The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-05-27

same way az the carbonate of ammonia.
This sulphate, however, is readily dissolved
in water. Hence, in the experiment above
detailed, it was carried out in solution by
the water and manure" ,is.
| N An important inference from the above
experiment, as made and as explained by
Prof. Campbell, is, that the mannres accu-
mulating about the barn, during the summer,
should be preserved in a similar manner.
Let them be thrown together, under shed
il that is convenient, or in a pile outside if
not; if the latter, the pile should be so high
that rains may be retained in II and evapo.
rated instead Of running through, and let
ground plaster be mixed, say half peck to
each load Of the manure. We would say a
bushel to load, were we looking only at
the preservation Of the manure; /; but we
have to look beyond that-to the application.
Ii twenty loads were applied to the acre, it
would imply as many bushels OF plaster,
which would be entirely too much. We
would therefore mix but four quarts of
plaster to the load, as this would give fair
allowance for the land on which this manure
might be placed, implying as much sulphuric
acid as would be likely to benefit the land.
And then we would mix with the manure
other substances-swamp muck, if it could
be had, or, if not, leaf mold, scrapings from
hedges, or loan, if nothing better were at
hand /; this to act as retainer of the virtues
of the manure.
So little plaster as we have recommended
might not be sufficient alone to retain the
ammonia, and hence the advantage Of some
thing more and we venture to say that by
adding wel-cured swamp muck, the quantity
Of manure may be doubled, without deteri-
Grating but very little, If al all, the quality.
Water should be applied if the mass is
likely to become entirely dry. Moist airays,
buf nfUer leached, is the rule for home ma
nures. Can we make the reason Of this
plain to the non-chemical readers we will
try:-water is itself pretty good retainer
Of ammonia. If the surface Of manure
heap could be always kept moist by the
constant sprinkling of little water-enough
TO penetrate eight or ten inches, but not
enough TO leach the manpre--it is doubtful
whether any other retainer would be needed.
The water would keep the ammonia in the
heap about as safely as high fence will
keep cattle in yard, even il no other re
tainer were employed; whereas, if the heap
is suffered to become entirely dry, it is
doubtful whether anything would keep the
ammonia from escaping. Perfectly dry
plaster, in manure that is entirely dry, has
very little effect. Moisture is necessary to
the result explained by Prof. Campbell. that
Of changing carbonate OF ammonia into
sulpha,e, as all chemists agree that plaster
has this power in but very limited degree
till partially dissolved in water. If we have
made ourselves understood. il will be seen
why all manure heaps containing ammonia
should be kept in moist state.
In case Of dairies, where large number
Of cows are yarded nights, il would be too
much labor to preserve the manure. as we
have recommended and our recommenda-
tion would be defective, because il makes
no provision for the liquid excrements,
which are really OF more value than the
solid. The way to make the manure Of the
greatest possible value is, TO carry into the
yard. after il is cleared in the spring, large
quantities of absorbent matter, as swamp
muck, leaf mold, turf, or rich loan, to cover
the whole surface with this, and then TO add
more every few days, till the mass becomes
so thick that smart rain will no more than
saturate it. aud long drouth win not en-
tirely dry il. In this way. if the yard is a
little higher at the circumference than in the
centre, the soluble salts will not be washed
away, and the ammonia will be preserved.
Considerable labor is implied. but then the
manure from twenty-five cows will be worth
a hundred dollars. when il left to itself to
become alternately as dry as tinder and
sufficiently liquid TO run into the nearest
brook. il would hardly be worth twenty. lf
the difference would pay for the labor and
something more. il should be done. The
whole yard by such course becomes a
manure heap but owing to the great thick
ness of the mass, il does not become soft BY
rains TO the extent Of being impossible or as
nearly 50. as when the yard is left to itself !;
and in dry weather the mass is not often so
dried through as to allow the ammonia to
escape. We will only add that We have
often seen this in practice. and have seen
the good results both in the greatly increas.
ing quantity Of the manure, and in favor.
able effects on crops. N.