Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-11-06

plougbed aud prepared, they are then,
and then only, ready, to receive the full
benefit from manure, which is the cap
stone Of farming. To this subject too Ill
tie attention has heretofore been paid by
Us. True, we all use clover and plaster,
which are excellent; but these alone will
mol carry improvement beyond certain
point; and cannot supply 10 the soil, some
Of those elements, which frequent anc
heavy crops will exhaust. We should
therefore collect ia our barD.ysrds Sill
those substances vegetable and ANNA,
which are capable Of being converted into
manure, take care by the shape and ST.
uaiion Of those yards, that Mons Of il is
lost, frequently scatter lime over them TO
promote decay and plaster fparis to fix
the volatile salts, which IN proportion as
they are lost, deprive mauule Of It's fer.
telling qualities, end then take care that
the manure so acquired IS jddieiously and
economically applied.
This mode think suits US better than
the course pursued by many, Of feeding
n the fields The high puce Of labor
and the low p'ice Of gram makes me |
confess doubtful whether any system OF
preparing compost can b. adyantageously
nroduced here, and il therefore becomes
matter of deep interest, 20 know if any
OF the mneFsls found amongst US, will an
swer the purpose of manure on an extern
sive scale. The calcareous substance
found in some situations and which we call
mari is fear loo hard and too poor in the
elements Of fertilization to be useful. F.
Lime is abundant bot ! regret 10 say that
no experiments yet made on our lin,e stone
soil have settled the question as to It's
benefits Mr.. James Harrison and Mr..
Henry Small who have tried il on llmi
ted scale ale snnguine of lis success.
had between and 4000 bushels put out
last year in various situations, and vary
ing in quantity from so to 10 bushels 10
the acre. All can yet say is, that the
largest quantity produced no i'll effect. AS
the clover, in consequence Of the severe
drought entirely failed, two of those fields
are again IN wheat, and a third will be
cultivated in corn next year, so that by
our next annual meeting hope shall
be able to give some certain account Of
It's effects. Should il be found as efFec.
tive or our lands as it has proved on some
other soils there is scarcely limit 10 the
Improvement we may impart TO them.
1t would be 10 US better :han a mine OF
gold. Nor could we desire a cheaper
manure. ] have tried the experiment
and know it will not cost our farmers
more than 6 cts. bushel allowing for all
the labor and wood, and should the com
pletion of the Chesapeake and OHIO Canal
answer our expectations, a still cheaper
fuel may perhaps be furnished US. Let
i, never be forgotten however by those
who experiment in lime, that no great
beneh; need be expected in any soil which
has not a supply Of vegetable matters up.
on winch it can operate. fthe previous
condition Of the land has denied this, it
may be supplied By light dressing Of pu-
crescent manure Of some kind. t
Bu, Gentlemen have already drawn
out this address fear to an Improbable
length. hope the executive committee
VIII endeavour 10 procure experiments on
/ these and many other subjects and give
/ us satisfactory results al our future meet
ings. shall therefore close with an ear.
nest prayer that our labors may have the
desired effect Of greatly improving our
agriculture, and that the policy of our
Rulers may be so directed by Divine WIS
dom as to give full efficacy to our social
and agricultural prosperity.
Il am happy to say, that the report OF Professor
Rodgers, upon the subject ofthis substance in our
valley, which had escaped my recollection has
given me cause to change my views on this subject.
/ 1.-Two of my neighbofs, MI. VIM. Pendleton,
and DR.. +. c. Hammond, each cleared out last
summer twelve months, old lime kilns, which had
been burned thirty years since,-found in them a
quantity of lime, which had been lying there at
least Tint time, they placed it on poor knobs in
their fields then following. Each of them tell me,
| that It had, on the wheat growing those knobs,
the effect of dressing of manure, obvious to every
| person Engaged in cutting the grain.
| Mr.. Peudleton who has got out his grain since
/ writing the address tells me that, although there
wa. no apparent difference in the growth of his
wheat last harvest in the lined land, Yet when ha
came to get cut lie wheat, thai cut from the lined
land, was obviously Of better quality, and yielded a
much larger quantity from the straw. than that
cut from the naturally rich unlimed land sdjoin-