Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-02-23
MUCK.

tlItN III
manure for grass aud some other crops.
That it is excellent manure for moving
lands we can infer from the fact that
immense crops of hay arc generally
procured from low mucky soils. We
have an immensely Of this material i'll
our country. and it is but Just to OBJ
serve that it is of incomparably greater
value than mines of gold.
Much has been written upon the SUBJ
ject of muck already, but we will say
that it is yet the province of the MAJ
of science, and the skillful, practical
farmer to devise the best modes of man.
aging this kind of manure.
The acid quality which muck con-
tains, and which renders it unfriendly
to the growth of some crops, has at
tracted the attention Of agricultural
writer's, and it is Il subject we think,
that deserves the highest consideration.
In your paper, (No. 4S, in an article
from the American Agriculturist-an
excellent paper, undoubtedly it is
recommended to use the muck us bed
ding for cattle, at the rate of onc-half
cord to each animal for two weeks.
This will give, for say twenty head of
cattle, something more than IL hun
drcd and twenty cords for six months.
But the suggestion has been made
that large quantities of muck mixed
with animal II are injurious, and
if this be a certain fact, it should be gen
crrally known, and if it be in any de-
gree erroneous, that fact should be
known, also. a series Of experiments
rightly conducted, might lead to the
develop mcnt Of the real facts.
1t has been recommended to apply
muck, fresh from the swamp as a top
dressing for grass-lands. We think it
would he better to Use it in this way
than not at all but still we think it is
~cNpedicnt to throw it up in heaps and
let it lie for a season exposed to the ac-
ton Of the air, and the trosts. This
will tend i'll some degree to correct the
acid quality, and also pulvcrize the
ms,S~, SO -tfrut 1T r1av be morc easily
spread. We think ii is a better method
to invert the sward and then apply the
manure, and use a Coulter harrow and
SOW on fresh grass-sced, than to apply
the muck as Il head dressing.
Should large quantities of muck be
applied to the soil it may possibly prove
injurious to some kinds of crops. If
such be the fact we may at pleasure
employ snch agents or ingredients as
are best calculated to correct the evil.
We have seen fields Astounding with
a considerable quantity of muck,
which at length became rather unpro-
ductivc with Il falling off also in the
crops of grass. Some powerful corrcc-
tivcs seem necessary. We could name
animal manure, ashes, lime, &c. Ihavc
found that upland earth from some
knoll or bank applied in liberal guam
titles, has a surprising effect upon snch
soils, ever increasing the amount of
the hay crop. JOHN f. RoLFE.
NoTE.-Somc years since we caused
$50 bushels of agricultural lime (%rcfusc
and Stacked lime) costing four or five
cents per bushcl at the kilns, to be
mixed with about that number of sim
gle horse cart loads of perfectly black
muck. The mixing was done as soon
rs the heaps of muck became pretty
dry, after being thrown up from the pit.
The compost thus made was turned
over twice in the course of a year, be-
fore being applied to- timothy meadow,
and root crops. The result satisfied lis
that for its cost it was the cheapest and
most Valuable manure, except home
made barn-yard manure, we ever used.
Our experience since has not changed
that imprcssion.-N0ine Farmer.
A RECIPE WORTH One THOUSAND
DoLLARs.-Wc arc indebted to an en-
change paper for the following recipe,
which, it is claimed, is worth the above
sum OF money, and give it publicity for
the benefit of housewives in general,
and our lady readers in particular
Take II pound Of sal-soda and a hall
pound of unslacked lime, put them in
Il gallon of water and boil twenty min
utes let it stand till cool, then drain
off and put it in a stone jar or jug.
Soak your dirty clothes over night, or
until they are we'll wet through, then
wiring them out and put on plenty OF
soap and to one boiler of clothes well
covered with water, add one teaspoon
full of washing-fuid. Boil half an hour
briskly then wash them thoroughly
through one suds and rinse we'll in wa
ter, and your clothes will look better