The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-17
AGRICULTURAL.
American institute Farmers Club.

Nathan @. Ely, Chairman.
Albeit field work presses sore and the
heat is great, there were few empty seats in
the old hall. DIR. Hexamer has been at
work among his vines and his berries till
his hands are the color of new saddle, and
Mr.. Quinn shows marks of hard work in
his wiry and tough frame. But the wish is
general that the adjournment come as early
as July. We therefore repeat the invita-
ton of last week to our large country MEM
bership to favor us for two months with
letters of instruction rather than letters of
inquiry. We would ask farmers ON the
prairies to give, for Eastern readers, state
ments of just what may be expected the
first year the difficulties of building, of
Wintering stock, of turning the tough sod,
and how those difficulties were mastered.
We ask contributions on the fence question,
the experience of our friends in. Usage
orange, in sod and ditch fences, and in
washes and paints that are known to add to
the life of fencing timber.
GAS LIME AND CAUSTIC LIME.-Mr.
f. G. Johnson, Oswego County, N. Y: Is
spent lime from the gas factory valuable as
a fertilizer? If SO, what is it worth per
bushel, and how is it to be used?
The Chair-If it lays out of doors long
enough to be washed it may be ofsome use,
but it is dangerous to touch in connection
with agriculture. This has been discussed
before, and that is the conclusion arrived
at.
Mr.. Lyman-After it has been exposed
to rains it is worth from to 10 cents q
bushel. have just been buying some for
application to dark peaty soil. 1t is by
no means equal to caustic lime, but it costs
me only half as much.
Mr.. Fuller do not think it is worth
having. | believe in caustic lime.
Mr.. Lyman-Thcre are places where
caustic lime cannot be obtained for less than
20 cents bushel, where this gas lime may
be had for less than half that price.
The Chair Ito Mr.. Fulfer)-Perhaps You
Mr.. Fuller-Caustic lime is that which is
just Stacked the other is inert, and has
little virtue. The proper line of inquiry is
how farmers MAY get oyster shells to their
farms, and burn them, at a cost of few
cents bushel.
Mr.. Reade spoke of having used lime to
some extent, putting it into the hills of
corn, and asked if that was the proper way
to use it.
Mr.. Fuller--You should put more vege-
table matter in it. do not believe in lime
as fertilizer if applied when there is no
4 vegetable matter but if there was, then it
( would do good by decomposing the vege-
& table. The Jersey farmers leave the soil
for two or three years until a little crop of
weeds come up, and then they apply the
) lime, and say, 'only see how much good
+ the lime has done," when it was the pre-
+ scnce of the weeds which were dissolved by
4 the lime that produced the effect.
4 DR.. Weaver doubt whether lime is of
4 much use except in caustic state.
THE BARBERRY BUSH FOR HEDGE
A correspondent signing himself J. b., of
Acton, Mass, writes; "Will the Club
please to discuss the merits of the barberry
bush as hedge plant? VIII it grow al
most anywhere And is it not thorny
enough to turn cattle? And will not the
berry be profit enough to pay the expense,
and so have a self-sustaining fence? 1t
will grow thick, and the berries bring 25
cents a peck in the market in our country
towns for sauce. They make excellent
sauce, and are medicinal. 1t grows in many
parts of this State. | hope the Farmers
Club will never grow less"
A. S. Fuller-Ihe habit of the barberry
fits it for good hedge plant. 1t is covered
with thons, grows thick at the bottom, and
is hardy. have 200 feet of it and looks
well. Where winters are hard, as in Mas
sachusetts, it should be tried in preference
to the Usage orange. The fruit is worth
something, but we have so many tarts mat
are superior to it, and much easier to gather,
that | cannot say much for it in that re-
gard.
LIQUID MANUREs.-Mrs. S. S. N.
Greeley, of Oswego, N. Y, writes thus !:
'As plant stimulant in our little parson-
age yard we have barrel partly filled with
stable manure, to which we add fine char
coal and soapy dishwater. While it acts
well as a fertilizer, it is often an offense to
our nostrils, the charcoal not proving COM
plete deoderizer. What will be better :?
Will permanganate of potash or copperas
answer the purpose, or would they in any
way be injurious to plants?
DIR. j. B. G. Smith suggested that she
should remove the barrel further from the
house.
Mr. Lyman-She has not put in charcoal
enough. have tried this plan: to two or
three bushels of hen droppings add some
matters CLEANED from the kitchen, all sorts
of trash, the debris of the household; over
this put little lime, with some rotten chip
dirt ON top of all, making a leach into
which all the refuse Stops of the household
pass, and from which one can have tub
full of rich liquid manure. If the smell is
bad, throw bag of charcoal into the old
tub that sets under the leach. If you want
an active stimulant, there is nothing like
this for asparagus or vines, or for the
strawberry plant.
| Mr.. II. L. Reade--I have adopted the
same plan, only | have barrel-a tight
Kerosene barrel-that we can keep covered
close. 1t brings forward plants in very
i remarkable manner. | think the barrel is
good plan.
Mr.. Daniels have tried the leach sys-
TEN with great success. It affords families
who have but little ground the best means
OF enriching them promptly, and, at the
same time, disposing of household sewage.
But it will not do to neglect the leach nor
allow vile matters to lie uncovered on the
top of it. A box of dry chip dirt or Of
line dry clay should stand near the leach,
and half peck of it be used daily.
Is The ENGLISH SPARROW A NUI-
sANCE.--Mr. ID. Augustus Vanderveer,
Secretary of the farmers Club, Freehold,
n. j.: AT meeting of the Monmouth
County Farmers Club, held May IL, the
question was asked, Are the English spar
rows benefit to the farmer and fruit-grow-
er? No one knew much about their hab-
I'LL / 4