Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-02-11
SAVING aIANURE.

/ - 4t4'SSlll's ~ cents each. noyll159
SAVING MANURE. -
/ -Ls -E. IFI..
tPublished by request, from the Country Geptlsan
The Capacity OF SONS 10 Absorb ana
Retain FertiIIsinE Matters--pIucir
! va, CIRy--PIaster and CIover--II-
quld Manure Tank. -
NeSsrS. Editors:-In the Country Gehtle-
man of Dec. 20, noticed au inquiry of
j. >. OF Allegheny, on stsaving manure" I"
and about tanks or basins for saving the
iqnid eScrements, &c, and he very truly
-remarks, sit is an important matter with
every farmer, 10 learn the best manner of
husbanding his manure" ~ =.
There is usually great loss of fertiliz-
ing matter washed from most farm-yards
by drainage, cHnsed by heavy rains and
melting SHOWS. In New England, and in
the valley Of the Hudson, tile annual fall
OF rain is from 36 to 40 inches in vertical
depth. Thus ii body of water annually
falls upon most furm-yurds of over three
in depth, and generally much the largest
portion of the water escapes from the farm
yard, carrying with it much of the fertiliz-
ing matter of the manure, which in tue
aggregate is nm immense loss to the conn
try Many farmers cart muck or other
material into their yards, which in part
acts as an absorbent, whereby consider
anle saving of the soluble salts of the
manure is ehrcted.. Others, in the large
grain growing Sections of the country.
make use of Urge bodies Of straw; hut
after all, there is generally much loss of
the real quintessence. of the manure
Even among our best farmers, they some.
times "sutfer an immense loss from the
liquid running from their bnrn-yards.n
In the Country Gentleman of Dec. 3, 1851.
i an interesting letter from John johnson on
manures, &c. He writes: ,
"l have suffered an immense loss from
the liquids rnnning from NY barn-yards,
but never. could cOntrive plan to pre-
vent It. know some of your correspon-
i aents would say, get swamp muck into
your yards to absorb the LIQUIDS, SO /
i would ifiI owned swamp. True, there
Is one only mile from me, hut the own
ers are like the dOgain the mangcr-thcy
Will neither use nor sell ~ part to me. a
number of years ago offered l21 cents a
load for thousand or two horse wagon
loads when dry, hut the owner thought it
would make tmsigifiY holes in itg
Good swamp muck, when used ia n dry
state, is great absorbent of liquids, and
n retainer of the ammonia ana soluble
salts of mnnures, bat these are retained
by " as n sponge retains such things-by
= SthP'AAAAAey hlu ulGCuNIllChl force. MuCk is
also good retainer of moisture when an
piled to dry, sandy land. But In point of
fact, muck is a much less valuable retainer
OF ammonia and the soluble salts of ma
nurcs, than clay or clayey soils, such as
Mr. Johnson's farm mostly consists of If
Mr. Johnston's, or j. SIS or anybody else's
yards were made ,basin-shaped, and were
lifted With acquiduct logs or other contri-
Tances, SO rs to carry the surplus drainage
TO large cistern or vat, thrcc or four feet
deep, hlled with clayey loan, SO TINT the
drainage would leach through the clayey
4 lcam, the foul and colored LIQUID that went
on the top of the clayey loan. would come.
out at the hottom, divested of taste, color
ana smell. The ammonia, potash, phos-
phates, &C., would be retained, chemically
combined with the nlumina and carbona-
ceous matter OF the clayey. loan. These
substances appear TO possess to a great de-
gree the power lof chemically combihinq
with both the mineral and gaseous con-
stlloeuts of manure and storing them up,
SO that tue rain cannot wash them out:
while at the same time, the soil is SO con-
stitnted that It readily yields up these me-
cessary Ingredients TO the nlant ne needed
j Ihere is abundant proof Of the above
There is divinity mall this. There is no
chance or hnphazard about it.
4 The experiments of Prof. WAY were
pretty fuuylpublished in many of our apri-
cultural Journals a few years since. In.
/ these experiments the Prof. made use of
jars filled with sand to the depth of Eve or
six inches for tiltering the foul water from
the sewers Of London, and fntid water in
which flag had been stepped, putrid urine,
&c, &c. 1t WAS found that the sand only
deprived these liquids Of their turbitiity,
apEd perhaps q small part Of their fertiliz-
fing principles; out the color and offensive
1 SMELL after filtration, remained in all their
lntensty. This proved that sand mud
gravel do not possess the power of fixing
the salts and gases of manures. II was
discovered that when the sand was mixed
with one-tourth its weight of white clay
~ powder, these disgusting liquids were
clear when coming through-were free
from smell, and scarcely dislinguishabIe
from ordinary water. To sum up ,the
matter, 1t WAS found that the CLAY or afu-l
minons portions Of soils possess tue power
oil chemically combining with not onlS;tlie
gdseous compounds of decomposing ani-
nal matter ,hnt also. with the alkalies,
ammonia, potash, soda, magnesia, &el.
thls, SAID Brot.s Way is a very wonderful
ilproPsfty OF soil, and Rppcars to beam er-
press provision Ofrnatnre IA poVef. ptbe
says, 'fs here found to reside in soils. by
Eirtne OF ThiehinotSdnl,siSr Is rain h1teuabie
to wash ont Of, them those soluble ingire-
dients forming necessary condition of
Vegetation; Gdt even these eomhodnds.
when introduced arti6ciallY by mannres,
are laid hold of and fixed in tue soil. 10
the absolute preelusion Of any loss either
| BY rain or evaporation"
we think the above views, expressed by
| Prot. w. are substantially correct, and of
their correctness it seems 70. us there IL
abundant proof That hountiful provision