Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-10-07
A1rtculturaI.
From die Tamoa Agricultuis,
Preservation of Mannres.


essential article, as he will 10 secure and
preserve the crops which are the produce Of
his farm. Hence ii becomes an important
question with every farmer, how he may
most effectualy increase the quantity and
preserve the quality of his manure. Many
farmers have not the means Of doing all
that is desirable in this respect, yet all can
do someihing-and | will state few sim
pie things which have done for this pur-
pose, and which all can do.
l. Prepare the barn-yard. The best way
is to have il dishing towards the centre, the
sides Of the yard being but slightly inclin-
ed, afTording good opportunity for the cat
lie to stand or lie, while the wash is all turn.
ed towards The centre, the centre itself be-
ing more deeply excavated, to receive the
manure If the soil is Dose sand or grav-
ell, this excavation should be lined with clay
four or FIVE inches thick. II the excavation
cannot be conveniently made in the centre,
il may be made in some other part Of the
yard, the earth being so placed as to make
the whole yard gently descending to such
excavation Almost any yard could be pre-
pared in this way by two hands and team
with pillow and scraper in half day; and
the judieiOus farmer will not simply say "the
plan is very good" but he will not suffer
two weeks to pass by without adopting it, if
he has not already done so.
2. Next as to the use OF the yard. This
excavation should be covered with coat.
ing Of muck or soil, or sods, or straw, or
anything which will serve to absorb or soak
up the liquid manure. A pile of such ma
terial should also be placed near the exca-
walton, and during the summer, the drop
pings Of the COWS should be gathered every
morning and thrown in, and then covered
with coating Of the muck or other sub |
stance procured for the purpose. If slight |
coating OF the muck is spread over the
whole yard, and scraped into the excavation
once in two or three weeks il would absorb |
and preserve large portion OF the urine. |
1t may be objected that this takes too much |
time Some time is required, it is true, but
labor thus expended is the most profitable
done on the farm.
3. To prevent the manure from being
washed, the water from the caves of the |
barns and sheds should be conveyed out of
the yard by eaves.iroughs. These may be
made at little expense. of boards, the inside
only being planed. II the wash Of any land |
adjoining the yard would naturally flow in
to it, that side of the yard should be guard. |
ed against such wash
A. When muck can be obtained it can
generally be procured most economically in
the winter. Larger loads can be drawn, la
Dor is cheaper, the swamps or muck beds
are more accessible, and the farmer who
improves that season in getting pile OF so
or 100 loads Of this article in his yards, will
find it as valuable as so much clear barn
yard manure; as by composing il with the
manure he saves much of the latter which
would otherwise be lost, and for some soils
the compos, is actually better than the clear
manure.
S. Much has been said and written in re-
gard to the saving Of the liquid manure of |
stables. Our seasons and the price of labor
are objections TO the plan of using tanks
and cisterns, and of spreading it on the land |
in liquid form. 1t is therefore far prefe.
rable TO save Il by the use Of absorbents.--
For this purpose the same substances which |
are used in the yard, may be made svaila-
BILE but they should be placed in a dry |
state under some shed, where they will be
of convenient access in the winter 1t
should be the first object of the farmer, or
at least one Of the first, TO have a cellar I'M
der his stable. A coating of muck, &C.,
should be spread over the bottom of il in |
the fall, and il should be placed around the |
sides from time TO time during the winter
Then by leaving the planks Of the stable
floor half an inch apart, almost the whole of
the liquid part of the manure is sayed-the |
solid parts are preserved in better state |
and the labor Of cleaning the stable is less,
when the manure is dropped through scut-
tie in the floor, than when il is thrown out |
OF window.
q. The hog-yard should also receive the
attention Of the farmer, and be prepared in |
the same way as the barnyard. Muck or
soil should be thrown in, say one or two |
loads week for half dozen hogs, and as
it is deposited, sprinkle in with it two or
three quarts Of corn. This will induce the |
hogs TO root it over and mix il with their |
own droppings, and in this way half doz- |
en- hogs will make from thirty to forty loads |
OF manure in a season, of the very best |
quality for corn. He who raises hogs for |
the pork alone, realizes only half the profit |
from them which he may do. The profit |
on their labor is equal TO the profit on their
carcasses.
z. The manure of the poultry should al.
so be saved for two reasons. First, neat
farmer will not have his fowls roosting all |
over his premises, and soiling his carriages, |
farming tools and floors, with their filth
Second, their manure if preserved, is of
prime value in the garden--very nearly
equal to guano. For vines, quart placed |
in hill and slightly covered before drop
ping the seeds, will produce more effect than
three times that amount of barn-yard ma.
nure." To preserve it, fix roost in
warm shed, and place under it box made
Of two boards. The box or trough may be |
sustained two or three feet below the roost. |
by arms or boards nailed on the posts of the |
shed and projecting under it.
presume many farmers have adopted |
the plans have suggested, essentially but
there are mutitudes who have not done il,
and perhaps never will, until the importance
Of such arrangements are made manifest to
them, by the superior thrift OF their neigh
bors. A wise man. however, will attend to
such things in season, and not suffer pro-
crastination to steal away the very prime of