Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1861-06-06
Waste of Manures.

Many of our farmers waste as much ma
nure as they apply benefcially, or, in other
words, permit one-half of it to 60 to loss
through downright neglect or misapplica-
ton. This neglect is shown in variety of
ways. We see it in the location and con-
struction Of our barn-yards. Were it
special object with the farmer to expose his
manure heap TO the fullest action Of the taH SIP
plete outlets for all the liquids, he could not
accomplish it more efectually than by fol-
lowing the plans of tens of thousands of
farmers, in our own and adjoining States.
The barn yards, as general thing, slope
from the barn or stables, and as conse-
quence the liquid manure soon accumulates
at the lowest point The first rain causes
it to overflow the trifing barrier sometimes
raised to prevent it's escape, and away it
goes to the nearest rivulet, to the horse pond,
or in the public highway, to be lost to its
owner forever. Few who have not studied
this subject, are aware Of the immense guam
tity of fertilizing material, that accompanies
the little black stream that oozes so quietly
and steadily from the majority of our barn
yards. If such careless farmers were to be-
hold gold dollars rolling from their pockets
as rapidly as gold dollars worth of liquid
manure flows from their manure-heaps,
what immense activity would Immediately
be manifested, and how energctically would
they 60 to work to stop the drain. Its ap-
parent insignifcance is the reason why it is
permitted, for if farmers understood as they
undoubtedly should, the actual dollar and
cent value of the material they are thus per-
hitting to escape them, this, another one of
the every day errors of farming would be
speedily corrected.
The fact is, true economy points to COM
plete reformation in the management of our
manures, and more particularly the manures
Of the yard. How many farmers are
there who give single thought to the i'm
portance of protecting their manure heaps
from the injurious effects of exposure to the
sun, wind, and rain. True economy points
to the covered barn-yard; to the properly
prepared manure pit; to the Indispensable
tank for the surplus liquid manure; to the
protection of the manure-heap from the
deluges of rain-water, which are poured
upon it from unspouted barn-roofs, and other
buildings. every time rain falls. Agri-
cultural chemistry has conclusively demon
strated the absolute necessity that exists for
attention to these points, if the farmer de-
sires to save from total loss, very large
proportion of his manure. It teaches him
that loss of manure, is equivalent to a
diminution of his farm products If per-
mitted to continue, it can result only in
either gradually impoverishing the farm
itself, or what is equally unfortunate, the
pockets of the farmer himself
Il should be cardinal principle with
every farmer, to allow no portion of fertiliz-
ing material, however minute, to 60 to waste
The scrapings of the roadside, old shoes,
wooden rags, hair, bones, the wash-water of
the kitchen, soap-suds, the contents of water
closets, unripe weeds, in fact, thousand
little matters which are not only permitted
to 60 to waste, but are in many cases re-
garded as nuisances, and the disposition of
which is often times a source Of annoyance
and Inconvenience to the farmer, all possess
a high manurial value, and one of the most
common of our every day farming errors, is
| to permit them to be lost, instead of addin o
them to the compost or manure heap. If
neglect to preserve and apply these valu-
able materials is the result of difference, it
properly belongs to the class of every day
errors. If, on the other hand, it proceeds
from ignorance of their value, the sooner
this want of information is supplied by the
teachings of Agricultural Chemistry, the
better it will be for the interests oftlc cpu,,-
try at 5Hrnc