Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-10-17
[For the Pennsylvania Telegraph
Burnt Clay as q Manure.
BY H. D. WHITE.

BY H. D. WHITE.
A good deal has been said Of late in refer
ence 10 burnt clay a manure and in certain
localities the burning and application OF II is, |
am informed, pracIced with considerable sue
ces. LoUDoN says that The oldest work in
which ii Is mentioned as a manure was pub
lished upwards of century ago. The mania
for burning clay reached lis climax in Eng land
in 1915, since which time its mos, strenuous
advocates have said but liIle in favor Of its
general adoption, though very many farmers
still practice il, and often with most hattering
success. The practice has never as yet been
thoroughly carried Out in this country ;or, fit
has, no accounts of the m0duS 0perdnni, or the
resulss has been published. Many have COM
menced experiments with apparently the most
vigorous and exhauslless ZEAL but have allow
ed their ardor 10 cool and their efforts TO relax
with The first discouraging circumstance Most
persons expect TOO great and TOO immediate re-
suits from their hasly and Ill-direcied efforts
disappointment follows, and the project is a.
bandOned forthwith as matter of course. In
undertaking experiments Of any kind, il is al
ways best 10 begin on small scale then, if
unfortunate, the failure involves no serious loss,
and valuable information, often on important
perIments that result unfavorbIy are frequent
y no less valuable TO the farmer in the lesson
they inculca,e, than these which terminate
successfully or in accordance with cherished
expectations and desires. During his soiourn
in this country, Goblet, whose erratic course
is so universally and justly deprecated, made
use OF burnt clay, with considerable success.
Most of his experiments were made on Long
Tsia nI IL. IL
clsion, and scrupuous regard for minutaa, which
characlerizes all his statements, however insig-
ni6can. may be the subject.
LoUDoN, whose opinions on all topics asso.
ciated with agriculture and its kindred branch
es, are emnenrly clear and judicious, remarks
that the advantages of burnt clay, as a manure,
have been greatly exaggerated F.; and A1ToN, in
his Farmers Moga1ine", says: 6 regret
that the discoveries of form grass and of the
effects Of burn, clay have so far oVerated their
value. Both are useful and proper TO be atten-
ded to.-the grass to be raised on patches of
marshy ground, and used as a green food to
cattle, and the burnt clay as a corrector OF the
mechanical arrangement, of Stubborn clay soil;
and have no doubt, if they had only been re-
commended for these valuable purposes, they
would have beer brought into more general use
than they now are, or will be till the preiudices
against them, arising from disappointed expec-
tallons, raised high by too fauerng descrip-
lions, are removed" Where farmer has fa-
cilities for burning clay limited supply will
no doubt be an advantage in promoting high
er degree of fertility in certain soils but a
large amour, of capital invested in this way,
will, as general thing, unless under very Pc
cullar circumstances, never be returned py cu-
tivaled crops. Cash expended in reducing
vegetable matter to ashes, TO be disseminated
over the soil Of his enclosures, will pay much
better dividend, and operate powerfully to the
permanen, impro, ement Of the soil Every
farmer may, with comparative ease, secure from
Two TO three hundred bushels of powerful ashes,
al a small expense, and the effects of the same,
when applied TO his growing crops, will be Of
most decided and beneficial character
Bushes, weeds, chips, and indeed all ligneous
or semi-ligneous substances, may be had re-
course 10 for this purpose. Even tufts and sods
are often accumulated and burned TO supply
this article, SO essential to a healthy vegetation
on soils of certain class.
WINDHAM, Maine, 1850.