222 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Still, as before remarked, it is better to plow it in before 
sowing the seeds. 
After corn has come up, the only safe way of applying 
gnano to this crop is, to take about a table spoonful, at 
the first time hoeing, and dig it in an inch or two deep, 
around the corn, six inches at least from each stalk. A 
table-spoonful is sufficient unless the land be very poor ; 
and with this quantity it will take about 250 to 350 lbs., 
per acre, according to the distance the hills are planted 
apart. If the soil be rather poor, a second dose adminis¬ 
tered in the same manner, at the time the corn first show r s 
its silk, will add considerably to the yield in grain, if fol¬ 
lowed by rains, but little or nothing to the growth of stalk. 
Guano increases the size and growth of the grain more 
than it does that of the stalk ,• hence one must be con¬ 
tent to wait till the grain is fully matured before giving 
an opinion of the virtues of guano. 
Before applying the guano, it is better to mix it well 
with an equal quantity of plaster of Paris or charcoal 
dust. Either of these substances help to retain the am¬ 
monia and prevent its evaporating. 
The genuine, unadulterated Peruvian guano, is so 
much superior to any other kind, that it is in reality the 
cheapest, though the price is considerable higher than 
that of other qualities. 
As corn is very late this year, farmers will do well to 
apply guano to it. This will accelerate its growth, give 
a larger crop, and cause it to mature at least one week 
earlier. A. B. Allen. New-York, May 10 th, 1852. 
Bones and Lime as a Manure. 
Mr. Editor —As a practical farmer, I feel anxious to 
adopt all laudable means to improve the soil of my farm, 
by the use of such manures and agents as will promote 
that end, and the object of this communication is to in¬ 
quire, 
1. What effect burnt bone dust will exert on land hav¬ 
ing a light clay soil ; how many bushels per acre should 
be used, and the mode of applying it? 
2. What effect would lime have upon soil, through 
which gas had passed, and in what quantities should it be 
used per acre? 
Would it be beneficial when applied to fruit trees, and 
in what quantities? Would it destroy the insects that 
usually infest the roots of fruit trees? 
The above articles may be had in St. Louis in any rea¬ 
sonable quantities. Answers to the above inquiries, at 
your earliest convenience, are respectfully solicited. In 
conclusion, I would add, that I have read with much 
pleasure and profit, the numbers of the Cultivator for se¬ 
veral years, and would not be without some of the num¬ 
bers for the whole amount the paper costs me per year. 
Respectfully and truly yours, Dennis Lackland. Lo¬ 
cust Grove, Mo., March 6, 1852. 
It is hard to say, without either direct experiment, or 
very minute and accurate analysis, with a view to this 
point, what soils will, and what soils will not, be benefi¬ 
ted by bone manure. Those quite destitute of phosphate 
of lime, will, of course, be greatly improved. As this is 
only one out of many of the ingredients of manure, a few 
bushels per acre, in connection with a moderate, or rath¬ 
er small application of yard manure, will usually be 
June. 
enough. Bones, however, contain other valuable enrich- 
ing substances besides the phosphates, which is dissipated 
by burning, but is wholly saved by dissolving in sulphu¬ 
ric acid. Bone dust or burnt bones, may be sowed over 
the surface, and harrowed or plowed in; but the paste 
made by dissolving in sulphuric acid, should be made dry 
by mixing with dry peat, sawdust, ashes or plaster, be¬ 
fore spreading. 
Lime used in gas works would not, probably, produce 
an effect much different from other slacked lime. Expe¬ 
riment will show best its utility. Two or three hundred 
bushels per acre would be a moderate application. Most 
fruit trees contain large quantities of lime, and applied 
to them, except on soils already rich in the carbonate, 
would probably prove of considerable benefit. Insects 
would not be likely to be much influenced, although it is 
believed in some degree to repel the peach worm. 
— - *-«-» - 
Keeping Fruit Fresh. 
The New England Farmer says he has preserved goose¬ 
berries by placing the fruit, picked rather green, in bot¬ 
tles so as to fill them, and then filling all spaces to the 
mouth with water. The bottles are then set in a kettle 
of cold water where they remain till it is made to boil, 
when they are taken out, immediately corked very se¬ 
curely, and set in a cellar. To this the Prairie Farmer 
adds, “ Very likely; and we have many times put goose¬ 
berries into a bottle, clean and dry, without any cold or 
hot water or any thing else, except corking tight and 
covering the cork with sealing wax, and putting into a 
cellar; and had gooseberry pies as fresh at New Year’s 
as though the fruit had just been taken from the bush.” 
This mode would serve admirably for gooseberries and 
currants (nearly ripe,) but for cherries and some other 
smaller fruits the water process has proved much the 
best. High-flavored sour cherries, as the Mayduke, Early 
Richmond, &c., keep much better than the heart cher¬ 
ries—probably Downer’s Late, a very high-flavored sort, 
would be one of the best of the latter class. The com¬ 
mon blaek or junk bottles have been found to serve a 
good purpose, if perfectly clean, having never been pre¬ 
viously used; but transparent bottles, showing exactly 
the condition of the fruit, are of course best. An intelli¬ 
gent and skilful neighbor has succeeded by still another 
process in preserving peaches, (cut into large pieces and 
divested of the skin,) as fresh as when taken from the 
tree; not in their weight of sugar, but in a very small 
quantity of that material. We have eaten them after 
mid-winter, and could not have told by the flavor the 
difference between these and the fresh dish served with 
cream at mid-autumn. This process has cost months of 
labor and experiment before reaching its present state of 
perfection, and it is yet to undergo further attempts at 
improvement another season ; and in the mean time will 
not of course be given to the public. Dr. Lee thinks 
that fruit cannot be kept long, even if perfectly excluded 
from the air, at a temperature above 60° Fab., but this 
mode of treating peaches appears to constitute an excep¬ 
tion. 
Maxims for the Young. —Keep good company or 
none. 
Always speak the truth. 
