The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1842-11-10
RUFs.fL ECO.NO.Hl.
From the Southern Planter.
CHARCOAL.

CHARCOAL.
This subsistence is attracting great aiten.
ton as a fertilizer, and we make the fol. I
loving extracts from a paper published IN
the Transactions Of the New York State
Agricultural Society, by Mr.. J. IL. Hep
burn
"ln the neighborhood in which live
there are great many hearths of coal pits,
as they are called; places Where wood has
been piled, and burned into charcoal, scat. !
tered about The country. have invariably
observed, that upon these hearihs, III the
course OF few years, a luxurious coat oil
grass made lis appearance, when oil around
IN the vicinity scarcely blade OF grass
could be found, and what there was found
out of the coal hearth was sickly and dwarf.
ish. This was so well known that IN the
/ heat Of summer, when the pasture IN other
( places was dried and withered by the sum
mer drought, Il was common practice 10
drive The cattle to the 'coalings, as they
arc called, sure ha, they would there obtain
food. During the last autumn, business cal
led me into Hartford county, in Mary land.
While there, was surprised al The exceed
ingly luxuriant growth OF crop OF gram
but lately seeded into field, on Deer creek.
aud also at The very peculiar appearance oi
the soil. The soil upon which the gram
was growing had a remarkably dark ap'
pearance, and appeared to be SO mellow and
triable as nearly TO bury the foot OF every
step, and although it lay ve;y level did not
appear TO the touch TO be SO nor as the soi
10 tho other fields around 1t on the same
level. My attention was excited by what
saw, and inquired it the field had not
been covered WIN charcoal aud was told
that it had been. | inquired when II was
DONE aud was told lha, II had been spread
upon il more than trenfy gears age ]
then asked nhal vas the general quality Of
the crops raised Gpon II, and vas told that
they were invariably fine, both as 10 guam
iity and quality. The person Who lived
upon the property informed me that he had
repeatedly hauled the soil from lha, field
and spread il upop tho surrounding fields,
and he could for years, or in fact from tie
time be spread il there 10 The present day,
always see, By the growth upon these psa.
ces, exactly where be had put Il
had for some time past had my atten,
ton directed TO the subject, but here found
i, fully developed TO my full satisfaction.
"When | returned home, made Il the
subject Of conversation frequently with the
farmers in our neighborhood, aud from one
of them leaned that when be lived IN
Chester county, Pennsylvania, with his faith
er, part Of their farm became worn out
: and unproductiye. II was abandoned ioi
several years, and in the mean time many
! coal pits had been formed upon several Of
E the old fields, by drawing the wood there
e to burn into coal, ,ha, had been cut 10 the
adjoining timber lands. After some time
they ngan put those fields under tlllage, and
: he suites that wherever coal hearth had
c been left, there the crop Of grain aud the
growth Of grass was equal, If not superior
! 10 that which grew upon any OF their mosr
productive fields. Another case Of the ap
e plcation Of charcoal | have found 10 this
I neighborhood was made by gentleman in
the IRON business 10 his meadow, near the
coal house. He had large quantity Of
the coal that had become too fine to be used
, 10 The furnace; he did not know exactly
q what to do with il, it was Ia the way, anl
he concluded us the easiest way TO dispose
: Of 1t, TO haul il out and spread il upon The
. grass lands. He spread il late in the fall
7 and for many years he informed me he oh
: served the most astonishing effect produced
: upon his yield of grass. The quantity wa:
! nearly double, aud the effect continued q,
/. long as he owned the property, which was
d at leas, ten years; as he informs ue.
From what can see of lis effect, where
large quantity is left upon the ground, a.
. for instance, IN the centre of the hearth, Il
takes considerable time for il 10 acquire q
sufficient degree Of moisture 70 penetrate &c
the bottom, aud until II has acquired that de.
gree OF moisture nothing will grow there.
q Around the outer edges Of the circle where
i it is thrown upon tho ground 1t is soon sat.
urated with moisture, aod vegetation is soon
facilitated. and goes on rapidly. | should
Ihdge, from this, that when about 20 be APP.
r Piled to land the coal should be ground hue,
=, ind then thoroughly wetled and sown or
spread with lime spreader over the surface
: Of the soil. From the circumstance OF its
being easily powdered or mashed up,
should suppose that ;he process would be
very easily effected by making a floor OF
! plank, say circular, and procuring good
! sized stone, 10 be affixed by a shaft 10 an up.
! right post, throw the coa into the circular
t plankcd way, and attach horse TO the
shat, passing through tho stone, and drive
him round, carrying the stone, IN lis pas.
sage, over the Goals. A very simple and
easy process, precisely similar 10 the old
{ fashioned way Of grading or breaking up
bark, practised by the tanners, previous to
the invention Of tho cast Ircn uill now in
use. The cost Of covering an aero would
! be trilling, and if 1t produced no other effect
; ,hau that Of fortniDu a permanent vepetab HE