THE CULTIVATOR. 
should be without. We will send specimen copies 
to all who apply for them, and shall be obliged 
for all efforts made to promote its circulation. 
Monument to Mr. Downing. 
It will be seen by the annexed notice, that the 
Committee appointed at the late meeting of the 
American Pomological Society, at Philadelphia, 
have organised, and are prepared to receive sub¬ 
scriptions for the purpose of carrying into effect 
the duties assigned them. No man was more wor¬ 
thy of such a testimonial, and we doubt not the 
sum necessary will soon be raised—for who, among 
all those who have read his works, and appreciat- 
ted their influence upon the rural improvement 
of our country, will withhold his aid to a project 
so creditable to the living and the dead. 
The undersigned were appointed a Committee by the 
American Pomological Society, at its late meeting in 
Philadelphia, (with power to add to their number,) to 
solicit from individuals, subscriptions, each of one dol¬ 
lar or upwards, to procure such testimonial as the Com¬ 
mittee may deem suitable and expedient, in memory of 
the lamented Andrew Jackson Downing. 
His private virtues, his great worth and important 
services in Horticulture, Rural Architecture, and the 
various branches of terra-culture, and his numerous 
and valuable publications, justly entitle him to this dis¬ 
tinction. 
In discharge of the duty imposed upon us, we trans¬ 
mit to you this Circular, and earnestly request your 
prompt co-operation in fulfillment of this benevolent 
design. 
Associations as well as individuals who may receive 
this Circular, are requested to transmit, by mail or oth¬ 
erwise, their contributions to either of the subscribers, 
who will register their names, residence and subscrip¬ 
tion. 
Marshall P. Wilder, Boston. 
S’oSir’S p * 
H. W. S. Cleveland, Burlington N. J. 
Benjamin Hodge, Buffalo, N. Y. 
F. R. Elliott, Cleveland, Ohio. 
Law’nce Young, Springdale, near Louisville, Ky. 
W. H. Breckenridge, Washington, D. C. 
John A. Kennicott, Northfield, Illinois. 
The several Vice Presidents of the American Pomo¬ 
logical Society, and the Chairmen of the various State 
Fruit Committees, are hereby constituted members of 
the above Committee, with authority to appoint associ¬ 
ates in their respective States and Territories. 
MARSHALL P. WILDER, Chairman. 
Potatoes in Tan, Plaster, and in Ashes. 
Some interesting experiments have been lately 
made with these different substances, which afford 
valuable results. The Journal of Agriculture fur¬ 
nishes a statement of trials made with potatoes 
covered with six inches of salt hay; with slacked 
lime in the hill and salt over it; with lime only, 
and that on the surface; with a shovel full of tan 
in the hill; with a shovel full of marsh mud; and 
with a shovel of cattle manure. The salt hay, 
slacked lime and salt, manure, and mud, were all 
attended with equal results; the lime on the sur¬ 
face and lime in the hill, afforded one-sixteenth 
more • while the tan under the seed yielded one- 
fifth more, and tan on the seed one-eighth more— 
the latter being larger, smoother, and better than 
the others. To what cause is the favorable influ¬ 
ence of the tan to be ascribed? Some, doubtless, 
would refer it to its chemical composition; but 
the more probable cause is its mechanical influ¬ 
ence, in regulating the quantity of moisture in the 
soil. Unfortunately, we are not informed whether 
the soil was light or heavy. 
From a set of experiments detailed in the Gen¬ 
esee Farmer, on “ a dark clay loam,” in Scoharie 
Co., N. Y., it appears that in-all cases the appli¬ 
cation of ashes, in the hill, or ashes mixed with a 
smaller portion of plaster, resulted in the rotting 
of a portion of the crop—much more so than when 
nothing was applied. On the other hand, the ap¬ 
plication of plaster alone resulted in the entire 
soundness of the crop. Further investigation may 
be needed to determine how much of this result 
was owing to chemical, how much to mechanical, 
and how much to other or accidental causes. "We 
have often observed that where the soil contained 
adhesive portions, which stuck like mud to the 
toes, that such potatoes always rotted first. Could 
the ashes 'or plaster have controlled this particular 
influence? It is proper to remark that the ashes 
were followed with a much larger crop than their 
non-application. — — 
Slaked Lime and Muck as a Manure. 
A correspondent has made the inquiry, whether 
slaked lime, if mixed with the vegetable produc¬ 
tion found in our swamps, termed muck, would 
prove beneficial to the soil as a manure. Our an¬ 
swer is in the affirmative; and we would confi¬ 
dently recommend the process whenever it is prac¬ 
ticable. The reason why this vegetable material, 
when mingled with the soil in its pure condition, 
is of so little utility, is altogether owing to the 
circumstance of its containing a considerable quan¬ 
tity of resinous matter in its composition, which 
consequently prevents it from undergoing so ready 
a decomposition as is necessarily required. But 
by the addition of slaked lime, or ashes, to the 
ingredients, the lime, or the potash and soda of 
the ashes, combining with the resin, embraced in 
such quantities in the muck, produces a soap 
which is soluble in water, and easily becomes 
washed from the woody fibres that it contains, 
leaving the undecaying materials to the free action 
of moisture, and those other agents which facilitate 
its decomposition; consequently, slaked linrn unit¬ 
ed with muck, should be recommended; but it will 
not answer so well to mix with any other manures 
differing materially from it, and which may owe 
their fertilizing properties to nitrogen. In this 
latter case ammonia will be formed, and speedily 
pass off, to be dispersed in the atmosphere. J. E. 
jUlbany, Dec. 1, 1852. 
