273 
mm. THE CULTIVATOR. 
ECONOMY IN § ATI W« fflABUKES. 
[The following article is the substance of a report 
son manures, read before the “ Clinton Farmer’s Club,” 
"by Edward North.] 
One of the great secrets of success in the culture of the 
'soil, is Economy. This magic word is an “ open Se¬ 
same” to wealth and independence, fn order that the 
•agriculturist may realize the largest profit from hislabor 
and skill, he must be frugal and saving. He must be not 
more careful to avoid manifest extravagance, than he 
is to practice a system of rigid economy, which shall 
look in every direction Argus-eyed; and be applicable 
to every combination of circumstances. 
He must save not only at the bong-hole, but also at 
the spigot, and thus arrest the injury wrought by those 
small dribbling losses, which viewed separately, ap¬ 
pear of no account , while in the aggregate and the long 
run, they greatly diminish the returns of agricultural 
industry, fn no department of rural labor, is there 
snore to be gained by the exercise of economical inge¬ 
nuity, than in the making, the saving and the using of 
manures. We are too much inclined, if f mistake not, 
to centre our regards upon the barn-yard, the stable, 
and the lime-kiln—too much inclined to place our main 
dependance upon these sources of fertilizing and stimu¬ 
lating agents, to the neglect of others not less worthy of 
attention. The different manures, and materials for 
creating manure, which maybe secured and made avail¬ 
able upon the precincts of every husbandman, are very 
numerous, and as valuable as they are numerous. 
Among the sources of manure frequently overlooked, 
or but partially drawn upon, may be mentioned the 
privy, the ash-bin and wood house; the henroost and 
pigeon-cote; the sink-drain and wash-tub; the marl-bed 
and peat swamp; the gullies and forest. 
All these are mines of wealth to him who tills the 
&oil, and when brought into full requisition, they have 
proved instrumental in the production of crops before 
.unanticipated and unknown. The amount of waste 
that is often permitted by overlooking these deposits of 
fertilizing substances, cannot be easily and accurately 
estimated. Yet a single calculation which I have hap¬ 
pened upon in my agricultural reading may serve to 
throw some light upon this matter. “ The solid and 
liquid excrements of a man may be estimated at 1*65 
lbs. per diem, or about 614 lbs. per annum. Contain¬ 
ing 3 per cent, or 181bs.of Nitrogen, a sufficient quan¬ 
tity, according to Boussingault, to produce 880 lbs. or 
about 1.5 bushels of wheat.” Report of the Commis¬ 
sioner of Patents for 1844, p. 384. 
Now if a farmer’s family consist of five individuals, 
and the contents of the privy are wasted, there is an 
annual sacrifice of enough nutrition for growing 70 
bushels ©f wheat. This calculation was made by a dis¬ 
tinguished French chemist, and may be relied upon as 
sufficiently accurate. But even if the contents of the 
privy were less valuable, by a half, than is here estima- 
mated, they ought still to arrest attention and provoke 
experiments with those who .are solicitous to improve 
their farms and husband their resources. 
The wasting of ashes is less common than that of 
bones. Yet. the former are often suffered to lie in use¬ 
less and unsightly heaps, when thrown from the leach 
rtub; while the latter, of which every housekeeper may 
command a certain quantity, are seldom subjected to 
•the process of burning and pulverizing, which converts 
them into an excellent manure. The chief constituent 
in the bones of all animals * is the phosphate of lime., 
& Jhbstance absolutely necessary to the healthy vege¬ 
tation of plants. The other principal ingredients are car¬ 
bonate of lime and cartilaginous matter, both of which 
when decomposed, enter largely into the synthesis of 
vegetable substances. The cultivator of the soil will 
not be incredulous as to the power of vegetables to feed 
upon and digest the hard substance of crushed bones, 
when he is reminded that the ashes of wheat straw are 
composed of 611 per cent, of Silica, or flint, which is 
much harder than the hardest bone.” Loudon’s Maga¬ 
zine of Gardening, vol. 2, p. 319. 
By carefully gathering up, from time to time, what 
is deposited beneath the perches of the hen-house and 
pigeon-cote, one may not only improve the health and 
fecundity of his fowls, but may also enrich himself with 
home-made guano, scarcely inferior to that brought 
from distant, foreign shores, which smells so rankly of 
money as to find but little favor with any hut amateur 
farmers. 
The amount of fertilization that is pounded and 
scrubbed out of our clothes in the course of a year, 
would probably startle one who should see it written 
down in truthful figures. The farmer or gardener who 
suffers the precious contents of the wash-tub to be 
thrown away and wasted, especially when his plants and 
trees are withering beneath the heat of the dog-star, 
has reason to reproach himself with the folly of “spil¬ 
ling at the bung-hole.” 
Monday is a day of great rejoicing to trees, and ve¬ 
getables, when they are allowed to count on a thorough 
soaking about sunset, with rich saponaceous liquid, fur¬ 
nished by the laundress. 
I have been told of a farmer, who after having suf¬ 
fered the wash-tubs to be emptied into a filthy drain, de¬ 
liberately proceeded to deluge his pet garden sauce with 
ice-cold water fresh pumped from the well. I shall not 
credit the statement without further evidence. Some¬ 
times it happens that peach stones or pear pits, get 
planted, either by accident or whim, hard by the kit¬ 
chen door. Trees so situated, almost invariably prove 
thrifty and productive. Their bearing qualities and the 
exquisite flavor of their fruit, are extolled by individu¬ 
als in private, and by committees in public. All the 
world wonders how it came to pass that trees which 
seem to have sprung from the soil without asking any 
body’s advice or permission, and which have reached 
their maturity without any body’s nursing, should be so 
•very healthy and prolific. The true explanation of this 
wonder, doubtless is, that the earth which such trees in¬ 
habit is fattened by the slops and dregs of the kitchen; and 
we are thus sharply rebuked for our want of economy 
in saving a species ©f manure so precious and so conve¬ 
nient. Nature herself is fond of elaborating manure, 
and as skilfull too, as she is fond. If we were half as 
industrious and efficient, or were more willing to avail 
ourselves of her proffered assistance, we should less of¬ 
ten be heard to complain of poor and ungrateful soils. 
The little stream that divides the pasture or meadow, 
is ever busy at its task in collecting aliment for grasses 
and trees. To the products of its inanimate industry 
we are always welcome. In the silent woods, again, 
nature is constantly accumulating stores of fertilizing 
substance. 
The leaves which blanket the earth in autumn, are at 
once brought under the influence of her subtle chemis¬ 
try, and thus prepared for contributing to other and more 
•durable forms of vegetable growth. The frugal farmer 
will not forget the forest. He will bring it under sta¬ 
ted contribution. If gathered in autumn, leaves form 
