Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-05-16

Hampshire, has published in the New Eng and
Farmer, communication detailing the result
of certain experiments which he made last year,
in soaking corn the substance Of which we
will condense for the benefit of our readers
deeming bis experiment worthy ofno'e OF this
particular time.
Some time last May, the doctor accidently
saw notice Of some mode Of preparing seed for
planting in Germany, which was TO ensure good
crops, even upon poor apd barren land, at trin.
ing cost. What the preparation was, the dis.
coverer refused to make known. While think.
ing over the various substances that llad been
or might be used with advantage, it occurred
to him that muria,e of ammonia, the common
salammonia Of the -hartshorn--night'
answer well for the purpose required, both from
the nature Of its base and its acid, and he deter.
mined 10 try the experiment of using it.
He accordingly dissolved small piece,
weighing by estimate four or five grains. in a.
bout halfa coffee cup Of water. Into that he
put small handful Of seed corn, and suffered il
to renal four or five hours, and then planted
it. BY the eide of each hill, at proper dis.
tance, he planted another hill with corn from
the same ear, but unsoaked. Generally at each
spot but one hill was planted but in ono place
Il hill of the soaked corn was planted on each
side Of the unsoaked.
No. l, was planted in good, light soil, into
which fair dressing of coarse long stable man.
ure had been ploughed-fve kernels planted TO
ench hill. Result-the soaked corn produced
eight ears, six good and two small ; the unsoak.
ed. four ears.
No. 2, hills-two of soaked and between
them one of unsoaked corn. Soil dry. sandy,
and close to the edge of path where little or
no manure fell in the spreading of it. Result
the soaked hills gave five ears, three of them
good the unsoaked, three good ears.
The doctor tried six experiments in all, and
each of the other four with corresponding
results with the above, which shows very
large increased product in favor Of the soaked
corn, which, as the treatment of the soil and cu.
turc of all were alike, must be nscribed to the
virtue the ammonia.
As the experiments tried by DR.. Webster
with only five grains Of ammonia, and a small
handful Of corn, to save our readers the trouble
OF a calculation as to quantities, we will make
one ready to their hands. Presuming that the
doctors small handful 10 have contained gill
of corn, as five grains served that quantity of
seed, and there are 5760 grains in pound of
ammonia, that quantity would answer, when
dissolved, as, soak for Al bushels Of corn.
New then, as ammonia lie very cheap drug,
and the mode Of using it very simple, may we
not ask some ofour enterprsing farmer readers
to make an experiment of two acres of corn
one acre ofseed soaked in solution ofammonia
and the other with unsoaked seed The ex-
pertinent would not cost them so cents, ard il
by 50 cheap process, they can add from so to
% per cent. to the products Of their corn crop,
surely it is worthy of trial. We would, were
we about to test the efficacy Of the doctors soak
roll the seed just before planting in plaster; sc
as to impart fxidity to the ammonia, and thu:
longer continue its nutrient properties to the
corn plant, during the period of its growth; and
in order to fully test the experiment, We would
plant one acre with seed soaked in q solution o
ammonia, unplastered-one acre of seed soake'
and plastered, and one acre with seed unsoaked
we would mark out the three acres in the SAM
field, manure and cultivate each alike, an'
measure the produce of each acre separately
BY pursuing this course, the result would no
only prove the value of the ammonal soak, bu
that of plaster as an Observation-Disclosures
Farmer.