THE CULTIVATOR. 
65 
single fertilizers ? These and other saline and alkaline 
ingredients may be added to compost heaps with advan¬ 
tage, and increase their activity as fertilizing agents. We 
are sometimes apt to be carried away by speculative 
views in farming as well as in other occupations, and to 
be captivated by something new, while we neglect the 
more common and useful things. Human excretions 
form a powerfully azotized or nitrogenous manure, and 
they compose the fertilizing ingredients in Poudrette, 
which has been highly extolled as a great fertilizer. 
This is doubtless so when it is not too much diluted or 
adulterated. But those who have embarked in its pro¬ 
duction, have done so for the purpose of making money 
by the sale of it. The consequence is that it is losing its 
character, because it is too much diluted with peat, or 
saw-dust, or coal ashes, rendering it feeble or compara¬ 
tively inert. The excretions of birds from the coasts of 
Peru and Africa, are now imported by the name of Gu¬ 
ano; and those interested in its sale give glowing ac¬ 
counts of its fertilizing qualities. Some are captivated 
by its recommendations and novelty, and are buying a 
dear article, (which is not universally applicable like 
barn-yard manure,) and which may be cheaply imitated 
by chemical combinations. 
Now I insist upon it, that farmers in this and the ad¬ 
joining States where manure must be used, should look 
to, and make the most of, their domestic supplies before 
they purchase factitious or imported manures. If a far¬ 
mer raises poultry, his hen roost will furnish materials 
similar to guano. He may have the temple of Cloacina 
emptied and its contents made into poudrette, as I know 
was practiced by a neighboring farmer. In 1843 he had 
the contents of his sink mixed with sand and chip ma¬ 
nure, together with a large cask of plaster of Paris, and a 
quantity of wood ashes which he had saved. These in¬ 
gredients when mixed together, and dry enough to sho¬ 
vel over, made20 or more ox-cartloads of good manure. 
Again in the spring of 1844, the excretions from the 
same sink were mixed with sand, some ox manure, chafl^ 
a cask of plaster, and some wood ashes as before, making 
24 loads of good compost. In 1843 the compost was 
employed to manure potatoes and turneps, and in 1844, 
potatoes alone, causing a vigorous growth in both instan¬ 
ces.* 
We cannot raise hogs with advantage in this part of 
the country without keeping them shut up in pens all the 
time, and well supplied with straw or sea-weed, and soil 
or muck, and then the manure made is part of the profit. 
Here swine are fed both with animal and vegetable sub¬ 
stances, and their excretions are rich in nitrogen or azo¬ 
tized materials, or as Dr. Mitchill would have said, re¬ 
plete with “ Septon.” Hence it is that hog manure is 
more powerful than the excretions of horses or cattle. 
But when we mix all these together in the barn-yard 
compost, we have wherewith to supply all the wants of 
cultivated plants with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, azote, 
&c. Let farmers therefore look around their own pre¬ 
mises, collect, mix and manufacture for themselves as 
much as they can before they buy any manure. 
The lecture or essay of M. Dumas occupies but 64 pa¬ 
ges of the work under consideration. The remainder is 
made up of documents illustrating in detail the subjects 
touched upon in the essay. There is also an appendix 
by Dr. Gardner, to whom we are indebted for bringing 
before the American public the lecture of M. Dumas as 
translated from the French. We had marked some pas¬ 
sages to guide the reader, but must refer him to the work 
itself as worthy of attentive perusal, hoping it may give 
him as much satisfaction as it did 
A Practical Farmer. 
Staten Island , Nov. 23, 1844. 
* We do not give this as a correct recipe to make poudrette, nor is 
an invariable one necessary, because it may be made in different 
ways. Two materials are necessary in its composition; one to make 
bulk, and one to render it inodorous. The bulky articles may be soil, 
or muck or peat, tanner’s bark, saw-dust, spent wood ashes, coal ash¬ 
es and other things. To render night soil inodorous, diluted sulphu¬ 
ric acid may be used, or ground plaster of Paris, wood ashes, fine 
charcoal and sulphate of iron. My neighbor, among other things used 
sand to make bulk, because he had it in abundance^ and his soil was a 
stiff clay 
PLAN OF A HOUSE—(Fig. 22.) 
Mr. Tucker —I transmit for your consideration, the 
above plan of a boarding-house, which T have been erec¬ 
ting, and which I think convenient, for the accommoda¬ 
tion of 12 or eighteen boarders, i. e. for children attend¬ 
ing school. 
It is one story and a half, as that is sufficiently high for 
the placing of beds around the chambers, where most of 
the beds are put up, and which makes them quite plea¬ 
sant. The sitting-room (A.) and parlor (C.) have a stone 
chimney erected between them, with a fire-place to each 
room—also the dining-room (B.) has a good stone chim¬ 
ney. That room answers for the purpose of domestic 
labor, such as carding, spinning, knitting, sewing, &c. 
beside being occupied for a dining-room. Our cooking 
is mostly done by a cooking stove. Stairs go up into the 
chambers from the sitting and dining rooms. The cham¬ 
bers are partitioned off into sleeping rooms, just accord¬ 
ing to the fancy of the occupant. A. Sitting room and 
library, 19 by 20 ft.—B. Dining room, 14 by 33—C. Par¬ 
lor, 18 by 20—D. Kitchen, 12 by 14—E. Bed room, 10 by 
12— F. Piazza, 7 ft. wide. A Subscriber. 
Choctaw Nation , Dec. 27, 1844. 
THE CULTURE OF THE SWEET POTATOE. 
The Sweet Potatoe, ( Convolvulus batatas ,) was intro¬ 
duced into England previous to the Irish potatoe, and was 
in those days supposed to possess the qualities of resto¬ 
ring decayed vigor to the human frame; and consequent¬ 
ly more frequently found in the shop of the confectioner, 
than in the larder of the cook. It is a native both of 
Spain and the Canary Islands, and was, as an edible, in 
such bad repute, that the renowned Evylin , in his work 
on Gardening, as early as the year 1699, recommends that 
potatoes should be planted in the worst ground. We are 
glad that we live in. an age and country, where we can 
say, plant sweet potatoes in your best land; though in all 
probability, in the days of the author above quoted, the 
promise of this root was such that it held forth no in¬ 
ducements to the cultivator; and certainly time has 
shown that England’s climate and soil, has proved uncon¬ 
genial to its improvement. There are many, even in 
our southern country, at this day, who take his advice and 
neglect this crop, from the sole fact perhaps, that they 
themselves are not fond of potatoes, not consulting the 
tastes of voracious hogs and cows, wh®, squealing and 
lowing for corn and hay, would be happily regaled with 
a satisfactory meal from the potatoe pile. 
In the south, we regard the successful cultivation of the 
sweet potatoe as an easy attainment. It delights in a san¬ 
dy, rather light, deep, and well stirred soil, which must 
be located on a dry subsoil, though in some instances we 
have seen good potatoes raised on clay lands. A moist 
atmosphere, the temperature of which is warm, appears 
most conducive to the early growth and pleasant flavor 
of the sweet potatoe. 
From its great use in culinary concerns, it deserves 
more attention at the hands of our southern planters than 
it has as yet received. The climate south of 36 degrees, 
has been found admirably adapted to its growth; and no 
crop can be planted which will yield more to the acre. 
The fine effect which they give when fed to milch cows, 
should make it a favorite with all who delight in good 
milk and butter. When dried in a brick oven, they fur 
