Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-12-01
Making and Keeping Manure.

However much may have been said on this
subject, it does not seem to have had the
desired effect, when we see so many of those
who are considered as our best farmers ne
glecting to take any steps toward promoting
this end who, instead of devisipg means
for increasing its amount, even suffer largo
part of that already obtained to be wasted.
Now, believe that most of those who per.
nit this are entirely ignorant of the great
injury they are doing themselves, and there
may be few who, though they have had
their attention called to it, yet fail to adopt
any means for remedying SO great an evil.
will endcavor to point out few of the
most prominent sources of waste, and the
means by which they may be obyiated
To begin with the most important of all
manures, which is that obtained from our
stables and cow-houses. and which is usually
thrown out into the barnyards to remain
there without any protection from the wes-
ther, until after it has been soaked by rain
after rain, it is carried out into the fields to
restore the waste occasioned by the removal
of preceding crops. ~ e..
! Now, if this water after soaking through
the manure, and extracting from it q largo
amount of its usefulness, was carefully
saved by being caught in tanks, the loss
would not be as much felt; but even this is
not done, and as barns are generally built
on the side of y hill when possible, the
water which falls into their yards runs off
| almost Immediately; and when not so stu
| ated, drains are usually cut from them to
permit it to escape, and thus quality of
the most fertile part of the manure is lost.
Now, this loss could easily be prevented,
and with slight expense, by the erection Of
a she'd under which the manure codld DO
slowed, or what would be better still, If .
covered pit could be prepared in which it
might be deposited, and any expense in.
Cured ir this way would soon be repaid.
Ammonia is also constantly escaping from
the manure in the form of gas, and as 1t 10
a substance which contains o large amount
of nitrogen, which is especially beneficial to
crops, it would be well if it were also saved.
Now, this can be accomplished by the aP-
plcstion of several substances to the manure.
among the cheapest and best of which lie
the suphate of lime or plaster OF Paris, and
it does it IN this way; the sulphuric acid In
the sulphate of lime has greater affinity for
the ammonjs than it has for the lime, and it
therefore leaves the lime and attaches itself
TO the ammonia, forming the sulphate Of
ammonia, which is fixed salt.
Hence, tho frequent application to the
manure. particularly that just carried from
the stable, of little of the plaster, would
greatly tend to prevent the escape of this
gas
: There 10 yet another point to which I
would call attention, and that is the ways
by which We can increase eur stock of man
ure; and though they arc many will only
speak Of two of the most prominent THE
first is by means of the compost heap, and
the second by the pig pen, II you viii only
give your pigs the material, the quantity OF
manure they will make will be immense.
Old straw and hay can be given 10 them
with advantages, hut sti'l better than thes.
are dead leaves; you may fll the pen half
full of them, and they win soon be convert
ed into the best manure Gsrwantovs Tsls-
graph. ....t-..g-