Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-12-27
I - . a-- ,
L0re Monure.

Snow IS sad to DC the poor man manure,
but in our opinion it is by no means equal to
brains, whether for poor or rich This latter
article is however, Of much greater value to
tho small farmer than to him whose steel, is
large, aud who thus obtains, if not as much
is he might Or ought, at least enough to main.
tain few acres in comparative richness
But from what source shall the farmer, with
only few head Of cattle, preserve those fer
tilizors so essential to successful cultivation?
This is a practical question to which we ask
tho attention of cur rSado
Without pausing to sgAde to those tetii-
zers which may be boIgEt if one has the
money to pay for them, and which, however
beneficial in special int iancde, can never be
used to the seclusion Of the genuine farmyard
article, let us consider how brains may be
combined with such substances as lie ready
to the farmers hand in the production of
manure better than money can buy.
/. In the first place construct barn cell
lar or if this is not feasible, where the ma
nuro is thrown out, dig vat some three feet
deep, two feet wide, and as long as necessary
OF convenience. Cover this with roof, with
an arrangement for conducting the water
from the roofs into the vat when desirable
This vat is the depository Of such articles as
may be gathered for composing with the
dropping8 OF the stock
II. The place provided, the next step IS
to fill it with those substances which posses
after decay and gorminatioo, more or less
manurial value. 1t isa mistaken notion to
consider fresh animal excrcmentitious matter
manure it is, in fact, positively injurious
to vegetation until it has passed through Ger.
tain chemical changes But, while passing
through these changes, it evolves substances
rich in fertilizing properties, in great mea-
sure lost unless there be present some sub.
stance to absorb them. Hence, fresh animal
manure ought always TO be well compostod
and always sufficient time to become thor
oughly decomposod or else it should DO
spread upon the field in the fall and plowcd
under. The former method has most to rec
ommend it, and principally for this reason,
viz : That by composing We are able to null
tlply every load OF pure animal manure into
at least three loads, every one Of which is as
valuable as the first would have been uncom-
posted. What, then, shall be put into the
vat with the dropping from the stables ? We
answer:
!. Muck or peat. Dig it early in the fall,
before tho heavy rains come, AID cart it un-
der cover where it can be readily shovaIed
into the compost heap or vat. Try and have
it well dried before freezing weather SO as to
be in condition to use all through the winter.
II, without composing you have usually
made twenty loads Of manure, draw up for
the next season forty loads of muck. This
will make sixty loads for the rext crop and
ifyou don't get your pay then, you may con.
cludo that either in the process of compost.
ing, in the manner of using, there were not
qnito enough brains made use of.
You will also do well to use some of the
muck as an insorbent in the stable itself
The stalls should have a raised platform fol
the animals to stand on, slOping towards q
trough behind them. Fill this space with the
dry muck, and let it remain until its absorb
ent capacity is exhausted. The litter used