Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-09-04
WASTE MANIIRES-

! am much surprised to see so much waste of ma
nurrs as there is among The middling class Of farm
ers, in almost all parts of the country. Instead Of
so constructing barn-yards as to hold the urine and
the juice OF manure or making small drains to con-
duct and spread it over large surface Of land, in
many places il is allowed to run into the ditch by
the road side and thence to be conducted into the
brooks near by. Now | am fully in the faith that
small brooks and Springs, or water from the road
curing the rain storms and showers, conducted by
small bitches along the high ground upon Utmost
ny soil, especially in the sumner season, where nnd
generally begins to dry, and upon dry, sandy, or
gravelly soil at all seasons OF the year, would doub
10 the crop of grass. remember once seeing the
effects OF pure water spread upon a side hill, by
means of troughs from cstern at the house of
gentleman who had proved the worth of barn yard
waste, as he called it, also from turning small
brook over his moving land in dry weather He
brought water from spring to his house, back of
which the lard was poor and descending from ill.,
lie bullt large cis,en TO contain the surplus
water, which when full would let out and conduct
1t by means ct small roughs over this side hill land
and in one season more than doubled his crop; and
AFTER one or two seasons cut much grass could
well be dried on the ground. Almost all farms have
small Wales where water runs at least some part Of
the season which might be conducted along high
er ground to good advantage. wish any man who
can. would just try the experiment.
Ano' fault may be found with farmers gener
ally. They do not put on grass seed enough. II
the land poor, the grass will spread to cover
the ground unless the seed is put on thick and
gain, if the land is rich and The quantity of seed on
the ground SMALL the grass musl be coarse and OF
bad quality Whereas if you put on plenty of seed
your grass will be fine and of good quality, and is
worth one third more than coarse. Wet or clay
soils when plowed, should be mdnured with coarse
manure, such as straw, corn-stalks and uter from
horse barns. have seen whole straw dropped in
the iurrow straightways by boy who followed the
plow, winch had wonderful effect upon the after
crops, lasting much longer than finer manure. In
deed ! am OF OPINION that one ton of straw will do
more good IN TINS way upon heavy ground than one
and half tons when rotted or made into comm 81
Most grass lands may be best improved by pu,
ting 6ue compost upon the grass-what cali DIV.
ing my grass top dressing. have in this wav.
with about ten loads per acre, more than doubled
my grass crop uponmy moist lands; and again, by
putting up small temporary barns that will hold a.
bout four tons Of hay, and manurlng them every
two years, have, by feeding to sheep over the field
by carrying it great distance from the barn,
pecially on poor knobs and side hills, near the top
found benefit. ! am careful 10 take up all manure
left near the barn, and carry it off in the spring.
/ think the urine from my sheep is worth nearly as
much to my land as the manure cannot account
for the rapid Improvement in my grass in any other
way, as four tons Of hay fed out in my yard will
not make more than four loads of good manure J.
which will not go one quarter as tar, over the same
ground that my sheep make good every year.