Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-01-29

the power Of absorbing this gas.
9th. The salts OF ammonia are all soluble in
water, although not all soluble to the same ex
tent This solubiliy fits them for entering the
roots Of plants.
9TH. The carbonate Of ANN ouia, one Of the |
ealts OF Ammonia which exists oven in the nj. |
u.osphere, is capable of slowly decomposing Sui |
Phate OF Lime (Plas,er) with the formation OF
Caroonate OF Lime and Sulphate of Ammonia. |
Carbonic Acid, like Ammonia, is one of the in. |
variable products Of the putrefac,ion OF animal |
ana vegetable matter, and hence the Ammonia |
rs u escapes into the atmosphere is generally |
combined with this acid and 10 this condition is
brought down by the rain as it falls. If no
means are nsed for fixing it, the carbonate of AM
monla being'an exceedingly volitie salt, it soon
rises again into the air. Plaster produces the
desired effect by converting it, as stated above,
'Hso Salphate OF Ammonia, salt which is fixed
at all ordinary temperatures. This is believed
20 De one OF the ways in which Plaster acts when
used as manure.
9Th. Ammonia is easily decomposed In this
respect 1t resembles water, and as remarked to
you when speaking Of that substance, this facili
~ OF decomposition fits it ad mirabIy to become
the food of plants.
Alter the delivery of the foregoing lecture, the
subject proposed for examination al the presen,
meeting of the class, viz, that of FENcrNa-was
taken up, most OF the members present takinp
part In the discussion. This discussion, how.
ever, from the nature of the subject p;stook so
much OF the character OF conversation, that it is
impossible to report any thing more than the sub
stance of what was said.
VI the different kinds of enclosure in use in
this part OF the country, it was generally admitted
mat the stone wall was the most substantial, and
IN situations where the stones were convenient
us cheap in the end, as any other.
vi the wooden fences in use, the Jefferson
tencer as 1t called, was generally preferred to the
common worm fence On this subject MIR.
Kotert Morrison remarked that it was TO be pre-
ierred ON the following grounds, viz:
ISL. The quantity OF rails required for a CIV
en- length OF this fence is about Is per cent less
the'sa length.
End. The quantity of land occupied by such
fence is about so per cent less than that occu
pied by the other. The Jefferson fence when
well made, will occupy but about f. at most,
whist me common worm fence will occupy 81
or u and II 'staked and ridered,' or 10 feet. A
renee on his farm, occupied but 3 #. i'm width.
ana In an exposed situation, where the common
worm fence which preceded it had frequently
been blown down, had been now standing 8
years. without single panel OF i, giving way
ora. Inc Jefferson fence, from its occupyino
much less ground than the worm fence is on
mat account, much more easily kept free from
ofiars and whatever else is disposed to grow in
fence rows. "
4th. The difference in the labor of makinu
this and the worm fence is not so great as is
sometimes supposed. The ground being in pro.
per condition and the stakes prepared a rood
hand with good tools, would set the stakes for
rom 81 TO 40 rods of fence in day. The instru.
ment he used for making the holes for this fence.
was stake made from the but of tough white
OAK sapilng, pointed with iron at its lower ex-
'rehity. Holes made in this way he thought
hucn Deter Than those made by digging, in as
much as the ground was compressed by DRIVING
III 'hs instrument, and thus fitted to hold the
STAKE OF the fence more firmly when placed
MI. hnh thought that #. worm, was too little
ior such fence;-his experience (and he had
peeh using such fences for a number of years)
had taught him that #. was as little as should
De allowed, to give the fence the proper decree Of
firmness. rO' w e'@' Vi
g mr.. Firebauigh presented a plan of board
renee TO be placed upon the top of mound or
eambankment or , #. high. For fence of
thls kind, fl. high, he recommended the follow.
ing construction, viz: The posts TO be G X4
lnches al the base, tapering tc 6 X2 at the top.
SuPposlng the embankment to be IL feet hioh.
ne would nail on the face of these posts boards
four inches wide, and one along the top inches
vide. The posts should be set at such dis
lance from each other, that the same board shall
be nailed to three posts. This fence he thought
would be at once cheap and substantial
Mr: FIrebaugh also presented plan for port
aele fence to be used Tor enclosing hay and grain
stacks, and for other similar purposes. Its con.
s'ruction was as follows: To pole or piece of
scantling l6 it. long and X 5 inches furnished
with legs in tile manner of a carpenters trestle.
pieces OF plank are nailed riveted, or what is
SUI better, are let through the pieces Of scant-
ing, and 10 these the cross-bars of the fence are
nailed. The piece of scantling will of course
serve as one of The cross-bars, and should be
nearer the top than the bottom Of the fence, to
give it steadiness.
F!of' Armstrong, called attention to the kind
OF ience In use in England, called sunken fence
suggesting that in meadows it might serve the
double purpose of fence and ditch. The de-
scHPtion oil this kind of fence, given by Coleman
IN his agricultural tour is as follows, VIZ a
trench is dug as deep as it is required that the
height of the wall shall be from the bottom of
the trench one side of the trench is perpendica-
lar, and against this side the wall is erected, the
other side is made slanting at an angle of about
Iorty-hve degrees, and the santing side is grass
ed. and may be moved clear to the bottom, so
That no land is lost but in truth small amount
is gained. The object is TO conceal the fence,
SO mat when placed round the grounds of gentle
mans house, the prospect Of the lawn or field is
not interrupted by an unsghtly wall; and the
GROUNDS within the enclosure may be cultivated
or em6elished In any way with shrubs or flow
ers or ffult, and yet the cattle feeding beyond it,
whom no visible obstruction appears to keep at a
distance, are efectually excluded, as no animal
attempts ever to leap such fence"
Prot Calhoun described fence somewhat
similar TO this. which he had seen in front of the
buildings OF Union College, N. Y. 1t differed
from the English 'sunken fence in this that in
stead OF having one side Of the trench perpendi-
cular and supported by wall, it was made as
nearly perpendicular as the earth would lie, and
erased like the other side; then at the distance
oil b or inches from the top, short posts ! or
feet long were set perpendicular to the bank in
which they were set and TO these two crossroads
were nailed. This fence had been standing for