254 THE CULTIVATOR. August, 
GAS-WATER TO KILL INSECTS. 
But though the advantages of paring and burning on 
some kinds of soil, seem to have been well demonstrated 
in many cases, it appears to be equally certain that on 
dry, sandy soil, the practice is not to be recommended. 
Mr. Coljvian therefore observes: 
“The expediency of paring and burning land, must, 
as I have remarked, depend upon the nature of the soil 
which is to be subjected to the process. On light, 
sandy, or gravelly soils, where the vegetation is thin 
and sparse, it is strongly objectionable.” 
Under the head of “ Burning Land,” a process dif¬ 
ferent, in some respects, from ordinary paring and burn¬ 
ing, Mr. Colman further discusses the principles upon 
which are supposed to rest the advantages of both these 
operations. The objects of burning lands are said to be 
applicable only to stiff, clay soils. The chief objects 
are to render it friable and destroy its adhesiveness. 
“ The process,” says Mr. C., “consists in digging, either 
with a plow or spade, the whole top-soil of a field, and 
placing it in small heaps, with a furnace, or oven under 
them, where a fire of coal, or faggots, or brush-wood 
may be kindled and continue to burn until the whole is, 
properly speaking, reduced to an ash-heap, as far as the 
nature of the substance so reduced admits of being so 
designated. Where I have seen the process carried on, 
the depth of soil so dug and burned, did not much ex¬ 
ceed a foot; but I have been made acquainted with one 
experiment where the depth of soil so moved and re¬ 
duced was three feet.” 
Mr. C. is decidedly of the opinion, from all the evi¬ 
dence he has been able to collect, that “ the opening of 
clayey and adhesive soils by burning them, so as to 
make them easily worked, and rendering them accessi¬ 
ble to air, and moisture, and light, and heat, is an ob¬ 
vious and decided advantage.” 
The most reasonable explanation which we have 
seen of the causes, which probably operate to increase 
fertility in soils which have been subject to burning, is 
furnished by Mr. C. in an extract from Liebig’s Agri¬ 
cultural Chemistry. 
“The advantage” (says Liebig,) “of manuring 
fields with burned clay, and the fertility of ferruginous 
soils, which have been considered as facts so incompre¬ 
hensible, may be explained in an equally simple man¬ 
ner. They have been ascribed to the great attraction 
for water exerted by dry clay and ferruginousearth; but 
common dry, arable land, possesses this property in as 
great a degree; and besides, what influence can be as¬ 
cribed to a hundred pounds of water spread over an acre 
of land in a condition in which it cannot be serviceable 
either by the roots or leaves? 
<£ The true cause is this: The oxides of iron and alu¬ 
mina are distinguished from all other metallic oxides, 
by their power of forming solid compounds with ammo¬ 
nia. The precipitates obtained by the addition of am¬ 
monia to salts of alumina or iron, are true salts, in 
which the ammonia is obtained as a base. Minerals 
containing alumina, or oxide of iron, also possess in an 
eminent degree the property of attracting ammonia 
from the atmosphere and retaining it. * * * Soils, 
therefore, which contain oxidesof iron and burned clay, 
must absorb ammonia—an action which is favored by 
their porous condition. They further prevent the escape 
of ammonia, once absorbed by their chemical proper¬ 
ties. * * * The addition of burned clay to soils has 
also a secondary influence. It renders the soil porous, 
and therefore more permeable to air and moisture. The 
ammonia absorbed by the clay of ferruginous oxides is 
separated by every shower of rain, and conveyed in so¬ 
lution to the soil.” 
The Virgalieu Pear, (or Doyenne, Butter, or St. 
Michael,) considered in Western New-York as the 
finest of pears, all things considered, long since in the 
Vicinity of Boston “run out” from the old age of the 
variety, as was supposed. B. V. French, an eminent 
cultivator, stated at a late agricultural meeting in the 
Boston State House, “that it now appeared to be re¬ 
turning to its former health, vigor, and excellence.” 
A writer in the Gardener’s Chronicle states that he 
has derived great advantage from the use of gas-water 
in destroying, or driving away insects. He states that 
he has tried it of various strengths, but concludes it 
should be diluted in six times its quantity of pure water, 
or it cannot be applied without injury to vegetation. 
At this strength he has found it almost instantaneously 
destructive to snails and slugs, and drives away almost 
every species of worm. We suppose the gas-water to 
be what is here called the ammonical liquid of gas¬ 
works. Gardener’s Dictionary states that it consists of 
water holding in solution carbonate, muriate, and sul¬ 
phate of ammonia, with impurities; 100 gallons con¬ 
taining 25 pounds of these salts. It is thought highly 
valuable to mix with compost, as manure—to be used 
at the rate of 100 lbs. per acre. It is said to have in 
some instances trebled the yield of grass. 
NOVELTY IN BEE-HIVES. 
The Report of the Commissioner of Patents speaks of 
a newly invented bee-hive, which we take to be the 
latest if not the greatest novelty in that line. The great 
aim has for several years been to protect the bees from 
the attack of the moth, and many have been the contri¬ 
vances invented for this purpose. The hive alluded to, 
has a hen-roost combined with it, the connection be¬ 
tween the roost and hive being such that the hens on 
going to the roost shut up the entrance to the hive, and 
bar out the moths—the latter only attacking the hive 
at evening or during the night. In the morning, the 
hens, on passing from the roost, open the hive and let 
out the bees to commence their daily toil. But im¬ 
provement and novelty are two things. 
DISEASE IN CHERRY TREES. 
Mr. Tucker —On a recent visit to Ohio, in the vi¬ 
cinity of Cincinnati, I observed that the past winter has 
been fatal to most of the finer varieties of the cherry tree. 
Some of the Cultivators informed me that they feared 
they should be under the necessity of abandoning alto¬ 
gether the cultivation of this early and delicious fruit. 
On examination, I discovered that the trees are first 
affected on the south-east side of the stem, showing a 
dead strip from the ground to the lower branches, many 
of them leaving out, but soon wither and die. 
I attribute the cause of the destruction of this tree, 
not to the effects of severe frost, but to the frequent and 
sudden thawing by the morning sun. 
The trees generally survive but two or three winters 
after being transplanted; for as soon as they become 
firmly rooted, the increased size of the sap vessels, the 
consequence of rapid growth, renders them liable to be 
thus affected. 
I would propose as a cheap and effectual remedy, the 
following: 
Take two strips of boards, say from four to six inches 
wide, and long enough to extend from the ground to 
the lower branches, and nail the two edges together at 
right angles, and during winter place one of these on 
the south side of each tree, securing them by two 
strings. These may be stowed away in summer, occu¬ 
pying but little space, and will last an age. 
Albany, July , 1846. H. P. Byram. 
GLASS MILK-PANS. 
Why can’t we have glass milk-pans in this country ? 
They are being introduced in the English dairies, and 
are much liked. They are said to be much more easily 
cleaned than pans of any other materials, and are so 
strong that they will bear a very severe blow without 
breaking. The only objection to them is their cost, 
which, on account of duties, is rendered high. We 
suppose they might be afforded cheaply in this country. 
