THE RUBAI. NEW-YORKER. 
©£T. 6 
plain tbe results obtained with nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash." He seems inclined to 
“attribute tho variations to unevenness In the 
composition of tbe soil.” Yet he finds, from tho 
nearness of the different plants to each other, 
that tills theory is impossible. On tho whole, 
then, this well-contrived series of trials proves 
to be a failure, and this is the more to be regret¬ 
ted, beoause the method waB admirably adapted 
by Prof. Atwater to the end in view', and the 
entire plan was clearly an emanation from the 
best intelligence of the day. 
When an experiment, so skillfully devised, ter¬ 
minates in obscure and discordant results at the 
very point whore we were justified in expecting 
a flood of light, wo can hardly afford to dismiss 
it without somo further insight into the cause of 
the defeat. If such trials as these bring us no 
instruction, aud clear up no doubtful questions, 
we are left to infer that natural laws are no 
longer stable or uniform, and tbe bravest farm¬ 
ers may well get disheartened. Rut is there not, 
in the present case, some possible solution of 
tbe mystery ? It seems to me there is. To my 
own mind it is clear that a single fact explains 
the whole difficulty. The chain harrow is the 
oause of all the mischief. It is not a fit imple¬ 
ment for diffusing fertilizers through the soil, 
simply because its effect, is not accurate and uni¬ 
form. Every practical farmer knows that in an 
experiment of this kind, unless the various plaul. 
elements are diffused through the soil in a man¬ 
ner perfectly even, aud everywhere alike, there 
can be no uniformity or certainty in the results. 
Hence, whatever prevents this oven distribution 
defeats the experiment in all its parts, and in all 
its products. To assume that each individual 
plaut must necessarily get its equal and proper 
share of each fertilizer, according to the intent 
of the experiment, without some better mode of 
distribution than a chain harrow, is to take for 
granted, rb a fact, that which is not ouly unlike¬ 
ly, but which has all tho chances immeasurably 
against it. 
Now if Dr. Also? will repeat his experiment 
the coming year, as Prof. At w ate a wisely sug¬ 
gests, and ns ho probably intends to do, the re¬ 
sult will certainly be very different, and all the 
more successful by roasou of tho experience 
already gained. Iu tho report of the trial, as 
giveu by Prof. Atwater, in the American Agri¬ 
culturist, the table shows forty separate results, 
though all more or loss obscure and doubtful. 
But when these results reappear in tho next 
trial, they will be entirely changed. Each will 
have a definite meaning, and a positive value, 
and all will be luminous with instruction. But 
if the experiment, instead of being merely re¬ 
peated by one man, should be also multiplied, by 
the co-operation of other farmers, so as to give 
a general average of result*, it is easy to see that 
such an averago would rnako it still more in¬ 
structive and valuable, by tho light it would shed 
on the general subject of plant nutrition. 
In this connection, there is one important 
poiut to which tbe attention of Dr. Anson may 
properly bo invited. We hope he will not for¬ 
get, in the next trial, to add another plot of land 
(No. 11), to be left without manure. No test of 
fertilizers can bo considered thorough or com¬ 
plete, unless it Includes a plot to indicate tho 
natural capacity of the soil. 
EXPERIMENT NO. 2 . 
In a series of trials, made by J. I. Carter, at 
the Wost Grovo Experimental Farm, in Pennsyl¬ 
vania, various fertilizers were tested in compari¬ 
son with each other, aud also with an unma¬ 
nured plot. Those trialB extended through three 
years, and included three different crops, viz., 
wheat the first year, hay the second, and oorn 
the third. The fertilizers were applied to the 
wheat crop at the rate of @10 per acre, and tho 
result, as reported, shows the effect of each fer¬ 
tilizer, not only on tho wheat to w r hich it was 
applied, but also on tho hay crop of the follow¬ 
ing year, and on the corn of the year after. The 
table given iu the report presents twenty-four 
interesting results, which, though they differ 
widely from each other, are nowhere discordant 
or obscure, but easy to understand and full of 
instruction. 
On analyzing this experiment, I find that the 
largest total gain for the three years was pro¬ 
duced by the ground bone, drilled iu, and was 
equal, in money value, to $30.90, against a cost 
of @10. The result next in value, as stated by 
Mr. Carter, was produced by tho fc>. Car. rock, 
and amounted to $29 92 ; while tho smallest re¬ 
turns came from the Ivaiulto, the Villk formula, 
and the bone that was broadcast. Tho bone and 
ash compost, though not so striking in its eff ect 
as several ol’ the others, was still ahead of tho 
Yille manure and the lxainite, aud showed a 
return of $23.75 in money value. 
It is quite remarkable that every fertilizer 
used in this trial, without a single exception, 
produced a decided effect on each of the three 
crops, and did not appear to he by any means 
exhausted at the end of the third year. The 
total outlay for the seven fertilizers, at $10 per 
acre, would be $70, from which the total gain in 
three years was at the following rate per acre: 
Gain of Wheat. <14 husb., worth.R>< 20 
“ Hay, 8,580 lbs., " « 
“ Corn, 89 bush., “ H »0 
*HC 00 
Less, by cost of fertilizers. 10 0° 
*90 00 
Though the various results of this trial, as 
given in tbe report, do not exceed twenty four 
in number, it will be found, on investigation, 
that there are more than fifty distinct results 
flowing from it, and that each separate result 
lias a definite and positive value. In its special 
hearing on the fertilizers and the crops to which 
it relates, this experiment is uncommonly fruit¬ 
ful iu instructive figures. It is alive with intel¬ 
ligent Ihought. and fairly sparkles with the light 
of practical wisdom. 
It appears, from tho above figures, that the 
net profit on the seven fertilizers, if the plots 
had been one acre each, would have been $96 
over the cost, and further that if, instead of 
seven fertilizers, the heat one only had been 
used, tho profit would have been $2IG. In other 
words, if Mr. Carter had known, at the plant¬ 
ing of his wheat, just wliat he knew when he 
harvested the oorn, he might, have cleared from 
seven acres $120 more than he did. That is, he 
actually made a profit equivalent to $96, in find¬ 
ing out how to make $216. This certainly does 
not show that experiments iu farming are always 
made at a loss, as we are too apt to suppose. 
Janti dtonomji. 
THOUGHTS FROM A FARM. 
LET THE FARM REMAIN UNKNOWN FOR THE PRESENT AND 
THE WRITER REMAIN INCOGNITO. 
ILLUSIVE EXPECTATIONS. 
Many farmers suppose if they buy, say $500 
worth of cows, and sell them six months after¬ 
wards for $700, that thoro must bo a clear gain 
of $200 for their feed; hut tho writer thinks he 
can prove beyond the slightest doubt that there 
are circumstances under which this gain is alto¬ 
gether illusive. For instance, a farmer might 
have a useful dairy of cows and be going on reg¬ 
ularly making butter or selling milk ; but a 
dealer in cattle comes along and savH: “ You 
have some nice fresh grass there. Now I can 
sell you 20 cows which will pay $200 for their 
keeping, and there is plenty of room." 
But these 20 cows eat all tho grass in a field 
which the dairy cows would have had ''for a 
change if the others had not come, and conse¬ 
quently the milk falls off, and instead of the 
milk, butter and cream making about $300, the 
full valno does not exceed $150, which shows a 
loss of all but $50 out of the $200. But, over 
and above this, there is to be taken into account 
tbe fact, of grazing the afterfeed on the mead¬ 
ows very much shorter than would have been 
done but for the buying of these 20 cows, and 
this biting off the grass so close to the ground 
will affect the next year's crop of hay about half 
a ton per acre, which on 100 acres would be 50 
tons of hay lost, and then the account would 
stand, by valuing tho hav at only $10 per ton, 
$500 lost on hay and $150 on the dairy products 
—total, $650 Then deduct the $200 gain on the 
20 cows and the absolute loss would be $450; 
and. good readers, thero are men of intelligence 
on other subjects, who do literally lose $450 
while they fancy they have gained $200. 
Again, another farmer might have a hundred 
ewes from which ho is Intending to raise lambs 
aud to sell these fat in the spring; hut just as tho 
ewes have settled down and are doiug so well as 
to promise good results, and that they will drop 
at. least 100 lambs worth @8 each, thus yielding 
$800, the owner is persuaded to buy 50 wethers 
to make a clear $2 per head for their keep. Well, 
these are put by themselves, but it is soon found 
that the fences are Bcalod, and shortly all run 
together, grass becomes scarce, the room iu tho 
sheds and yard where they are sheltered at night 
from dogs, <&c., is too much crowded, and as the 
owes get less native the wethers jostle them 
when entering or leaving the pen, aud also at 
the troughs when feeding, and the consequences 
are 80 lambs instead of 100, aud $6 each instead 
of $8. Thus the account will stand$100 gain¬ 
ed for keeping the wethers, and on the other 
side— 20 lambs lost, which would have made 
$160, and a loss of $2 each on 80 lambs, amount¬ 
ing to $160 or more. Total loss of $320; bal¬ 
ance. after deducting $100 gain on wethers, $220. 
These statements about cows and sheep are 
not intended to discourage the keeping of large 
flocks and herds, nor are they meant as argu¬ 
ments againBt the possible profits from fattening 
beef and mutton for market, although they may 
appear so at first sight. Tho fact is, that Amer¬ 
icans, and especially thoso who have been suc¬ 
cessful in mercantile pursuits, thiuk it advisable 
to carry out economy and frugality to an inju¬ 
rious extent in agricultural matters, and in man¬ 
aging live stock they make false calculations, 
sometimes iu tho way just indicated, and often 
in other ways also. The uneducated tenant- 
farmer in England could easily show them their 
ignorance of cause and effect, and their want of 
foresight in attempting to evade necessary ex¬ 
penditure, which invariably end in producing 
results decidedly contrary to what was expected. 
The English farmers buy the oilcake with which 
tho Americans are afraid to feed their stock, and 
although the freight and profit to tbe shipper 
must then he added to the price in the United 
States, yet it pays to use It. 
Thu American funner makes his calculation in 
this way 10, 20or 30 steers, cows, or other ani¬ 
mals, as the case may ho, have eaten, say, ten tons 
of oilcake at @40 per ton-total, @400; and they 
have only made $250 more than ft similar lot 
have sold for, which eat no oilcake; consequent¬ 
ly, there is a loss of $150, “ which nobody can 
deny," says he. 
The English tenant, on t.be other hand, calcu¬ 
lates in this fashionCost of cake for feeding 
beef, mutton, and forcing growth of young stock. 
Ac., say, @1,000- for the poor ruck-renter would 
think Ichh of $1,000 than the United States gen¬ 
tleman-farmer would of $400. I Hs set-off would 
be, say, for increased beef and mutton, 1*650; 
increase of wool and increase of size of young 
stock having eaten some cake, $150; increased 
valuo of the manure, $100; ten tons of hay, 
which was not eaten because the use of the cake 
made animals require less hav, $200— Total, 
$1,100. The price of the best hay in market 
would be $300, perhaps; but since it is not al¬ 
lowed, as a general rule, to be sold off farms, 
there is always what is called a “spending” 
price put on hay, whieh amounts to about the 
above rate. Now, as this kind of farming brings 
on an increased yield of crops all over the fann, 
and as there is therefore an inducement to con¬ 
sume more and more oilcake aud other good feed, 
there is a still greater saving of hay ; and as it 
is usual also to give oilcake to animals when at 
grass, there is likewise a corresponding saving 
of pasture, bo that tho hay and grass saved 
through eating tho cake, and also the much great¬ 
er quantity grown in consequence of tho rich 
manure, both together enable the English farmer 
to keep double the number of live stock the 
American does on the same acreage. This, of 
course, results in doubling the crops; while tho 
American's frugality — or rather parsimony— 
ends in lessening his crops till everybody is cry¬ 
ing out about hard times. 
Plucking Live Geese was, a few months ago, 
denounced as at once cruel and unprofitable by 
an esteemed contributor to these columns, and 
now the Langersalza Society for the protection 
of animals, finding its homilies on the inhuman¬ 
ity of the practice disregarded by the obdurate 
Thuringian peasantry, has issued circulars ex¬ 
plaining that this hard-hearted custom can never 
pay, for tho birds are left in such a wretched 
condition that they need a considerable amount 
ef extra food for weeks after their denudation, 
and the price of this more than counterbalances 
the profit on the feathers. 
Hen Manure is so rich that it should be mix¬ 
ed with three or four timeB its own bulk of 
swamp muck or some similar substance, for if 
applied undiluted it will burn and kill plants and 
prevent germination. It is estimated that a 
single hen's excrement during a year, is equiva¬ 
lent to 15 pounds of guano ; and experiment 
has shown that the droppings of 25 fowls, prop¬ 
erly composted during the year, will make man¬ 
ure enough for an acre. 
To Utilize Feathers of ducks, chickens and 
turkeys, generally thrown aside as refuse, trim 
the plumes from the stump, inclose them in a 
tight bag, rub the whole as if washing clothes, 
and you will secure a perfectly uniform and light 
down, excellent for quilting into coverlets and 
not a few other purposes. 
Jot Copies. 
BRIEFLETS. 
Leaf Manure possesses excellent fertilizing 
properties, and greatly improves the texture and 
character of tho soil. Analysis proves that the 
foliage of trees contains vastly more mineral 
riches—such as phosphates, lime, potash and 
soda—than the solid wood, and that the older 
tho leaves, tho greater the amount of these they 
contain. Now, that the fallen leaves begin to 
rustle brown and crisp in tbe wood-lot, and will 
soon litter the ground, the farmer whoso farm 
pays well, gathers them carefully to be cither 
used in the compost heap wiLli other decom- 
poBible vegetable matters, or employed as litter 
for his animals during winter, or as coatings for 
his yard or other inclosures where animals are 
confined, and where the leaves by absorbing tho 
liquid voidiugs may he readily converted into ex¬ 
cellent plant-food. 
Timber for Building Purposes or for tho 
use of coopers or wheel-wrights, should never 
bo cut before December or January, when tho 
circulation of the sap is thoroughly wrested. 
Immediately the tree is cut down, it should ho 
freed from all shoots and branches, and sawn 
into plunks as soon as possible, so that these 
may he at once seasoned by exposure to the air. 
By taking these precautions decay and dry-rot 
will bo avoided, and the wood will keep excel¬ 
lently ; but, of course, the advice is intended 
only for those who get out their own lumber, or 
can have it doue according to their wishes, for 
the greed of dealers will force the cutting of 
timber at untimely seasons. 
The Leaves or the Pear Tree, plucked in 
May. immediately after the fall of the blossom, 
contain, according to analysis, the following per¬ 
centage of constituents: 
Carbonic acid. 11.560 
Silicic acid. l.'jU 
Phosphates.... 25.050 
Lime. j-H® 
Potash.*. ijjP 
Sulphuric atrd, chlorine, and organic 
acids not determined. 
81.715 
Another analysis of the foliage of tho same 
tree, made in the fall, showed a considerable in¬ 
crease in mineral matter. 
GREEN FRUIT SEASON OF 1877. 
BY M. B. PRINCE. 
As the shipping season for green fruits has 
closed for this year, a few notes on the results 
may not be amiss. The crop was a bountiful 
one, beginning with strawberries in May and 
closing with grapes in August. Growers are 
generally encouraged by this Rummer’s profits 
on all kinds of fruit, except grapes, which have 
sold low in northern markets, probably on 
account of their coming in competition with 
Maryland and Delawaro poaches. Tbe Wilson 
Strawberry still remains the most popular, pro¬ 
ducing well and carrying better than most other 
sorts, though a comparatively new berry, the 
Charleston Seedling, promises well. A few 
years since, extensive orchards of Hales’ Early 
Peach were planted, but until this year have 
proved unprofitable, bearing hat little and rot¬ 
ting badly.. This year heavy crops of fine fruit 
were gathered, with but seldom an appearance 
of rot. The Early Beatrice is now the popular 
peach, being from two to three weeks earlier, 
and a good shipper. We have learned by obser¬ 
vation that tho Hales’ Early is less subject to 
disease cm poor land, while tho Beatrice requires 
a rich soil to produeo a crop. 
Of grapes, the Ives’is more largely grown here 
than any other variety; not because it is a good 
grape as to quality, but because it is a strong, 
healthy vine, productive, early, and bearing 
transportation well. The Concord is hero just 
as far superior to thoso of the same kind grown 
as far north as Now York State, as a Catawba is 
to tho Ives', but it lias the fault of cracking 
badly in handling. Clinton is also grown to a 
considerable extent, but it is only suitable for 
wine, though this year it was much fiuer and 
sweeter than usual. Catawba does well on a dry 
upland, but rots on low ground. Perkins, Tay¬ 
lor aud Diana promise well, all having one 
desirable trait, that of hanging long on the 
vine after they have become ripe, without drying 
or losing much in flavor. 
We want for this section something different 
from the three-pound boxes, in which to ship 
our grapes—something cheaper—either larger 
and consequently requiring less labor in packing, 
or about tho same size, and returnable like 
berry crates. Could we reduce the expense of 
boxes, the growers would reap a much better 
profit. To ttiis end there have been some ex¬ 
periments iu a small way by shipping in baskets, 
holding 8 or 10 pounds. Theso gave the 
shippers a better return than the small boxes. 
Fruit-growers have, so far, given their atten¬ 
tion principally to Strawberries, Peaches aud 
Grapes, though for a few years past, Pears, 
Plums and Cherries are receiving more notice, 
aud there will Boon he large shipments of these 
fruits. Those who will plant largely of apples, 
especially of such varieties as have good-keeping 
qualities, will reap a rich reward in after years, 
there being a good home and southern market 
for such fruit; aud this is not likely to suffer 
from an excessive supply for years to come. 
Even on the poorest of our worn-out soils, all 
kinds of fruit trees and vines flourish finely, and 
where a very small amount of manure is applied, 
they make wonderful growth. 
North Carolina fruit-growers have now given 
up the idea, entertained a few years ago, of 
realizing immediate fortunes, many pioneers 
i 
