Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-03-18
agricultural.
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APPLICATION OF MANURE.


APPLICATION OF MANURE
After twenty years of experience and the
use on an average of two hundred loads of
manure yearly. conclude that as a general
rule, the application of manure to the surface
is more cfIectual than blowing it in. When
/ first came into possession of land my obser-
walton had been bounded pretty much by col
lego walls, md ! adopted the evaporation
theory. and cartod my long manure each
spring to the fields, and plowed it in. This
practice followed till | found by figuring,
the profits that it did not pay. | was even
foolish enough to buy manure at dollar a
load. to bury up in this manner. For the
last twelve or fifteen years my practice has
been to compost muck with the manure in the
spring and summer, and apply it as top
dressing in the fall, and the farm has steadily
improvcd-tho profits as steadily increased.
This is natures mode of enriching the earth,
and whoever will be "a good husbandman must
be a careful observer of nature. She never
plows under the leaves, grass, and other veg
citation which arc her great sources of fertility,
and under her skillful management large for
est crops are produced, and the land, instead
of being impoverished, is annually enriched.
l would not say that it is never advisable to
as a general rule, surface application is more
profitable Some of its advantages | will
briefly enumeratc. So far as grass land is
concerned. the work can be done in the fall
or early in the winter, when the ground is
solid and work does not press as in the spring.
For grass land, my observation is that we
reap much more benefit from manure applied
in the fall, than in the spring The frost,
nd al nd
nure : and the snow and rain enrich it with
their ammonia, so that the grass has an early
and vigorous start. The fall is also the time
when nature spreads her annual dressing of
leaves over the earth, and it is wonderful that
men are so slow in learning the wisdom of
the great architect, who is also with rever-
ence | would say it) the great agriculturist.
know it is said that manure spread on the
surface loses much by evaporation and that
it loses some ammonia cannot deny but
if spread in the fall or before rain, it loses
comparatively little, and if spread in the hot
sunshine it loses less than it is generally sup
posed, for film is soon formed on the sur
face of the manure, which closes its pores and
effectually prevents evaporation, that even
nght.soil. Astounding with ammonia, seldom
emits efiuvia after a short exposure to the sun
and air. till the outer integument that has
been formed is broken. With common man
ure, is not more absorbed from the air than
escapes by evaporation? Are not the air and
light essential to the perfect development OF
the manure 1t can not have escaped the
actual observer that even straw, or dry brush,
scattered over the surface of the ground, eau
SEES the grass to grow with unusual luxuri-
ance and on the other hand, that we often
find at the bottom of deep potato hill when
digging in the fall, the manure which had
been placed there in the spring, apparently
unchanged These are the results of my OBJ
servation and experience, and | would like to
compare notes with others, and deduce con-
illusions only after careful examination Of
many facts. for the great defect of agricultur-
al science, is the too hasty deduction from
too limited observation. BERKsHIRE,
How MUCH MANURE MAY DE MADE FROM
ONE Hoo Profit in hog-raising, with us
depends upon the manure they make. Calcu
lated upon the same basis that the profit o
pork depends upon at the West or New Jer
sey, our pork would cost many of us 30 cts
pound. by the time we get it to market
Many time have we been told, II can't af
ford to raise pork it costs me twice as mucl
as | can get for it," On large dairy farms
and wherever hogs can be kept on the wastes
of farm, this is of course different Mos
raisers of pork, hereabouts, have a few NOR,
swine than may be kept on the swll of Their
establishments, windfalls of the orchard, &c
so that the actual expense attending Their
keeping is small till they begin to fatter
them and they get back their actual expens,
when they sell them fatted in the fall or win
ter, unless they are favored by unusually higl
-. II
profit. Now this varies from one OK cart oa,
to ten and, estimating the manure at as Low
figure as possible, the profit will be from
one to ten dollars per hog. The difference il
the quality Of this manure is as great as ca
be imagined, from sun-dried. weathered
leached stuff, TO rich, ammonacal manure
worth three or four times as much as the for
mer.
Hog manure made under cover is, at
moderate. worth twice as much as that ex
posed besides hogs do better. This W
have repeatedly claimed, and adduced test
mony to prove
Good testimony in favor of this practice Ia
lately been given us by Chauncy LOOMS. q
this town. who has made, the past year, 10
loads of strong. excellent manure. from iv
hogs and one horse These swine be keep
in his barn cellar each hog has four feet
space allotted to him, his nose wrung, and
curried thoroughly twice week. They wer
kept in two pens. in one of which the manur
was intended for light, in the other for heav
land. Into the heavy land manure-pen wa
thrown sandy loan, clods, &c, as often as
was needed Twice week., and evened owe
the whole; into the other pen, parings
heavy land, clay, &c into both. all sorts
weeds and litter that could be gathered. Tn
pens are SO constructed that by putting o