The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-03-10
for one is foul domestic, and the other
a domestic fowl.
From the New Ehglhnd Farmer,
Making Compost.
ny FREDERICK HoLBRooK.

The SOILS OF New England are al best
but Of moderate fertility. Too much |
of our land has been worn out, has been !
thoroughly skinned. by long and ex-
hausting ,ilage. To increase the fertil-
i,y Of lands not yet worn out, TO restore
fertility where it has been exha usted,
and to gather crops that will remuEer-
ate labor, We must be diligeni and per-
severing in the making and application
of manure. Our case is such that we
cannot rely simply upon the refuse Of
our crops and the excremenls Of our
farm stock we must add thereto the
riches OF our swamps aud forests, the
washing from our fields that have CEN
tered in holows, and all those waste or
unemployed vegetable or animal sub
stances, wherever available, that con-
tain the principle of fertility. Thus we
may cause now desert-places to blossom
again, and make the cultivation Of New
England spil remuneraling business.
Experience has taught me that COM
post >manure is valuable very much in
proportion TO the care with which the
various materials have been mingled. -
One man will take certain materials, all
suitable for being converted into a rich
compost, tumble them together without
care or calculation, apply The mass to his
| fields with as little care or thought, and
finding its operation upon his crops very
variable and uncertain, or tiat it is quite
imperative, will denounce the whole sys'
TEN of composing manures as an idle
theoretical notion unworthy the attention
OF practical farmer. Another man
will take precisely the same materials
minge them minu,ely and perfectly and
in due proportions, apply the compost
properly to his fields. obtain fine crops
wherever it is applied, his lands will
steady improve under such treatment,
he will add barn TO barn. and will Gil his
barns.
In The business OF making manure,
for one have found it for my interest tc
be always awake and ready for improve
ments-to learn whatever others cal
teach me. and to discover new and ef
| fective methods myself. have various
ways of making good compost, accord
ing to circumstances and the season OF
the year. 1t would be long story to
speak of them all but have enc meth
cd in particular, not very generally prac
iised. yet which l like much, and i
shall be my present purpose to describe
It.
The floor OF my stables is just long
enough for the cattle TO stand or lie dowr
upon comfortably. and no more. Five
feet and three or four inches, from The
manger. or standards TO which the cat,
lie are tied, back, is suitable length o
floor for cows, or for young cattle gen
orally; for larger animals, the hool
should be proportionaIy longer. I'm
mediaiely back of this floor, have 1
waier>tight plank trench, four inches
deep and twenty inches wide. Between
the trench and the side or boarding q
the barn, there is walk or passage>way,
two feet IN width. The trench is The
place Of all places for manufacturing
compost>manure. Some winters, muck
is put into the trench, and others, leave,
and vegetable mould collected in The
woods. Last winter, muck was used
1t was dug in August previous, and pill
ed on dry ground near the swamp tc
drain and tighten; a part of the heaT
was carted TO the barn as soon as the
cattle were TO be stabbed in the fall, aLC
the remainder was hauleS by the frs
Shedding, and piled near the stable door
under shed open on The south side
In the coolest weather of winter. th,
frost penetrated the pile pretty deeply
but the muck was easily cut up with I
sharp pick k-axe, and il thawed very soon
after being deposited in the trench.
could readily have put the muck IN 1
place mostly free from frost but PREFER
ed to have il frozen for that operated
mechanically TO break down the Jumps
to divide, pulverise and improve it. A
bushel basket full was put behind eacl
animal. every morning. The solid and
liquid manure-droppings oflhe day and
night fell into the trench, thus mingled
were thrown out in the morning. In the
coldesl Gays Of winter. thin sprinklng
OF straw or oiLer litter was placed over
the bottom of the trench, before putting
in the muck, which prevented the latter
from freezing to the trench. There were
but few days. however. cold enough TO
make this precaution necessary. The
cattle always had bedding Of straw or
mher coarse litter, which was daily
thrown out with the contents Of the
trench, and served to swell the manure.
hesp,,o keep II up light, aud TO promote
fermenl alton. The compost was min