CHARCOAL AS A MANURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 61, 17 July 1852, Page 3

CHARCOAL AS A MANURE.

The following report upon (lie use of Charcoal is a matter of so much importance to the community, and the .means of trying the experiments so ready .at every man's hand, that it will be disgraceful to our farmers if Mr. Braithwaite's'suggestions are not acted upon : — " Sir, — I feel obliged by the notice you have been pleased, to take of the few sentences I had the honour of addressing to the "Otago Agricultural Association ; and in conformity with your wish to hear further from me on the subject I introduced, I have much pleasure in' again calling your attention to the application of artificial manures, as I am most anxious to disabuse the minds of the public at home from the very prevalent jdea that the lands in New Zealand are so extremely fertile that no manure is required. The fallacy of such a statement, I am certain, has already been fully proved by all those who "have attempted to cultivate " open land," or even bush land, after the third year. From the present system of farming .adopted in this Colony without manure, I am not surprised at the cry — " that farming will not pay." Your cattle and sheep constantly on their runs, how do you propose to restore those organic and mineral ingredients your crops are carrying off your soil ? You must have recourse to artificial manures ; and with their aid, lam persuaded the limit of the productive powers of the soil of New Zealand under such a climate can neither be predicted nor foreseen, and fortunately the most valuable fertilizers — Charcoal and Lime — are within the reach of every settler at a very cheap rate. My attention having been, for the last five years, both in England and France, particularly directed to the destructive distillation of bituminous substances, and the application of , their carbonaceous residues as a manure; and ; from the successful results I have obtained being confirmed by testimonials received from the most experienced agriculturists, I have no hesitation in recommending the farmers of New Zealand to convert the charcoal, in clearing their lands, to the enrichment of the soil. In addition to my own experience, I find scarcely a writer upon agriculture, from the days of Worlidge to the present time, together with all the most eminent chemists of the day, who does not advocate the use of charcoal as a manure. Although the beneficial influence of charcoal upon vegetation has been long known, it is only very recently that we have attained to a definite and clear knowledge of the theory of its action : it surpasses all other substances for condensing ammonia within its pores. As a manure, be it understood, it does not act by furnishing carbon to vegetation, because it is one of the most indestructible substances known ; but it is remarkably absorbtive of cerI tain gases, which it retains within its pores in I a state of high condensation, capable of condensing as much as ninety times its bulk of ammoniacal gas, and thirty-live times-its volume of carbonic gas ; and as these two "gases form the principal organic food of plants, it is obvious charcoal has a powerful individual action on their growth ; hence its great value to the cultivators of the soil for the absorption of the gases evolved during the decomposition of their dung heap, by laying on a coating of charcoal, with a covering of earth or sod to protect it from the rain, also as an absorbent of liquid manure ; in fact it is the only substance known by which the separation of the valuable ingredients from the liquid manure can be obtained. The efficiency of charcoal as a disinfectant has been fully proved, which renders it useful as an absorbent to mix with those valuable excrementitious substances that exist in such quantities in every town ; it prevents all obnoxious effluvia, and converts into a use- | ful, portable, and inodorous manure the solid j substances which at present are too frequently i exposed or carried away in ditches, impregnat- | ing the air with exhalations injurious to health. I The plan I have pursued has been simply to reduce the charcoal to powder, spread out on a floor, and well saturated with asmuch ammonical water as it is capable of absorbing. Of course the urine from animals, &c, is easily obtained by farmers ; it speedily ' dries ; and I advise its application in drills to all descriptions of root and grain crops. About six or seven hundredweight to the acre will in general be found sufficient if sown broad cast, or as a top dressing : for wheat or grass of course more will be required. I must remind the farmer that he should only char or carbonise the wood: he can.accomplish this by covering the heap with earth, sand, or green turf, and then retard, regulate, and reduce the extent of combination as much as possible. Inspecting the use and application of Lime, its influence on the soil is known, to the mere tyro in agriculture ; I will not further encroach upon your valuable pages, merely reminding my fellow- settlers that the fern lands in this colony cannot be brought immediately into a state of cultivation without it j and when it is | within the reach of' almost every farmer in the | Otago block, and they will not avail themselves of it, we cannot be surprised, in the absence of lime or manure, that " farming does not pay." I have the honour to be, &c, Septimus Braititsvaite, . - Civil Engineer, Member of the Royal Agricultural 1 . i , ; Society of England; Half-way Bush, July loth, 1852, -„„ . " '."...

the price of 9 properties only, or £1084 10s., I leaving, of course^ the price of 14 properties, or L.1687, to be discharged hereafter but of the sums which may accrue to the Trustees for further sales to private individuals. These sums correspond with-the entries in the Company's books as they now stand. „ , The questions for present consideration in connection with the several' provisions and transactions above mentioned appear, therefore, to be,— Ist,' Whether the Trustee's, having been credited), as 'stated" above, for one additional property, ought now to receive a land order (or other document) empowering them to select ? 2nd, Whether in future they ought to be allowed to make further selection, in addition ' to those already made, in the proportion of one property (or allotment) for every twenty sold to private individuals; or whether the power of making such further selections ought to be kep,t in abeyance, till such time as the number of'properties sold to private individuals shall amount to twenty times as many as the 22 (or 23) now allowed to be selected by the Trustees ? 3rd, In the event of the latter alternative being decided upon, Avhat proportion of the sums accruing to the Trustees from time to time from future sales to private individuals ought to be applied in payment of the properties now allowed to be selected by them, but not yet paid for? Upon these points, affecting, as they do, the rights of other parties, the Directors feel reluctant to offer any opinion without previously communicating with those parties; and they, beg to suggest, that, after calling on the Otago Association for an expression of their sentiments, the decision will rest most fitly in the hands of Earl Grey, without further intervention on the part of the Company. His Lordship, they doubt not, will take due care that, by such decision, the rights reserved to the Company by the Act of 1847, 10 and 11 Victoria, c. 112, shall not be in any way impaired. I have, &c, (Signed) T. C. Harington.

■Tpwe\voz Ava& m l6^BTl 6^8T W^H ?? S T8 ot R pun— 'ptrctSug m 'oogl A n f V? 0l W ("V Zf '°is[ '-^doQ po^oojuoo posopug;)

Extract— Capt. Cargill to John M'Glashan, Esq., dated Dunedin, Ist July 1852. * * I also enclose letter from the Rev. Thomas Burns, accompanied with Deliverances of the Trustees and Church Courts on the matters referred to them, and which I trust -will prove satisfactory. * * * At a Meeting of the Trustees for " Religious • and Educational Uses" held in Captain Cargill's Office, Dunedin, Otago, on the 7th June 1852, present — The Rev. Thomas Burns, James Macandrew, Esq., William Cargill, Esq. The Rev. Thomas Burns in the Chair. Read letter from" the Secretary of the Otago Association of October 1851, enclosing copy correspondence in regard to the funds and properties of the Trust, and calling, on certain points, for the opinion of the Trustees ; stating also the "opinion of the Association's Committee of Management as to the desirableness that the First Church of Otago should now provide for its own expenses, and without aid from the Trust, other than, such rents as may accrue from' the leasing of its' lands. The Meeting having maturely considered the whole subject, Resolved— " ■ ■ ' - -' •

Ist. In respect of the 22 properties selected in virtue of land orders received, and the one property assigned by the Company "but witnbut authority to selectj that the Edinburgh Committee having applied for "the issue of a certificate for the latter property in order to its' being also selected, the same is concurred in by the Trustees. 2ifd. That in, the opinion of the Trustees no further' certificates, should be issued, or lands selected for the Trust, until the 23 properties' above referred to shall have been paid for ; arid then only in the proportion of one allotment for every twenty sold to the public subsequently to the said paymentl .. 3rd. With respect to the balance still due for' the 23 properties, it would be gratifying to the Trustees, to propose, that all monies accruing to the Trust henceforth should be at once applied to its liquidation ; but that in existing circumstances they are bound to urge upon the Committee of Management to make the best arrangement they can for its gradual liquidation, so that as large a portion as may be of monies accruing from land sales be paid over to the Trustees, and the balance only applied in liquidation, until further notice. 4th,. That the Trustees being under bond for the Minister's stipend of the first Church (£3OO a-year) to the full extent of property of every description under their hands, an obligation which the Deacons' Court of that congregation cannot as yet take wholly upon itself; and as rents for lands, of which the enclosure, buildings, and primary breaking up are at the expense of the tenant, are as yet but small, the case to be guarded against for another year or two is that of the Trustees being compelled to sell any lands at a disadvantage for the fulfilment of that bond ; and also in the event of monies so received by them being in excess of ( such protection of their property in land, that the excess, if any, might be applied in such improvements as would facilitate the letting of their land,and secure an earlier increase of the rent roll as a first security. sth. That the congregation and Deacons' Court of the first Church have shewn a noble and liberal spirit in their contributions for the erection and plantation of District Schools and Preaching Stations, and for which, together with outgoings for Church and School in Dunedin (including a large portion of the Minister's stipend), they had raised among themseves the of £500 in 1851, — giving token of what may be looked for as numbers increase, more especially if that increase should be of a similar character with recent arrivals from home. Qli^That notwithstanding the amount of Tru^Fuigls expended on the first Church, as referreUfo^in Mr. M'Glashan'sJfctter qf October 1851, -the Trustee|_are .of opinion, §that fhe claims of that O^uTcfy cither as regards itself or the well-beingpof a future group of Qtago Churches, are by no«neans exhaustedJfcthat the ejßpenditure was incurred in provlqjpg Church and School for a small arid slowly increasing number, who could do nothing for themselves whilst engaged in the joug^i' r and? thriftless task of pioneering for the whole settlement, but amongst whom it was essential .to the principles of the Otago Scheme thatjiaoits. of church-going and Sabbath associations should be maintained from the outset, and which efforts have happily succeeded in jtamping upon our infant society its present character. That, the buildings for these purposes were erected at a necessarily enormous cost, from the want of proper appliances, and the necessity of waiting for and creating materials ; and whi.ch ought not, therefore, to fall upon those who were encountering the same disadvantages in their individual undertakings, but be divided among those who are to enjoy its fruits in the comparative economy of their own proceedings, and amidst the comforts of a moral and religious community. The first congregation is still in want of a proper church, and the wellbeing of the whole community is concerned in it. The building now used accommodates about 400, but can be no further added to, arid is fit only for being converted into a school. A building suitable to the principal town, to its increasing population, and. what is due to the settlement in the eye of the stranger, would cost about £2000 ; and it is therefore in contemplation, notwithstanding other and more urgent wants, to begin a subscription fund for this purpose, to be fostered at interest till the amount can be realized (for borrowing here is out of the question, "because of the rate of interest) ; and the Trustees are of opinion, that it would be compatible with justice, and to the . advantage of the whole settlement, to aid that fund by any means in their power. 7th. The Trustees have nothing to remark upon the letter of the Rev. W. Nicholson referred to by the Edinburgh Committee, beyond a reference to the accurate statistics transmitted by the Minister of the first Church of Otago to the Colonial ' Committee of the Free Church, and to the views of the Deacons' ' Court and

congregation, as shewn in the course of duty* they had long since entered upon with reference to the scattered portion t of ,their' members '? as it will appear froth' such reference with how much' anxiety the Trustees and 'the Deacons 1 Court had been turning their attention to the subject, long' before Mr. Nicholson arrived in the place. J ' * They are of opinion, that, to meet the wants of the scattered population in question, a Missionary to itinerate amongst them Would be the most expedient. The expense, however, of such a Missionary being, from the causes 'already expressed, utterly beyond their present means, the Trustees' are, happy to avail themselves of the suggestion of the "Edinburgh Committee to apply to the ' Colonial Committee of the Free Church to aid them with a Missionary for a limited period, and will therefore recommend the subject to the immediate consideration of the Kirk Session and Deacons' CouTt. Thomas Bukns, Chairman. Memorial of the Minister, Elders and Deacons of the First Church of Otago to the ColoniaL Committee of the Free Church of Scotland. Your Committee is aware of the provision made in Otago by which the advantages of Church and School were to be supplied at the outset without charge to the people. The Colony, in fact, was started on the" principle of paying its own way in every thing ; and for fear that the consideration of religious instruction, 'and the education of the young should be indefinitely postponed till such time as the first difficulties of the settlers should' be overcome, precaution was taken to provide for these at onee — not by means of an endowment, for that was out of the question — but by a single contribution of five shillings an acre on original land sales. It is most gratifying to refer to the Statistics and other reports of the Settlement transmitted to your Committee from time to time by our Minister, as evincing the blessed effects that have resulted from this wise provision to the settlers themselves, and more particularly to the Colony, by stamping it at its very birth with the character of earnest religious observance and keeping holy the Sabbath. It is true, indeed, that at an early stage the settlement was invaded by hordes of loose characters, in numbers almost equal to the settlers themselves, whose Sabbath desecrations and open profligacy gave ground for the most painful apprehensions; but the entire aspect of our people, and more especially on the Lord's day, was such, that most of these characters soon -withdrew from a place and a society that did notTsuilrthem, and the few who remained, if riot reformed, have become hid. The result, therefore, of the provision made in Otago for Church and School has to this extent been eminently successful. But a difficulty has arisen from the retirement of the New Zealand Company at a time when the Trust Fund accruing from the ss. an acre was in debt to the amount of L.1 700. Alfd as the proceeds of subsequent land sales required to be- applied to the liquidation of this debt in the first instance, all aid from the Trust Fund was from that moment intercepted ; so that the members,and adherents of the Ghurch

of Otagb'were thus' at once and almost entirelythrown, upon their own individual resources-. TKe congregation of the First Church, however," •wtiich 'had'thus been supported for three years without charge to its members, was found ready and' willing to make the necessary exertions ftr defraying its' own expenses'; and ■accordingly it has raised within the year ending 31st December 1851 funds to the* t amount of L.500. This amount* besides' meeting the expenditure required foi* the congregation at Dunedin; was employed in establishing district schools in the North-East Valley and at Port Chalmers, the building in the latter place being' fitted fora church -as' well as a school, with a view 'to its becoming a preaching station. A 1 similar building' to serve both as a Church and school is about to be erected in the district of East Taieri. The First, and as yet only Church' of Otago, has thus shewn itself willing to lend a helping hand to its more distant scattered members. But the aggregate number of these distant members is far too small to form even the nucleus of a secdnd church. At Port Chalmers there might he an attendance,' in favourable weather, of between 40 and 50 ; in the East Taieri between 20 and 30 at public worship onSabbath, were such a privilege statedly sup--plied. Smaller groups are locatedj'in the West Taieri, in the Taieri Village, in the Kouri Bush, in the "Waihola, in the Tokomairiro, and several very small groups in the Clutha, besides' detached families at remote sheep stations. The necessity for the services of a Missionary to itinerate amongst these groups is now becoming very urgent ; and the more so because of the number of such scattered parties being steadily, though slowly, on the increase. The salary of a Missionary, h.owever, in addition to what the first congregation (who, -with their families, comprise a population of about 1000 souls, chiefly of the working classes in Dunedin, and within a circuit of 5 miles) has taken upon itself, is altogether beyond its means. Such are the circumstances under which it is respectfully craved of your Committee that a Missionary may be supplied and paid for from the funds of your scheme, say for a period of three years. Your Committee will make no doubt that^t is with reluctance that your Memorialists now make this application, and that it is disappointing to them to be in a position to take anything from your funds. This disappointment is so much the greater, as it had been mooted and looked forward to on the part of your Memorialists to make an early move in an opposite direction, to the extent of providing a Bursary for your College, in the hope of proving less burdensome when calling upon you hereafter Tor a second Minister, as well as of making a stated collection for your Missionary Fund. But if circumstaneSS have unhappily deferred these objects for a time, and thrown your Memorialists into a portion they had not contemplated, it is still submitted that Otago has done something in a right direction towards lightening, and ultimately extinguishing, the burden borne by the brethren in the home country in supplying the spiritual wants occasioned by random emigration. Signed, in name and by authority 'of the Kirk Session and Deacons' Court of the First Church of Otago, by Thomas Burxs, ** <" . Minister of the First Church of Otago.

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