Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-04-18

hauled them in two or three weeks after and
had them fit for use by the 10th of May.
with horse or sheep manure, or other stroug
stable manure where grain or roots have been
ied 70 STOCK, you may put at least two parts of
muck to one of manure but yard manure be-
ing coarser and not so strong and active, will
not bear more than equal parts of muck with it,
In either case, however, somewhat larger guam
tltles OF muck in proportion to manure may be
used, provided the muck has previously lain a
year or so in pile on dry land, to drain, dsin-
tegi ate, and in a measure part with its acdity.
AT the suitable time in spring, pillow your
green sward nine or ten inches deep, say with a
sod and subsoil pillow, if the land is free enough
OF distractions to permit the use of that kind
OF pillow; if not, then use large enough pillow
of the common green sward form to accomplish
that depth of furrow. The blowing should be
accurately and nicely executed, making the fur
rows meet and match WE'LL and shutting the sod
down beneath securely out of reach of subse
quent tillage. Then spread out the compost
broadcast on the surface of the plowed land,
putting IT on as literally as your heaps will al
low. Twenty-Five loads per acre is a good
dressing, but thirty or forty loads is still
better. After evenly spreading the manure,
pillow 1t in about four inches deep, with light,
sharp pillow, guaged to the right depth by
wheel on the beam. This incloses the manure
lowness, absorbs and-holds the goodness of the
manure, and yet the compost is in situation
to be Immediately, as well as at all other times,
available to the growing crop, and to receive
suitable atmospheric influences to promote a
perfect decomposition, and to enliven and i'm
prove the upturned soil. Green manure, as
such, is not much more the food of plants than
a raw potato would be for man. The valuable
properties OF manure are brought out by de-
composition. That develops the fertzing salts
which the roots of the crop take up, and which
at once give the plant, that healthy, deep green
color, and thrifty growth which delight the eye
and ensure the crop. The green raw manure
imparts no such hue to the plants but gives in
stead yellow tinge and less healthy, vigorous
growth. Then, too, green manure, by the heat
1t generates in pile, is very serviceable in con-
verting muck and other crude vegetable and
earthly matters with which it may be composted
into decomposed and suitable state to become
themselves the food of plants, and for this rea-
son. if for no other, it is better economy to COM
post green manure than to use it to any great
extent alone.
9. Doubtless you rightly Judge that your bed
of muck is valuable deposit for increasing the
fertility of the farm. TO manage the muck to
advantage, the first thing TO be done, is to suit
ably drain the swamp. Open substantial and
capacous main ditch from the swamp to ground
low enough to carry off the water, digging the
ditch as low as, or a little lower than the deep
est portion of the muck in the swamp. Then
ditch around given square or piece of muck,
so as to separate it on all sides from the main
swamp, thus cutting off the water. and leaving
this piece of muck high and dry, that it may be
conveniently dug and carted out to dry land at
pleasure Endeavor to get beforehand with the
muck, so as to have a suitable quantity of it al
bap IN, lr, lam hat
has thus lain for year before it must needs be
used for composing. The muck thus becomes
dry and pulverized, and considerably freed of
acidity, and is more perfect absorbent of the
gases, liquids and salts of manure, and may
be used in larger proportions with manure,
than If 1t were taken soggy and raw from the
swamp.
After thus lying in a heap suitable time, the
muck may be drawn directly to the field where
it is to be used and there composted with ma
nure, as you have proposed. Or it may be
drawn to tie barn-yards and sheds in the fall,
and a coating of it spread over the bottom of
| those places, say four or six inches thick, to
catch the manure droppings and leachings.-
Then at two or three different times during the
winter, muck may be drawn to these places, and
thin coat, say three or four inches thick, spread
over them, thus from time to time mingling the
muck with the litter and manure which there
accumulate. In the spring, two, three or four
weeks previous to planting time, it would pay
well to draw out these accumuations, if they
are needed for use, to the fields where they are
wanted, and pile them in heaps of twenty-five
or more loads, at convenient places for further
distribution on the land, tina. they may undergo
heating and pulverizing proce IS before being
committed to the soil. This is not absolutely
necessary, but it would pay well for the labor,
as the compost coull then be more evenly
spread and more perfectly mingled with the
soil
If convenient, make Natcr-tight trench be-
hind the cattle in the stables, say twenty or
twenty-four inches wide and four inches deep,
and fill it daily through the foddering season
with dry muck. You can use at least a bushel
of muck daily to each grown animal. Ii you
have litter for bedding, put that under the cat
tie too. The contents of the trench, together
with wet portions of the litter, may be daily
thrown into cellar, or under deep shed open
on the south side. The north side of buildings
is not good place Tor compost to be exposed
BY this trench mode of composing, you catch
and hold everything, liquid as well as solid, and
the droppings falling warm upon the muck, have
an immediate action upon it the compost be-
ing made day by day in small quantities, be-
comes intimately mingled, and makes superb
manure for almost any purpose. warm and
convenient pace should be provided to receive
the muck for this mode of composing, and il
should be filed with dry muck. Some persons
instead of using trench, spread muck under
the cattle, and then cover it with litter repeat
ing the process daily, and they say they like i,
well. Others, who have barn cellars. throw the
manure of the stables there, and at short inter.
walls spread muck over it. But if you practice
that way, see that your cellar is not too close
damp and dark, for the compost needs suitable
atmospheric influence to promote in it whole.
some fermentation and decomposition. Depos
it your horse manure in cellar or covered pen
frequently throwing muck upon it, and let few
swine work it over. You can thus preserve
this very active, volatile manure from injury b,
overheatng or loss by evaporation, and pake
very effective compost.
You can compost dry muck with unleachet
ashes, using two to four bushels of ashes to
common cart buck load of muck, mixing thu
pile in thin layers at time of each, and shoy
cling over once before using Or compost tn,
muck with lime, dissolving, if you please
bushel of salt in water enough to dry sakt
about five bushels of lime, and then using ont
to two bushels of lime to a cart load of muck
: These are excellent composts for top dressing