THE CULTIVATOR. 
47 
“ 6. That the effects of gypsum as a manure are hardly percepti¬ 
ble in the vicinity of the sea.” 
The reason conjectured for the last fact is, that the atmosphere 
on the coast is charged with muriate of soda or common salt—that 
the sulphuric acid of the gypsum, having a stronger affinity for the 
soda than the muriatic acid, unites with it, and forms a sulphate of 
soda, which if not unfriendly to vegetation, does not seem to aid it. 
The Chancellor advances the opinion, since amply confirmed, that 
calcareous earths are permanent manures, in proportion to the 
quantity employed; “for if this is small,” he adds, “it must be fre 
quently renewed, because this earth is soluble in water, and will be 
carried off by it, or imbibed by the plants themselves.” This latter 
fact has been conclusively shown by Mr.' Ruffin, in his valuable 
treatise upon calcareous manures. In speaking of the decreasing 
fertility of soils, from the effects of culture, water, fire, &c. he adds, 
“ Let us not, however, tremble for the fate of posterity; the fossils 
which the sea affords? the vast quarries of marble, chalk, gypsum, 
marl, /which all derive their origin from the same source, not only 
restore the loss which the water occasions, but agreeable to this 
system, compel the air to deposite the spoils of the vegetable world, 
and the fires which have consumed the old, to. animate new plants.” 
We may add, that the Chancellor found the gypsum beneficial in 
proportion to the poverty and lightness of the soil; and that mo¬ 
dern experience has demonstrated, that it is beneficial to the potato, 
pea and other leguminous crops. 
A BLESSING IN THE FORM OF AN ENEMY. 
Ezra L’Hommedieu, favorably known in our legislative annals, 
and a nice observer in agricultural matters, prefaces a communica¬ 
tion on manures, by observing, that the land in his county, (Suffolk,) 
was so constantly tilled, and so little attention was paid to making 
manure, “ that an average of not more than five or six bushels of 
wheat was raised on the acre. This mode of husbandry was still 
pursued, and although the land was gradually impoverished, the far¬ 
mer found the crop, though small, more than would pay for his la¬ 
bor and expense. The wheat insect, the Hessian fly, put an end to 
this kind of husbandry, and in that respect has proved a blessing in¬ 
stead of a curse: No other way being found to prevent the injury 
to this crop by the insect, but by highly manuring the land. Great 
attention since has been paid to making manure, which in many 
parts of the county has increased ten-fold. This addition has 
been made by green sea-weed; by drifted sea-weed; by making a 
compost with barn-yard dung and turf; by mud taken from the 
creeks and swamps; by leached ashes, and by the fish called man- 
haden or mosbankers.” 
This narration of Mr. L’Hommedieu affords important hints to a 
vast many farmers, who are careless of saving or applying manure—- 
who are going on, and are likely to keep going on, in a reckless dis¬ 
regard of the first principles of good farming, till the Hessian fly, or 
some other malady, shall drive them to a better system. In some cases 
the manure was increased ten-fold! And sp it may be increased 
upon more than half the farms in our state. It is vegetable and ani¬ 
mal matters—it is dung,'that feeds our crops, and makes our grain, 
and meat, and money. There is another fact to which we would 
call the attention of the advocates of fermented manures. Mr. L. 
speaks of a compost of yard dung and turf. Whence the utility of 
this mixture 1 Why cart turf first to the yard, and afterwards to 
the field 1 For the very plain reason, that while mixed with the 
dung in the compost, it became enriched by the gases—-the volatile 
parts of the manure—given off in the process of fermentation, and 
which would otherwise have been scattered to the winds, and their 
fertilizing properties lost to the farm. 
Mr. L. describes various experiments made with green and drift 
sea-weed, with the compost, and with mud and fish. 
The green sea-weed is thrown into the hog-yards, with some 
dirt or turf, and being trodden and mixed by the hogs, is in a few 
weeks fit for use, and is applied alike to small grains, or to corn in 
the hill. 
The drift sea-weed is spread in a dry state upon wheat grounds, 
directly after sowing, with good effect; it is also used as litter, or 
manufactured into dung by the pigs, in the pen. One man thus 
made 20 tons in a year, worth $20, with two hogs. Mr. L. sug¬ 
gests that a similar economy may be effected by persons living re¬ 
mote from the sea, by putting in the pen the fresh grass growing 
on flats and in rivers, and adding turf or dirt, and any vegetable not 
fit for fodder. The suggestion is a good one. Marsh lands and 
water may thus be made to give back the riches which are con¬ 
stantly flowing into them from the higher grounds. 
The dung for the compost is carted from the yard as soon as the 
winter foddering is over, and mixed in alternate layers with the 
turf, the turf or dirt forming a thick covering to the pile, to keep the 
sun from the dung. Nothing is said of making compost with fer¬ 
mented dung. 
The mud manure is the vegetable matter which is washed into 
streams, mixed with a portion of earth. It is exposed to a winter’s 
frost, which pulverizes it. It is then usefully applied as a top-dress¬ 
ing to grass or wheat. Its value must depend upon the proportion 
of vegetable matter with which it abounds. 
The fish, which are taken in great abundance, are used in dung¬ 
ing corn in the hills, are spread upon grass grounds, 15 inches apart, 
or made into a compost with earth, in the proportion of one load of 
fish to four of earth. Fifteen loads of the compost are found suffi¬ 
cient for an acre of poor land, which will in consequence give 30 
bushels of wheat. Here we must state another fact, and a conclu¬ 
sive one, in confirmation of our theory, that the gases evolved by 
fermenting manure are a valuable food for plants. Plants can live 
upon air. We will quote Mr. L.’s words: 
“ Mr. Glover relates a circumstance which is curious. He made 
a heap, composed of those fish and earth, in the manner above re¬ 
lated, near a fence where a field of wheat was growing on the op¬ 
posite side. The wheat near the heap soon changed its color, and 
grew, luxuriant, and at harvest yielded nearly double the quantity 
to the other parts of the field. He is confident the wheat could de¬ 
rive no nourishment from the heap or compost, by its being washed 
by rains to the ground on the other side of the fence, where the 
wheat grew, and could be effected only by the effluvia arising from the 
putrefaction of the fish, and absorbed by the leaves of the wheat." Vol. I. 
p. 67. 
RAISING CLOVER SEED. 
Suffolk county, we are informed by Mr. L’Hommedieu, sent to 
market, 47 years ago, more clover seed than all the rest of the state. 
It was not uncommon for a farmer to market 30 bushels in a year. 
The best soil -for producing seed, says Mr. L. is a light sand or 
loam. The seed was collected both from the first and second crop, 
but the largest quantity was taken from the first. - When intended 
for seed, only three or four pounds were sown upon the acre,—up¬ 
on land yielding ten. bushels of wheat or rye. This thin crop was 
not considered profitable to mow, but standing thin the heads were 
well filled with seed. When about one-half of the field had changed 
its color, by the drying of the clover heads, they then began to ga¬ 
ther the seed, by means of an instrument drawn by a horse, and 
guided by a man or boy. This machine consisted of an open box, 
about four feet square at the bottom, and about two feet high on 
three sides. “ One part,” says Mr. L. “ which we may call the fore 
part, is open; on this part is fixed fingers similar to the fingers of a 
cradle, about three feet long, and so near together as to break off 
the heads from the. clo.ver stocks, which are taken between these 
fingers. The heads are thrown back into the box as the horse 
walks on. The box is fixed on an axle-tree, supported by two small 
wheels of two feet in diameter; two handles are fixed to the box 
behind, by which the man or boy, at the same time he guides the 
horse, lowers or raises the fingers of the machine, so as to take off 
all the heads from the grass. As often as the box gets full of heads, 
they are thrown out, and the horse goes on again.” With this ma¬ 
chine, a boy and horse would gather the heads from five acres in a 
day. On rich lands no seed was taken from the first crop, it being 
too luxuriant to seed well. The heads were placed in small cocks 
in the field, and left there two or three weeks, in order that the 
husk might rot, and the seed be the easier extricated. This pro¬ 
cess is now superseded by the use of the modern clover mill. Mr. 
L. had known the produce to be as high as 4 J bushels the acre. 
BLIGHT IN PEAR TREES. 
“ The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, anxious to promote the 
discovery of a preventive for the disease usually termed blight in 
pear trees, offers a premium of Five Hundred Dollars, to be paid 
to the person who shall discover and make public an effectual 
means of preventing its attack. The premium not to be awarded 
until after the expiration of tKfee years from the publication of the 
preventive, or until the society shall be fully satisfied of its efficacy. 
Communications on the subject may be addressed, per mail, to Da¬ 
vid Landreilh, Cor. Sec’y, Philadelphia.” 
