Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-11-03
Manuring by Muddy water.

New York State Fair at Elmira, last week
were improved by meeting of farmers at
the Farmers Club" where informal but
interesting intcrchanges of opinion and dis.
cussion took place The following we cx
tract as report of some remark, on manu-.
featuring grass through irrigation by muddy
water, made by A. b. Dickinson:
L said last night that [ would make u
heavier growth of grass by the use of clay
than could by barn yard manure 1t won't
pay to haul much where clay can be had
Grass Is the all-important crop of this coun-
try All countries that don't produce grass
naturally, run down and become unfertile-
hold that one load of manure on the sur
face is worth two loads ploughed in A load
OF clay run on to grass land by irrigation is
worth more than manure in any quantity, be-
cauoe it nourishes the roots and it makes the
CROP al staud up and grow very heavy.
In running on liquid manure, my grass
grew too fast and lodged, and lodged Grass
Will not make over . tons per acre of cured
hay. | have made tons per acre by run:
ming on muddy water But this must be
very carefully applied, and it must be done
in cool weather. In hot weather the water
is apt to rot the sod. L have irrigated about
100 acres; and | make the water muddy by
ploughing and stirring up the clay in pond.
Clear water will benefit land, but it takes
great while longer to do it. l never NOW
second crop; prefer to let the second growth
remain to cover the land. One acre of old
meadow, thick and fine grass is worth an
acre and half of new meadow
Upon farm where grass will grow there
Is no difficulty in making land rich. There
Is no dressing of manure, such as is often
given to land, equal to a thick grass sod.
Manure may be drawn upon grass land the
very day the grass is cut, to the best advan-
toge. ! don't approve of fastening moving
land. [ run the muddy water on in winter,
as well as the fall and spring. | use the
natural drainage Of hundred acres of land,
concentrated by under drains, made by a
mole plough, into an artificial pond, and use
that water made muddy, to run OH other land.
L run my drains about eighteen inches deep,
and | have some of these mole drains, made
twenty-five years ago, which are as effectual
now as when first made. do not attempt
to enrich whole farm in one year by rriex-
ton, but take it in sections, say ten acres a
year My mannrc haul upon the fields that
| cannot reach with water"
THERE IS LIFE EvERYwnERE.-Lifc cy
crywhcrc The air is crowded with birds
beautiful, tender, intelligent birds, to whom
life is song, and thrilling anxiety, the anx-
lety or love- The air is swarming with in
sects-thosc little animated miracles The
waters are pcoplcd with innumcrable forms,
| from the anlmalculc, SO small that one hun
dred and fifty millions of them would not
weigh grain, to the whale, so large that it
seems an island as 1T sleeps upon the waves -
The bed of the seas is alive with polypcs, crabs,
star-fishes, and with sand numerous shell-ani.
malcules. The rugged face of rocks is SCARED
by the silent boring of soft creatures, and
blackencd with countless mussels barnablcs,
and limpets. Life everywhere on the earth,
in the earth, crawling, creeping. burrowing.
boring, leaping, running. If the seouestcrcd
coolncss of the wood tempt US to saunter into
its chequered shade, we are suluted by the nu
merous din OF insects, the twitter of birds,
the scrambing of squirrels, the startled rush
of unseen beasts, all telling how populous is
this seeming solitude. If we pause before
tree, or shrub or plant, our cursory and half
! abstracted glance detects colony of various
inhabitants We pluck flower, and in its
bosom we sec many charming insect busy at
its appointed abour. We pick up fallen
leaf, and if nothing is visible on it, there is
probably the trace of an insect larva hidden
in its tissue, awaiting their Development
The drop of dew upon this leaf will probably
contain its animals, visible under the misoro.
scope. This same microscope reveals that the
bloodrain suddenly appearing on bread, and
awakening supcrstitious terrors is nothing but
a collection of minute animals and that the
vast tracts of snow which are rcddcned in
| single night owe their colour to the marvel
lous rapidity in reproduction of Il minute plant.
The very mould which covers our cheese, our
bread, our jam, or our ink, and disGgurcs our
damp walls, is nothing but collection of
plants. The many-cooured fire which spark
les on the surface of summer sea at night,
as the vessel ploughs her way, or which drips
from the oars in lines of jewcllcd light, is pro
duced by millions of minute animals.
CoMFoRTERs OUT OF NEWSPAPERS Soon
after the advent of chilly nights, finding the
extra covers too heavy, and remembering the
suggestion of year ago, | took off a weighty
coverlid and substituted half dozen copies
of popular weekly never slept more
pleasantly. mentioned it to some of my ac-
qpaiptances, vino, on trial of the past two
weeks, pronounced it effectual. I used it on
three beds in my house, and as nothing can be
cheaper, L feel authorized to recommend it
for general uso. / had the curiosity to weigh
the newspapers in use on my three beds, and
the amount of all was three pounds only
The papers can be spread loosely, overlap
ping one another, though for convenience, |
have pasted the edges together How triaing
is the cost, and how easily obtained A
pound or two of old newspapers can be pro.
cured for four oenfs a nound ond if enrood