Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1849-09-14


becomes converted into /" humus' or vegeta-
bic matter. common 10 all plants, and exerci-
ses very beneficial influence on land, by fur
nishing it With substance capable of being
converted into humus, which is so desirable
| in a sell; but pants cannot long be replanted
in the same soil without being seriously afec-
| Ted by their own excrement-so much so that
at length they altogether fail Artificial aid.
however, induces more speedy conversion
] of this matter into humus, than would other
wise take place, which is effected By frequent
| " turning up the soil with the plough and
the hoe, so as 10 expose the excrement 10 the
influence of The atmosphere, and by irrgating
the land with river water, as the wafer of riv-
ers and streams contains oxygen in solution.
ii effects the most rapid putrefaction Of the eX-
crementitious matter contained In the soil
which it penetrates-B0acen - .. -.ss -7is.
TIE Rofter.-Among the many implements
OF husbandry. says writer in the Olive
Branch, which science has lately brought to
the aid of the farmer, we may enumerate the
roll or "reIler," as by no means the least i'm
portant As its form is various, SO also are
the uses TO which it is applied 1t is, in fact,
impossible TO dispense with it in any complete
system of 1illage, let the nature of the soil be
whatit may. In remarking upon the pract-
cal importance of the roller, late foreign au-
thor very correctly observes F. sEs r. On
:. The first object usually aimed al in the
application or use of this instrument, is to
break those clods or indurated masses of earth
which have resisted the action of the harrow
or, at all events,sto bury them in the ground
Eso that, at the next harrowing-which, when
THUS buried they cannot we'll eseape-they
must necessarily be somewhat diminished in
size" SOD sTsH ss-s fase ss~ s-s4-z Bass rc-
I The second object, according to our own
author, is 10 give greater compactness 10 the
soil, and 10 effect union of its component
parts. . The third use to which il is applied,
is 10 press down and make firm he ground
about the seeds, and TO cause the latter to ad
here better TO The soil. The fourth is to cover
with mould, or TO press into the soil the roots
of those p ants sown in the preceding autumn
| which have been detached by the frost Last
Ily, il is employed for The purpose of destroy
ling insects which injure the young plants, and
which, particularly during the night, come mp
to the surface TO seek their food The shape
of the roller is various 1t is generally round
yet we have The hexagonal and octagona, and
a roller armed with long pointed iron spikes
intended not only for ,pulyerizing aud break
ing The indurated clods, but for scarifyng the
surface of soils that have become bound out
and which require renovating by breaking and
manuriDg.a This is a valuable instrument
BY passing il over old grass lands. and spread
ing a coat of manure on the scarified surface
Lust before rain, and then smoothly rolling il
with the cylindrical roller, a decided improve.
ment is at once effected. na z.s-ll,s.,G +
Eau Effects of Mud on Grass Lands-Last sea
son, Mr.. David Choate, of Essex, Massachu-
sets, sent us, says the Boston aCaltivator
some heads of grass, showing the effects O
mud or the crop. At that time, no partcu
I lars werecommunicafed, but since, MFR. Choate
has given the following: In the tall, meadow
/ mud was hauled from the low land and laiG
lin a heap on high dry land, that yielded We
Try light crop. In a short time the heap was
removed. leaving about an inch depth of mud
/ in consequence of which, very stout crop o
grass was produced the next season Tht
heads of herdsgrass' from the land thus manu-
red by the null, are eight inches long, and o
: a large size, This shows the very powerful
effects OF mere mud, which abounds in nearly
every section OF the country. Almost every
farmer has on his farm mud mine, more val
|: liable in contributing to the happiness OF him
self and othess, than mine of gold. ~
s'Tfe herdsgrass Of the East is called timothy wit
us.-Ed. A. Farmer. .ss3 -z - - 81
Il s.ssxf. F.aerSfis - z-sf sa- mi
Oren Oxen should be taught TO plough
l Ewithout a driver Much expense is saved b,
atthis, and the cattle will travel faster and bet
ter without aFdriver atatheir heads than will
n one.x The off OK must be used to go in til
: farrow. and there only Therefore it is no
sEwise TO shift and put the nigh OK on the OF
1side.' Cattle are never broken so well as whel
7 eaca one is taught 10 have his own place.
, Potcer Of the Soil to Absorb Odors-It i
! well knowHthat onions, il buried in tae earl
, for few days previous to being cooked, vii
have lost much of their rank flavor. Will
ducks, which are often too fishysin flavor +
o be good, may be rendered much more palata
{ Bile by being wrapped in absorbent paper an
buried in the ground for few hours. Dire
: Goldfish loses much of its ausieriiy of flavor q
we may coin term,) by similar treatment
q During the plague, in Europe, clothing wa
{ often buried fer time 10 disinfect it, Thi
> absorbent property of the soil is due TO til
presence OF carbonaceous matters. for clea
! sea beach sand will produce no such results
while pHlverIzed charcoal will ect with muc
!, greater energy than common SOIL On thi
: principle, animal matter, coated with Ieache
: ashes, and then buried in pufverulent peat 0
! muck, viii not only deeompose without Civ
J. ing of offensive odors, but the muck will al
so, by absorbing the resulting gases arisin
from decomposition, be rendered highly val
liable as a fertilizer DR.. Dana says that
= dead horse, if cut in pieces and treated above
. viii render twenty loads of muck, equal j
: quality to the best stable manure. st
| Up --s
Strawberry Rnnners-These should b
! treated as weeds. and kept hoed from anon
!. the regular rows of strawberry plants. The,
5 have precisely the same effect upon the crop a
: ltfe same quantity Of weeds, andeannot fail I
II lessen the amount ! writer in the Garder
ters' Chronicle remarks. ESQ convinced am
Of the proPriety ofeultiFatiEg this fruit in sci
farate and distinct plants, and of cutting of ID
. runners. that have this season taken out
II Il. =