Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-01-11
Home Made Guan0,

/ 1t ID not, perhaps, generally known
that the deposits of the hen-house, when
suffered to accumulate for several years,
without exposure to wet, are very nearly
of the same nature as the African and
Peruvian guano, of which so much has
been said. 1t is concentrated and caustio
manure, and should never be applied to
crops, without being largely diluted with
loam or other substance, to reduce its
strength by diffusion, as it will invariably
prove detrimental, if not destructive in
its effects. If it be thrown into q heap
with six times its bulk of muck, or of
good loan, and moistened with water, it
will be found highly efficient in promoting
the growth and healthy developement Of
any plant to which it may be applied; but
it should never be used in its raw and
caustic state \ few bushels of this man.
ure, properly diluted aud prepared, will be
found to produce the results secured by .
vastly larger amount Of the best stable or
barnyard manure. For vines and garden
vegetables it is altogether unsurpassed.
In recent discussion upon the profits
of poultry, evidence was adduced by two
or three persons, that the manure from
the hen-house produced better results on
crops than any other fertilizer used on the
farm. In one instance, where about one
hundred fowls were kept, sand-mers
granular sand-was scattered plentifuly
on the floor, and upon which the droppings
fell. Two or three times a week the sur
face of this was carefully swept, gathering
up portion of the sand with the drop
pings, and depositing the whole in bar
rels. In the spring this was in the most
convenient form to be taken to the fields
and applied to the hills where corn was to
be planted, and on a large field where ex-
cellent barnyard manure was applied at
the rate Of twenty ox-cart loads, or about
eight cords per acre, the portion where a
single handful Of the homemade guano
had been applied was altogether stouter,
and the corn earlier and more sound. But,
independently of this source of profit from
fowls, the discussion to which we refer at
forded satisfactory proof to us, that no
product Of the farm yields better profit
than its fowls-Nec-E England Farmer.
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SHARPENING EDGED TooLs-We tram
slate the following from German scien-
tifc journal for the benefit of our meehan-
les and agricultural laborers:
" 1t has long been known that the sim.
plest method of sharpening razor is to
put it for half an hour in water to which
has been added one-twentieth of its weight
of muriatic acid, then lightly wipe it of,
and after few hours set it on a hone.
The acid here supplies the place Of whet-
stone by corrodiug the whole surface uni
formly, SO that nothing further but .
smooth polish is necessary. The process
never injuries good blades, while badly
hardened ones are frequently improved BY
it, although the cause of such improve
ment remains unexplained.
"Of late this process has been applied
to many other cutting implements. Tho
workman at the beginning of his noon
spell, or when he leaves otI in the even
ing, moissons the blades Of his tools with
water acidifed as above, The cost of which,
is almost nothing. This saves the con-
sumption of time and labor in whetting,
which moreover wears out the blades. The
mode of sharpening here indicated would
b. found especially advap,aseou. for sick.
les and scy,hes.