300 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Oct. 
ral streams. It may be pumped up with a chain pump 
by hand ; by a water-ram from a stream, or by wind- 
power from either. Our correspondent knows best 
which of these sources of water he has, and can judge 
best which mode of elevating will be most applicable. 
A barn roof will commonly afford water enough for a 
herd of cattle, if the cistern is made large enough to 
hold its rain water, which is scarcely ever the case. 
The other questions we cannot answer from personal 
knowledge—will some of our correspondents do so ? 
Reclaiming Wet Lands. 
Mr. Tucker — I have a “Beaver meadow,” which is 
almost of no value. Its subsoil is a blue clay, and is 
overflown in the spring, and in the summer cracks 
badly, and grows up to weeds and bulrushes. I am a 
new beginner at farming, and would like your advice, 
(or that of some of your excellent correspondents,) how 
to make it productive and profitable. Freshman. 
We take it for granted that there is a good layer of 
decayed vegetable matter upon the blue clay subsoil; 
and if so, our correspondent has only to give the ground 
a good thorough underdraining, (for which we have 
given directions at length in former volumes,) laying 
the ditches at regular intervals so as to render the 
whole as dry as the driest upland, and it is then ready 
for the commencement of cultivation. It should be 
plowed at a proper depth, which depth can be only de¬ 
termined by a personal examination of the effects, and 
of the depth of the surface soil and nature of the sub¬ 
soil,—stable manure with some ashes applied.—and 
then sown to grass, or planted with corn or potatoes. 
Substitute for Guano. 
Messrs. Editors —What shall we substitute for 
guano ? In my answer to this question, as found in 
the Country Gentleman of Aug. 10, I proposed urine 
not only as a substitute for guano but every way equal 
to it, in all the elements of fertility, for though defi¬ 
cient in phosphate of lime, it is much richer in the ele¬ 
ments of ammonia. I now, in the second place, pro¬ 
pose ashes as another important substitute for guano. 
Ashes, though destitute of the elements of ammonia, 
are richer in all the salts that constitute a rich manure, 
than guano. To prepare, then, a universal fertilizer, 
equal to the best guano and superior to any of the 
phosphates, superphosphates or artificial guano, prepar¬ 
ed by Prof. Mapes or any other American Prof, I 
would propose to the farmer to make a compost of his 
barn-yard manure and ashes. And when I say barn¬ 
yard manure, I include the urine with the solid. In 
this compost, I would also put the excrement of the 
family, with all the waste suds, and whatever absorb¬ 
ents,may be used to save the urine and the suds. I see 
not how the farmer could add to the quality of such a 
compost. If he wish to add to the quantity of his 
manure, he may add any amount of common salt and 
air slaked lime, with smaller quantities of the different 
salts of potash, soda and magnesia. Such a compost 
could be made by any and every farmer and mechanic 
or professional man even, and at a cost less than half 
that of guano or any of the phosphates or artificial 
mixtures, now offered for sale. I am almost every day 
inquired of, relative to the value and use of the dif¬ 
ferent fertilizers, now advertised for sale in the cities, 
and my invariable answer is, make your own guano 
as I have above directed. Or, at least, exhaust your 
own resources before you purchase foreign manures. 
J. L. Edgerton. Georgia , Vermont. 
An Experiment Proposed. 
Messrs. Editors — I propose through your most 
valuable paper (if you deem it proper,) that some of 
your correspondents try the following experiment, and 
report the result through the same. The experiment 
is intended to decide that long contested question—“ Do 
manures ascend , or descend in the soil, or remain 
where they were first put ?” 
Take a pail or box, put 9 inches of the soil you wish to 
experiment on in it; now put about 4 inches of manure 
—any manure you wish, say barn yard manure —on 
the earth, and over the whole, put a layer ot about 6 
inches of earth—the same kind as the first mentioned. 
Expose the pail or box, containing the above, in some 
open place, that the weather may have full effect on 
the same—the effect it would have if the soil and ma¬ 
nure were in the ground. After a while,—say from 3 
months to a year, carefully take off the top soil—mark 
if any difference, caused by the action of the manure, 
has taken place in the same—how it has affected the 
soil, if at all. Now look at the place where the ma¬ 
nure was placed—see what action has taken place— 
whether the manure has dissipated all of itself amongst 
the soil placed on or over it, or whether any remains, 
without any admixture of soil—or, as it was put in. 
Look now to your soil which was placed under the ma¬ 
nure. See, whether the manure has descended into it 
or not; and now you will be prepared to form a con¬ 
clusion. 
If the soil placed above the manure, is in any man¬ 
ner changed by the manure, except that part immedi¬ 
ately in contact with it—it may be taken for granted 
that manure does ascend in the soil. If you now 
look at the under soil, and find it also changed by the 
manure—does it not indisputably prove, that manure 
does descend in the soil ? If you find the action of 
the manure, on both soils, as above, the conclusion 
come to, is— That manure both descends and ascends 
in the soil. If neither the soils were changed, and 
the manure remained where it was put, we naturally 
arrive at the conclusion— That manure remains in 
the soil, in the place where it is put , until taken away 
by crops of plants or weeds. If such is the case, hence 
the propriety of thoroughly intermingling manure and 
soil, for the plants to have full benefit from the same ; 
as, if put near the surface, the plants only receive 
nourishment from it while young, arid its roots* soon 
extend far beyond its influence. If put in deep , the 
plants receives no nourishment from it while young,— 
which they greatly want to give them a vigorous start 
* This does not apply to grasses. 
