The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-01-06

kaoo that you are getting genuine fcrtil-
izer Some may ask how can we know be-
frehand2 A little chemical knowledge
will here assist you much. La general, in
respect of gaano, the lighter. the color the
! better. Those which are brown have lost q
large part Of their ammonia, Qartshorn.)
A strong odor of ammonia is good sign.
Mix small quantity with air Stacked lime,
and the ammonia. if present, will be given
off. Guano should be dry. Water can be
had nearer home and at less than $50 ton.
To'deterInine the quantity of sand-mix
with water and pour off the top, again and
ngain-the sand will remain at the bottom
of the tumbler Or again, heat quantity
to redness-by this means the volatile mat
teis will be dssipated. Dissolve the remain
der in diluted murlatic acid aided by mode
rate heat. What is now left will be sand or
useless earth. Next to the experiments look
to the character Of the merchant.
The quantity of guano which is useful is
pretty well determined, being 200 to $50 lbs
to the acre.
Of course one who, having set his hand to
| the plough, looks back in this undertaking,
is not fit for the work. This generation can
do little more than make a beginning. The
next may carry it farther. If it has taken
a century and quarter or more to run the
lands down, to impoverish the State. who
| will suppose that it can be resuscitated i'm
meCliately. We must have patience and
perseverance, We must fix our minds to
wait as well as to labor. g-
Again, if it is not already done, plant ont
a few choice apple and peach trees, good
| grape vine or two, and such other fruit as
| you have a taste for. 1t is a mistaken no
; ton to put out fruit trees by the thousand,
| that Is, if you have anything else to do.
| Some take fit of planting. They cover the
old fields and hill-sides with apple and
| peach trees, thinking to have great orchards.
| tits q mistake. A tree needs watching,
| ploughing. TO be digged about and dunged
and a few we'll tended and cared for are
of more profit than a hundred in neglect.
Now, a word or two on ploughing and
drainage. I think that in general we do
not plough deep enough, though believe
that a great deal of foolishness has boon
written on this subject of deep ploughing
Some carry this matter so far as to tell us
that however good field we may have, we
ought to know that we have another equal
ly as good, probably better, lying right un-
der it. Some land may not be injured, other
probably is, by deep ploughing 1 think
this is generally the case if much clay is
thrown on the surface. But surprising that
only a thin layer of clay Is thrown up, say
/ to inch thick, the land would probably
be benefited thereby, and the soil gradually
tleepcned. And if we could penetrate and
break up the subsoil to Il great depth with
out throwing up the clay, l suppose that
nearly all land previously drained would be
thereby improved.
\ Draining might no doubt be practiced
here in many cases with profit. I do not
new refer to uplands or hilsides to which.
in an advanced stage of agriculture, it is
almost equally applicable, but to many low
and marshy places, which really the hest Of
the land, are now wholly useless, but which,
by IL comparatively small outlay of labor,
might readily he made to produce 80, so or
even75 bushels of corn to the acre. and
which would also be correspondingly inn
proved tor grass. 1t is the opinion of some
of our best informed men that there Obu
little benefit in suhsoiling unless the land
has been thoroughly drained. ...... --
We frequently hear it said that North Car
DINA is not adapted to grass Every few
weeks we find some one making inquiry
through the New York Tribune as to the
best section of country to move to. Inqui--
riers are advised against coming South.
They are told that grass will not grow here.
Sometime ago / made inquiry as to the most
advisable method of stopping washes in
fields. / was told that the only remedy was
to cut large and deep side-hili bitches
grass would not grow in North Carolina.
When undertake to account for this re-
peatedy asserted fact, the anecdote of DIR.
Parkinson and Paley is naturally suggested:
Blackwell founded the breed of Leicester
sheep, and to effect his object he selected
and bred from the small-bon animals. DR..
Parkinson told Paley that Bakewell had the
power OF fattening his sheep in any part at
pleasure, shoulder, neck, legs-"and this"
said Parkinson lis the great problem of his
art" ut is lie, sir" said Paley, land that
is the solution of it."
have been told that when this country
was first settled, large portion of it was
covered with the wild pea vine, and that
cows and horses turned out wond fare well. |
The pea think is the same kind of plant
with the clover. They both belong to the
Family Leguminnse. Now, if much of the
land is naturally adapted to that kind of
plant, why should not clover grow bere2
however, proves that clover will
grow here, and TO enter into an argument to
prove this will to many be like the treatise
which DR.. Franklin wrote, while in Paris,
10 prove to the Parisians that the sun gives
light as soon as it rises. If could be made
10 believe that grass will not grow in North
Carolina-or that the sun does not give
light as soon as it rises-I confess that our
case would be almost desperate. For in an
agricultural point of view look upon grass
as the salvation of the country. To depend
upon buying guano, bone dust, phosphates,
and plaster. when we lack
the money to pay our taxes and our black
smith bills, is an absurdity. How then
must we do2 l go back to the original adj
vice. Save hay. Raise cows and sheep.
Save manure. But here is the paradox. We
are told through cattle to convert hay into
manure, and yet we must have the manure
to make the hay That is So This is the
great problem which these agricultural clubs
have to work out. If they cannot do this
sum, they are failure. 1t is not to show
the country how man with $4,000 or $1O,-
300 at his command can settle down on one
Of these farms-build fine barn and a fine
dwelling, can order fertilizers by the ton.
can have all the Improved agricultural ma
and reapers. and
thrashers and cleaners, and ubsoil plouohs
and buggy ploughs and thermometer cbuIns
and all such-but you are to bring out the
tact that man with no spare cash can 90
on At to one OF these worn places, which now,
VIII not bring 5 bushels of corn or "a BUSH
els OF wheat to the acre, and to show him
rom that base he can bring it up to 25 BUSH
els OF wheat and rs bushels of corn to the
acre. a, For clio not think that anything less