The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1844-07-11
@g9A1 99010Q1s
EIsIREs-l PRIZE EsSlT.
IN :. L. DANA. .
SECTION SECOND.

hasftling efu INC Compost HAP
The above remarks may be called oul
Compost Heap. II muslbe well shovel,
led over. You must, reader. before you
carl il ont and spread II. understand well
what this compost contains. Nov Just
let me turn over few sh0vels lnlI, aud
fork out The main points 10 which wish
10 call your attention.
LEI. That all plants find in stable ma.
nnre everything they want.
I'd. That stable manure scnsils Of va.
ter. coal and sails.
81. That these, water. coal and salts,
consist in all plants ofcertain substances,
in number fifteen, which are called,
I. Oxygen. 2. hydrogen. 3. Nitrogen,
4. Carbon. 8 Sulphur. 0. Phosphorus, Z.
Potash, 9. Soda. 0. Lime, 10. Masnssia,
ii. alum'na or ''lsy. 10. Iron. Is. Man
ganese, "a Chlorine, which last, as we
have said, forms about one half The weight
ofcommon salt. is. Slick. And IL YOU
always associate With the word chlorine,
the lerillizing properties Of common salt.
you will. perhaps. have as good an idea
OF this substance as q farmer need have,
TO understand the action of chlorine.
9Th. These fifteen substances NAV be
divided into four classes.
LIST. The airy or gases, oxygen, by.
drogen. nitrogen and chlorine.
I'd. The eombuslibles, carbon, sulphur,
and phosphorus.
sd. The earlhs and metals. lime, clay,
magnesia, iron, manganese, and sllex.
9th. The aikalies. potash and soda.
You may be surprised that have no,
turned up ammonia, but this exists in
plants as hydrogen and nilrogeH.
9Th. The term salts includes q variety
of substances, Turned Of alkalies, earths,
and meals. combined with acids. Fix
well the meaning Of this term in your
mind, and remember the distinction poin
sed oui, that some salts are volatile, and
act quick in manure, and Others are fixed,
aud act slower.
9th. When plants die or decay. they
re urn the earth or air these fifteen sub
stances. Those returned TO the earth form
mould. which thus is composed of carbon.
salts, and water, is natural manure.
9TH. Mould consists of two kinds, one
OF which may be, and the other cannot
be dissolved by water. Alkalies put il
into state to be dissolved. and in pro-
portion rs it is dissolved, il becomes yalu-
able as a manure.
9Th. II then manure contains only wa.
ter. carbon, and salts, any substance which
affords similar products may be substilu-
ted FOR il. Hence we come 10 division
ofmanures in'o natural and artificial. The
consideration of these is the earring out
and spreading of our compost. Aud we
shall FIRST consider 10 detail the natural
manures.
Tha, is, those which are furnished us
by the dung and urine ofanimais, aud The
manure or mould formed by the decay Of
animal bodies or plants. These are truly
HE natural manures. consisting OF water,
m 'ud and salts. This is all that Is found
IN cattle dung. This being promised, we
may divide manures, reader. Tor your more
convenient consideration, not by their orr
GIN, but by their composition. We may
divide manures into three classes: First,
'hase consts ing Of vegetable or animal
matter, called mould; Secondly, those
consisting chiefly Of salts; and, Thirdly,
those consisting of a mixure Of these two
classes. And beginning With the last
hrst. we will now proceed to their con.
sideration.
SECTION THIRD.