Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-09-15
The Farm, Garden, Kitchen & Shop

MANUREs.-The time for sowing
winter wheat approaches, and the
farmer needs to draw on every re-
source to supply his fertilizers for
maximum crop of this staff of life.
The first and grand supply Of every
farm should be that from our domest-
ic animals, well composted, when
practicable, with muck or mellow
earth. To render this most effective
and utilize all its ammonia, the fresh
manure should be mixed with earth
under cover, provided with a cistern
near. from which water may be pump,
ed upon the heap to saturate all its
contents and make it uniform in quail
ity.
The manure pile should be slightly
elevated, with channel running from
it to the cistern, so that the surplus
water will run to the reservoir to be
repumped upon the heap. This els
tern may be so situated that the urine
from the stable will run into it if not
efectually absorbed by the litter used
for the animals. Two loads of muck
or earth mixed with one of manure.
after this manner the urine being all
saved, will be as valuable as three
loads of manure with the usual care,
thus the manure pile is multiplied
by three, and farmers will find the
study of this rule Of three to pay.
When farmers have no rude ar
rangement for saving and utilizing
all their manure, to prevent the es-
cape OF ammonia from their heaps, we
would recommend applying a thin
coating Of plaster over their manure
piles every few days The sulphur
of the plaster will unite with the am
mOnia, forming sulphate of ammonia
which is not volatile. This will save
much Of the value Of the manure, be,
sides adding the qualities of plaster
A few barrels Of gypsum may be used
by the farmer every year, in this way
with great profit. The volatile parts
of the manure may be saved by dust
ing the stable every day with gyp
sum. This will absorb all the bad
odor and render the stable more
wholesome for man and ANIMALS, es
pecially in warm weather. The salt
and lime mixture, made by Stacking
lime with very strong brine, is also
excellent to preserve the volatile
parts of manure. 1t is a good disin
fectant to be used about the stables
and when mixed with barn-yard ma
nure will preserve the ammonia wher
used as top dressing for crops.
TOP DRESSING.
When barn-yard manure is useC
for winter wheat upon clay soil il
should be as a top dressing, that il
may operate as mulch and prevent
winter killing, as well as fertilizing
the crop. If nothing has been mixed
with the manure to absorb its VIOLA
tile gases, it should still be used as q
top dressing upon heavy soil, and
simply narrowed or cultivated in; as
clay has a strong affinity for ammo
MIA and will absorb heavy dressing
in ten inches of soil. But it is quite
different with light sandy soil, and
on this manure should not be used as
a top dressing unless mixed with
some good absorbent of its gases. If
it has been mixed with muck, or plas-
ter, or salt and lime, as recommended,
no loss will occur from top dressing
even a light soil. But lime alone
should never be mixed with barn.
yard manure, as it will dissipate the
ammonia and greatly lessen its value
MINERAL RESOURCES.
After the farmer has saved and APP
piled all his barn-yard manure anC
still finds himself short in covering
his fields. he must resort to other ma
nures to supply the deficiency. Barn
yard manure contains all the quail
ties requisite for our various crops
But when we resort to special lertil
izers we must first inquire what tn,
crop needs that we propose to raise
And for this purpose we should look
primarily, to the mineral constituent
of the grain and straw. The organ
ic constituents are mainly supple,
from the atmosphere. Professor
WAY and OGDEN made numerou
analyses Of the ash Of the grain AM
straw of wheat, and found that Gro
Of thirty-fve bushels Of grain and 4
200 lbs. of straw took from the so
the following proportions of minera
constituents