions should be commenced in good earnest 
at our alma mater on this division of our art; but, as 
the full consideration of this would lead me into a field 
of argument I am not, at present, desirious of entering 
on, I will leave it, and pass to the more immediate ob¬ 
ject of my paper; craving, however, permission to say, 
|that I am glad to see that reform has been commenced. 
I feel assured that steps will be taken to ensure its pro- 
egress, and to perfect the system. Thus, I trust, speedi- 
jjly and for ever will be wiped away a stigma which has 
been long attached to the profession of a veterinary 
surgeon in country practice. These are not days in 
which we can retrograde ; but we must continue the on¬ 
ward march which has been so nobly begun, and to 
which the association lends its powerful aid. 
The malady to which I refer is influenza in sheep ; 
? 1 at least I call it by this name, because it bears so great 
|a resemblance to that disease in the horse. 
The situations in which I have found it most preva¬ 
lent, are the marshes near the sea. The land there is 
very good, but much exposed; there being no hedges 
nor inclosures for many square miles. Cases are most 
abundant during the months of March and April, and 
especially when easterly winds prevail. It generally at¬ 
tacks young sheep, such as are called lambs hogs, and 
almost always those that are in the best condition, and 
of the largest size. 
To prevent repetition, I will give you an account of 
This it 
appears, that the bones of the Human spe. 
cies and of the calf afford the most gelatine, and those 
of the ox and horse the least except the elk. 
The gelatine, the most beneficial portion to the land, 
is also an important ingredient in making portable 
soups, and also in the manufacture of glue ; and there 
can be little doubt that, in most cases, the gelatine 
is, with the fat, extracted from the bones, by boiling or 
otherwise, before they are sent to the mills to be crushed 
the manure. The weight of the gelatine is about one 
sixteenth of the bone. 
Thus the bones, after the gelatine and fat have been 
a flock of 180 that I attended, in April 1838, for these 
presented the general features of the many, and may 
therefore be taken as a type of all the other flocks 
which were affected. They belonged to a wealthy gra¬ 
zier, Mr. G. Curbets, residing at Croft, near this place. 
It was on the 19th of April that I was first desired to 
attend them. On my arrival, I found seven or eight 
dead. They were observed to be ill on the day previ- 
E ous to my seeing them. There were eight more that 
mould not stand; and when lifted up, they had entirely 
Host all power of motion. On examining the remainder 
lof the flock, I found some scarcely affected at all, while 
j others were gradually going on in the same way as those 
hhat had died. 
The first symptoms exhibited were, dulness of coun¬ 
tenance, and a disinclination to join the rest of their 
companions, or to look out for food. They soon became 
|more dull; a thin mucous discharge made its appear¬ 
ance from the nose and eyes, the tissues being highly 
care of which!extracted, are divested of their most enriching proper -1 injected; the ears drooped; a grating of the teeth was 
““ties and little remains but lime, which on some soilsgheard; and a staggering gait evinced in walking. As 
will do <mod, but not to the degree it ought, and onfthe disease advanced, all the above named symptoms 
one they 
He 1 would fall down on their knees, and then on their sides, 
of stock, are convenient and comfortable, with sufficient! others none at all; and, as Mr. Webster observes m his® became more manifest. The animals were ab 
room for the hay and grain produced on the farm.—Sexcellent lecture, that “the farmers can purchase that!at a slow pace, but if urged into a quicker 
About 100 tons of hay are cut annually, part of whichiin great abundance, and at a much cheaper rate.” TTp*wn«w fill H™n ™ their knees, and then on tl 
