Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-06-20
IC0MMuNIcATED

COMMUNICATED.
THERE Is DEATH IN rHE-Poru AND NO
PROPHET ELISHA TO STAY "A communication
appears in the intelHgeReer OF the 18th inst with
the above heading and the 81 gnature of "Vidi. T"
In that enusion your correspondent betrays a
most abject ignorance Of the subject on which
he treats, which would have been unsus oected
had he RETAINED from betraying il in so foolish
| manner. The statements therein contained are
ca.c Hated TO misguide the unwary, and to do
me, as one Of class therein referred TO, a Sc
rious Injustice which hope YOU will allow
me 70 correct. He says that the gardeners are
using ordure from the city, In its cfudest condi-
ucn for the cultivation Of vegetables aud even
| Strawberries. Allow me to state that the whole
of the above statement of vidi's is untrue The
success OF the use and application of town sewer
age as manure Is great fact; but this manure
In contact with the vegetable productions whose
growth II Is to promote. II must be deodorized
III this change did not take place, the eff 9: would
be the total Illustration of the desired end Before
IL Is applied to the soil, il IL collected in large
earthly tanks, and carefully covered from the a r,
so that as small an amount of exhalaten shall take
place as possible. Here 1t continues until a CON-
ple.e change has taken place In the mas and what
before was most injurious has become I.iost neces-
sary to the vitality of vegetable produce. We
may be more nice than wise In this matter The
time Is gone by for false delicacy; we MUST en-
tertain the great ight-soil question The Chinese
would be starved did they follow our example;
but that wise people economist with care that
upon which they alone depend for the reproduc-
ton OF their food 1t is fact also that the SMELL
ing gases are seldom the most poisonous. ssVidi''
says that vegetables and fruit produced from land
where this manure is used are Eevidenced by
their large dimensions " This is true; but why,
therefore, they should not be ''ft to be eaten by
man or beast" 1t would puzzle wiser men than
Nldi to demonstrate. When man makes asser.
tons Ii Ike these referred to he should accompany
them with proof. critic should be lust il be
means to be respected, but here we have the most
injur GUS imPutations without an iota Of proof
u, when referring to fruit, instead Of saying Of
"sirong taste, Vidi had said of full flavor, he
would have conveyed a more correct impression
to the minds Of his readers. But it is scarcely to
be presumed that Vid is aware that the variety
OF fruit may be and is the canse of great
disslmiiarity Of flavor. Here he shows his
referred to by him is naturally of full
and delicious flavor, and quite different from
the kind Ii may hitherto have been the habit of
Nldl either II grow or taste But why from the
fact OF fruis being large and of full flavor. it
should be, as Vidi in his conceit undertakes TO
say 9 unhealthy in the highest degree" &c is
too absurd to require contradiction vet an asser-
ton like this Is advanced without the slightest
corroborative testimony, and totally unsupDorted
save by the word Of Vidi. At the close he pre-
diets an awful calamity IL the evil,, be not
remedied Now, think, if, instead of endeavor-
ing to check the use of this manure he had
adopted the contrary course, he would have done
more TO prevent catastrophe like the one he
fears will take place; he would have promoted
drainage and ITS more speedy removal from the
localities and repositories where the manure is
allowed to collect and in which condition and
locality II Is alone injurious to the human race
L must now apologize for occupying so much of
your valuable space. My desire is solely to pre-
vent the public from putting faith in the nm
founded and unwarranttd assertions referred IN
A MARKET GARDENER OF FoRTY-rHREE
YEARS STANDING IN THE DISTRICr
ASITv TnN T,rna