Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-03-04

of stable or barn yard manure, that strew
bushels of plaster and so, in the same proportions,
continue to build up your heap, alternating peat:
manure and plaster, until you have made it or 5
feet high the width to be reduced to give to
the heap conica form, taking care to let peat be
the top layer: and to build a wall of peat around
the heap, to prevent loss of the volatile gases by
/ escape through the sides
.. Spread 100 double horse-cart loads of peat
on the ground, II inches deep, this spread 1900
lbs. of Graves Cracklins, broken up fine and
evenly distributed these strew $50 bushels OF
ashes. and bushels of plaster, then alternate lay
ers of peat Graves Crackns, ashes and plaster.
until your heap is nished-the last layer to be peat
the sides to be walled up as in No l.
"3. Spread 100 double horse-cart loads of peat,
| IL inches deep, over these spread 200 bushels OF
ashes then peat and ashes in alternate layers until
| the heap is completed, directed in numbers l
and 2.
IA. Spread 100 double horsecart loads of peat,
II inches deep. spread thereon $50 bushels of ash
es, so bushels of bone dust, and 90 gallons of fish
oil, and proceed until the heap is completed as
before directed in Nos l, 2, and 81
"Spread 100 double horse-cart loads of peat, u
inches deep. spread thereon 100 bushels of lime,
bushels of plaster. and 90 bushels of salt, then al
ternate layers of peat, SC, until the heap is COM
pleted.
"Such compost heaps must remain unused until
the agents used shall have decomposed the vegeta
ble matter of the peat, and brought it to state OF
solubility. This, in weather, is usually
/
/ must be occasionally examined. to ascertain the
state of the fermentation. This is done by thrust
ing stick into the body of the heap. If draw
ing the stick it feels hot, the heap should be shovel
| ed over.
(: There are several other substances which may
be used as fermentng agents, some of which we
will mention-Nitrate of Potash, Soda, Nitrate of
Soda per cent of either of which substances,
would be about the right quantity to be incorporated
blood, and the ofFal of slaughter houses, ac-
tive fermenters-so also all animal bodies; but
while of these too DEAR others not to be
had in quantities. except under very favorable cir
cumstances of locality, SO bushels of soot and 10
bushels of salt would if properly compOsted and
permitted to remain proper time, convert 20 loads
of peat into good manure-2OO gallons of urine and
bushel of plaster, would convert that quantity of
peat into manure, as prompt and efficient, and
more lasting than guano So also would 1000 her.
rings, equal quantity of other fishes if com
posted with 20 loads of peat and bushel of plas
ter, from equally valuable, and more permanent
manure than guano.
"Peat composts, formed in the way have indica-
ted will produce manure. every twenty or thirty
double horsecart loads of which will be sufficient
fertilize Of land to enable it to carry rota
tion of crops properly through. But it is unreason
able to think that peat, or any other similar sub
stance, will act without previous preparation-with
out the living principle is first restored to it.
" From fact which MIR. H mentions, viz: that
clover would not grow on the soil of his lawn
think it more than probable that his land will need
doubts in the least but for myself have none
whatever and should not hesitate to apply from 25
to so bushes to each that he has improved with
the peat compost-applying the lime topdress-
ing after | had ploughed in the compost.
A word may be necessary in regard to the char
acter of Graves or Cracklins. recommended in for
mnla No. g They may be bought at the candle
factories, and of packers of meat. Their constitu
ent elements render them peculiarly fitted for the
purposes of the compost heap, and especially so.
where an active agent of decomposition may be
qured. Besides Carbon Hydrogen, Oil, Sulphur
and traces Of bone earth they contain very large
percentage of Nitrogen: rich are they in this
substance, that it may be held to be equal to l3 per
cent. of Ammonia"
All composs, before being used, should be shovel
ed over and intimately mixed.
Peat which may be intended to be utilized through
the cattle yard, or hogsy, should be hauled there
in in the fall, so as to have the advantage of the
droppings of the animals during autumn winter. |
and part of the succeeding spring.
MARSH MUD, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES,
COMPOSTED WITH MARL.
Where it may be convenient to mari as the
agent of decomposition, would recommend the !
following plan:
Let the mari be exposed to winters frost In
the spring following, spread out 100 double horse
cart loads of the marsh mud, other rough materi-
al, level OFT the heap, on that place 200 bushels of
mari, over that spread 20 bushels of salt and 10
bushels of plaster then 100 loads of the rough ma
and 10 bushels of plaster until the pile is feet
high trim up the pile, plaster it, pat down
the outside, and let it remain in bulk few weeks.
then shovel it over and throw it into bulk again.
where it must lie some three months before it will
be fit for the mari will be slow in acting up
the vegetable matter in consequence of its being
in carbonate state.
The process of decomposition would be greatly
accelerated, if unsIaked ashes, in the proportion Of
bushels to the double horse cart load of the rough
materials, added at the time of forming the
pile speedy decomposition might be promoted.
and the quality of the compost greatly improved if
the drainage from the cattle-yards and the urine
from the stables and dwellings were mixed with
plaster, and occasionally poured the pile; so
also would this effect be produced if so loads of an
imal manure to every 100 loads Of the rough mate
rals, were added at the time of forming the COM
post heaps but if such manure cannot be obtained, |
200 lbs of guano, $50 lbs. of the Nitrate of Pot
ash or, the quantity of Soda, to every 90 loads
of the rough materials would answer.
HOW LIME IS TO BE USED IN COMPOST. ]
IF our correspondent should desire to use his lime
as a decompOser of stramp-mud, we would recon-
mend him to slake his lime with strong salt brine
that, when the lime is slaked. to add sufciency of
the brine to it, to form it into the consistencc Of
thin paste and then to form his compc st thus
Spread 100 double horsecart loads of his swamp
mud the ground, II inches deep, spread thereon !
100 bushels of the lime formed into paste, that
spread swamp mud inches in depth (or, in guam
tity, so double horSe-cart loads of the mud) over
that spread bushels of plaster then spread so |
more loads of the mud, on that spread 100 bushels
of lime slaked, and made into thin paste with salt
Brine and then continue this process of mud, lime,
salt PASTE and plaster, until he gets his pile feet
high, then plaster the pile and pat it down
we'll the pile should be formed cone-like as recon-
mended in formula No. /. in essay the de-
composition of MIR. Hamton's peat.
tbo oil bor 81 6,,II-