Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-03-05
A0rifnltnral department.
BEST ABSORBENT OF AM
MONA.

mON Ia.
A correspondent of the Country
Gentleman writes that paper; "Ihe
weight of ammonia per cubic foot is
about half that of air, hence its great
to pass upward as soon as
found in or near the surface of the
earth. The best agent to absorb
this gas is carbon or charcoal; hence
their purifying effect when placed
over decaying matter. Fine garden
soil, or road dust, is also one of the
best articles, as many have no doubt
by applying few shovel
fuls to an offensive clubhouse. [ have
seen the effect in the first minute
after applying. Carbon having this
peculiar absorbent power, without
any chemical change, it |
will be seen how important 1t is that !
a full supply of it should be in the
soil to hold the ammonia. In a fer
menting pile of manure there is al |
ways more or less ammoniacal gas
passing off, and for any one desiring
to save this, there is nothing better
or cheaper than earth from a ditch |
or bank, or any other convenient
pile. A thin layer occasionally spread |
over the manure will effectually Sc
cure the escaping gas. Many have,
no doubt, often seen the advice of
the use of plaster or sulphate of lime,
which fixes the alkaline gas by its
displacing the lime and forming sui
phate of ammonia. 1t is strange that
this error should be made and by
those who know better. Between
lime and sulpuric acid there is
powerful affinity, and it is no easy
matter to break this union, especially
by feeble base like ammonia. If
the advice were given to unfiX the
ammonia from a sulphate, no quicker
mode could be suggested than adding
lime to sulphate of ammonia. The
lime would soon have the sulphuric
acid, and form sulphate of lime, and
the ammonia would pass off, never
to be caught by another portion of
sulphate of lime
MOST POTATOES WITH LEAST
PAINS.
In response to inquiries from read
ers of The Tribune relative to imple-
ments used and mode of culture in
the extensive potato-growing section
of Genesee county and vicinity will,
without referring to the minor details
as practiced by different farmers,
state the more important essentials.
With this, as with other farm crops,
thorough preparation of the soil is all
important; chances for success are
greatly lessened by neglecting to
conform to this rule, and it is also
becoming more and more obvious that
frequent stirring of thoroughly pull
verified soil does much to supply the
| lack of needed moisture in time of
drouth. The amount of seed per
acre is regulated to a great extent by
the size; ordinarily six to eight BUSH
els are required, though by cutting
finer this quantity would of course be
lessened. The matter of large or
small potatoes for seed is still a
point of discussion, and though in
stances of equal success are reported
from the planting of small seed, may
we not naturally anticipate better
returns from the larger and more per-
feet tubers, or at least those taken
from field as harvested? For a mar
ket crop farmers have learned that,
as a rule, the chances of success are
in favor of what was once considered
late planting; and aside from the
earlier varieties the greatest portion
of seeding is now done from the Isl
to the 18th of June.
After marking the field both ways
for rows the desired distance apart
varying from two feet eight inches to
three feet-the required depth of two
or three inches is attained by weight.
ing the marker the last time over the
field. The seed is then dropped a
the points of intersection, and aftel
pressing with the foot the seed is il
favorable condition and depth to BIZ
satisfactorily planted with the cover
er-an implement invented by /:
potato grower in an adjoining town
drawn by two horses, arranged will
two plates of steel similar in form t.
the mouldboard of plough, and b,
driving astride the row the soil il
turned from both directions towart
the seed, and being left slight,
ridged, presents a smooth and uni
form appearance, covering the seet
more satisfactorily than would aver
age by the old methods of hand work
This implement is guided by handle
similar to a corn cultivator, cover
4 two rows to a ''bout'' is capable o
: covering from six to eight acres pc
. day, is now used by nearly all th
2 principal potato growers, and in sub
5 sequent tillage it is equally valuabl
f as hitler. An implement drawn b
t one horse is also used to a large eS
S tent as a cultivator, and by removin
b the two rear teeth and by substitr
0 ting the hitler attachment, very sa