The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-05-30
sALT.PETER EXPLODED.

Barnum-the Barnum, is a Connecticut far.
mer. lie has passion that way. 1t is his
present hobby. He always has hobby. Some
times it is Fire Annihlator," aud some
times the Crystal Palace annihilates him.
Last year lie had the hen fever. That was
his hobby. He rode it till he spent about %.
600, and then found that he had neither eggs
nor chickens far family use. HE neissIe.'-
hens, that " stole their nests" under the barn.,
or by the side Of the fence, hatched more chick
ems than bis did. and when they we're grown
they we're healthy and good to eat, while his
were dropping and sickly in their costly house.
Farming, however. was always hobby with
him. He has been for years buying up the old
fields around Bridgeport and digging out the
stones, covering the ground with muck dug out
Of all the neighboring swamps. Thenhe bought
all the stable manure that he could get hold Of
in the village, and carted it out, but it did not
pay il was half straw and one.fourth water,
aud il was expensive. That hobby broke down.
II has broken down q thousand times before,
but the more il broke. the more old.fugyism
stuck 10 it. IL was the ancient custom of the
land to plew shallow and top.dress with sta
BILE manure, sca-weed and fish. Digging muck
was an innovation. II was good thing, but
il did not pay long transportation. Something
better was wanted. Somebody said use salt.
That did not look reasonable. What virtue
was there in salt TO make plants grow: Some
body else said use saltpeter. But that was ey.
i,Ient nonsense. Saltpeter was only TO pre-
serve meat, IL was not manure. Another wise
man told him Glauber salts were good, but
wiser one told him that EPSON salts were
better.
Hess your soul, man." said Barnum, i'd
you suppose want to physic my land: No,
sir, 1 want TO feed il, and make il feed me-"
So he took TO the study Of agriculture. liz
took several learned agricultural papers, aud
read them, and-well, he concluded that he
was not tie only hunbug 10 tile world.
So he went OIL lcciurlng upon humbug as a
science, under the full impression that lie had
been about as badly humbuggcd IN the agricul
tural line, hens and hundred dollar ducks in
cluded. as lie ever humbuggcd anybody viii
wolly horses and Fejce mcrnaids.
Still he was not satisfied. lie thought Con
necticut soil had something init. and fit could
be stimulated 10 give il up, il would produce
something besides daisies and mullens.
A lie did not need to study his lecture
that came natural-he bought JOhnson's Che
mistry, Norton's Chemistry and Liebig's The
mistry, and devoted his leisure hours Of ira
yelling TO search out what was the best an,
most concentrated manure to apply to bis 81,
fields. lie had already done one very essen
tial thing he had plowed the soil deeper thai
! il was ever plnwcd before and now he want
! ed to manure better aud cheaper, and make !
more productive. 50 lie studied agriculture
. chemistry. Therein he learned these facts:
! That an application of 100 lbs. Of nitrate z
potash to an acre Of land bad doubled the Gro
! Of Grass.
. Again, he read that the same quantity Z
. su,phdie of soia had produced the same Or
| better elect.
5 Ii was also stated that suiDiaie Of nlagnesi
was still better, aud that remarkable effect
Z had been produced BY free use Of muriaie |
!, soia. NifrQte of soda had also done wonder
. The author auggesicd that the farmer migf
y procure a portion ef each If these sulphatC
n and nitratcs and mis- them together aud pre-
: duce a cheaper and moro concentrated manuI
i than super phosphate Of lime or guano.