THE CULTIVATOR 
1 55 
1846 . 
igjy -i ■■■■ .si, isiinnEiwi 
It afforded me great pleasure to learn that this school 
had not only afforded several indigent young men the 
means of qualifying themselves for future usefulness, 
but had thus far been a source of revenue to its philan¬ 
thropic proprietor, who by a judicious use of his means 
had thus been instrumental in doing so much good to 
his fellow men. I could readily understand how the 
example of this institution led to the agricultural im¬ 
provement of the surrounding country, as it had daily 
visitors not only from our own but the neighboring 
states, and fondly hope that this example may be fol¬ 
lowed by others. 
Here the •village bell broke my slumbers, and I re¬ 
gret to add, that my awakened senses convinced me 
that the above is but a dream. E. C. F. 
Sixth Senate District, March, 1846. 
DIGGING- WELLS IN SLATE. 
A considerable portion of Western New-York is occu¬ 
pied by the slate of the Hamilton Group, most of which 
is covered with only a few feet of earth. This earth is 
the reservoir or sponge for holding the water, which 
falls in rain, and which, soaking downwards, forms 
springs and supplies wells. The upper surface of the 
slate rock being nearly even, the underground springs 
usually flow upon its surface. Hence, where the earth 
is shallow above it, and the water is thus carried to the 
surface, it oozes out in open springs. But from the 
thinness of this stratum of earth, these streams are often 
very small, and not unfrequently fail in drouth. As 
springs are rarely found in the body of the rock, con¬ 
siderable inconvenience is consequently experienced in 
dry summers from a deficiency of water. One of the 
best contrivances to obviate this difficulty we have seen, 
was lately adopted in practice by David Thomas, of 
Cayuga county, and is represented in section in the an¬ 
nexed figure. The well 
was made as follows:—It 
was dug after the common 
mode about seven feet in 
diameter, through ten feet 
of earth to the rock; and of 
the same size about as 
much deeper through the 
slate, until the latter be¬ 
came so hard that the pick 
would no longer penetrate. 
The water flows in abun¬ 
dantly during the wet part 
of the year, but when the 
season is dry the supply 
from springs nearly fails. 
A reservoir is however 
formed, by the water-tight 
rock, ten feet deep and 
seven feet in diameter. To 
obviate the necessity of 
nearly filling this reservoir 
Fig. 47. with stones, as in the usual 
mode, a close scaffold or platform is laid across the well, 
resting on the upper surface of the rock, and covering 
entirely the space across the well. This is shown by 
the dotted lines. On this the workman stands, and 
commences stoning the well by laying the foundation 
on the rim of rock, which is for this purpose laid bare 
of the earth about one foot around. As he rises in 
building the wall, he gradually contracts its diameter, 
until it is drawn into the usual size, or to about two and 
a quarter feet. Every layer of stones forming a circu¬ 
lar arch, it is perfectly impossible for the wall to fall, 
if the stones are of tolerably good shape for building; 
in the present case they were selected from those scat¬ 
tered over the adjacent fields. No mortar of course is 
used. When the stoning is finished, the scaffold is re¬ 
moved, and the well is done. 
The chief advantages of this contrivarce, are, it ob¬ 
viates stoning the lower part; it furnishes a large reser¬ 
voir, so capacious that when filled in spring and sum¬ 
mer, it rarely becomes dry by ordinary family use, in 
autumn; and the serious difficulty so often experienced 
with new wells for many months, by offensive matter 
dissolved from the stones, is entirely and at once re¬ 
moved. The mouth being small, it possesses all the 
advantages of coolness in summer resulting from nar¬ 
row wells. 
This rock forms large portions of Erie, Genesee, 
Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Madi¬ 
son, Otsego, and other counties, and a knowledge of the 
preceding mode of digging and stoning, may be of very 
considerable advantage to many persons. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. 
VALUE OF POUDRETTE. 
J. Sherman - , of Milton, Ulster Co., N. Y., states that 
he bought, in the spring of 1845, three barrels of D. K. 
Minor’s poudrette, one barrel of which he used on corn 
in such a way as to test its profitableness. He put it 
on six rows of corn running though the field. At har¬ 
vest, the yield of these six rows was carefully compared 
with the same number of rows alongside which had re¬ 
ceived no poudrette. The result was, that the six rows 
on which poudrette was used, gave two bushels of ears 
more than the other six rows—“ making,” he says, 
“ the extra bushel of shelled corn, cost two dollars .” 
The experiment, he says, reminded him of the man 
C( who greased one of his shoes and left the other un¬ 
greased. The ungreased one gave out in the forenoon 
and the other in the afternoon.” 
USE OF GUANO. 
A correspondent with the signature of “R.,” who 
dates at Poughkeepsie, speaking of the experiments 
with guano and other substances, as given by Mr. Brad- 
hurst, in our January number, says he was pleased with 
the exactness with which the experiments seem to have 
been conducted. Accuracy, he properly remarks, is 
very desirable, but too many, he thinks, “ content them¬ 
selves by stating the fact that they have used certain ma¬ 
nures on different pieces of land without measuring ei¬ 
ther manure or land, or stating the mode or time of 
applying it, &c. Such communications do more harm 
than good.” * * * “ If you could induce all corres¬ 
pondents giving accounts of experiments ro state pro¬ 
portions, weights, measures, mode and time of applying 
manures, cost, &c., you would greatly add to the use¬ 
fulness of your paper.” 
In relation to the application of guano, he thinks the 
best way is to use it on land in “fair order,” about 200 
lbs. to the acre. As the guano “contains much coarse 
matter, bones of birds, shells, lumps, &c., he thinks it 
should be sifted., and then mixed with fine sifted coal 
ashes, or soil, at the rate of one part guano to three parts 
ashes or soil. “ Let it stand in a covered barrel in a con¬ 
fined place from the air, for a week or ten days—then 
spread and plow it in immediately; or if used as a top¬ 
dressing it should bespread either during a rain, or with 
a prospect of rain soon, that it may be fixed in the 
soil to prevent the escape of ammonia. 
“ Lime should never be used with guano as a top¬ 
dressing, it causing the ammonia to escape; but when 
plowed in it is different, the ammonia being retained 
by the soil, as the guano decomposes. 
“ Persons purchasing guano should ascertain whether 
it is imported or manufactured, as it would make a 
material difference in the result of the experiment.” 
EXPERIMENTS WITH GUANO. 
A correspondent, writing in reference to the experi¬ 
ments of Mr. Bradhurst, given in our January number, 
says—“ There is evidently some mistake made in the 
quantity of poudrette used, or it was next to being 
worthless. The instructions given for the use of pou¬ 
drette, are one gill to a hill of corn, and two gills to a 
hill of potatoes, and anything beyond That quantity en¬ 
dangers the crop. According to Mr. B.’s statement, he 
put in poudrette scattered along in the drill at the rate 
of $20 worth per acre, that is, at the rate of 54 barrels, 
