The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-22
HINTS ON 4GRICULTURE.
Homemade Manure--Its Apple ication.

Manure, in the largest sense Of the term, is
anything that contains any OF the elementary
principles necessary TO tho growth OF plants;
and the more of these contained IN any given
substance, the better Will 1t answer the pur-
pose Of manure. Potassa ana Tvs sats' i.s' espe e
ciallv their nitrates lime and its salts, espe-
cialy sulphate and phosphate are among tne
most importaat animal ingredients that may
he termed. fertilizers. Besides these. we hnd
in the composition of different vegetables, SUI
phur. iron, alumlna, magnesla, silica, nitro-
gen, &C., sc. Now, when y, ne eAamane "a d
manure heap composed of the eAcrements
81 ANIMALS. in state of fermentation or de-
oomnoeition we find that ammonia ID one
of the most prominent ingredients. Ammo
mia ia ,scompound of nitroger. and hydrogen,
and is developed by the p, ocess OF fermenta-
ton. These ingredients beng important eie-
ments of nutrition, ammonia becomes an I'M
portaut object OF attentlon-a very slight at
feution to it will suffice to convince US OF its
volatility. It can also be shown to have great
affinity for water, which Is able to hold large
quantities of it in solution. The tendency, then,
in pile of fermenting animal excrements,
ia to give off to The air nitrogen and hydro
pen. in the form of ammonia, in large guam
fities. Then We at once perceive source
of waste of valuable fertilizlng materials.
The ammonia thai thus passes of Is not
lost it is tue, to the general purposes OF Vege-
table production, as 1t must sooner or iatsr pe
returned to the earth in the water that de-
scends trom the clouds; but when 1t has once
passed to the atmosphere it becomes common
property, and will help the fields Of my neigh
bors, or the forests of the mountains, equally
with my own fields. 1t becomes, then, mat
ter of much importance to husband this mate
rial, and retain it for my own exclusive use'
To do this, several conditions must be known
and attended to. In the first place, certain
ox,o,,,, ~ hoot oO6 n6iSturp are necessary Tor
its development; consequently, during the low
tteemperature Of winter, there is very small
loss to the manure heap from its escape.
So also in summer; if the requisite moisture
he withheld it cannot be generated. linen, 10
secure the manure heap from loss from tn!s
source, it should always be Kept well under
cover. But with all the precautions that may
be taken, there Will always be moisture enough
to admit OF ITS generation, even though 1t be
slow. whenever the temperature IS nigh. lnen
wa must. il we would prevent loss absolutely
from this source, attend to other precautions,
and measures to prevent Its escape. we VIII
premise that animal cxcrcments should always
be kept under cover.
Then. to prevent loss from the escape OF am
monia, they should be duly mixed with swamp
much. Gr1ft materials, or even common SOIL
from the roadside; and every time that the
heap of excrements receives covering OF any
of these materials, it should be slightly sprluk-
led over with gypsum (sulphate OF ilma).
This latter article possesses the property OF
causinr ammonia to adhere to the soil, instead
of flying off into the air; and hence, by lts use,
II becomes fixed. This method, 80 valuable In
retaining in the heap this valuable ingredie mt,
ammonia, has TINS other advantage-that 1t
greatly increases the size OF the pile.
: This valuable property OF gypsum tp,aster OF
Paris) makes it an Indispensable article at
every stable. 1t should always be kept on
hand, and the floors of stables should be dust.
ed with it at every cleaning. 1t SHOULD be used !
in every compost heap that contains the excre- |
ments Of animals orthe elements o. ammonia |
in any form; as alse for surface dressing IN
the spring months for small grain and grass, as
well as in the hillt corn: potatoes. and garden
stracting ammonia from the atmosphere !
and fixing it 10 th. EARN EARN. TIE next ques-
Hoa 70 ~ considered is the best meshe d of
applying manure to the soil and the crops.
Soma have contended that as ammonia constl-
fnted the most valuable ingredient OF stable !
Ynan-,re the latter should never be applied 20
fhe surface of land only as the plowEan Is
ready to follow, ard turn it immediately under,
az fiat it's ammonia cannot have an opportu-
nity to escape. Undoubtedly, II We had no
method OF fixing ammonia to the sou, TINS me
to it's surface application. But if the precau-
lions above referred to be duly observed in the
yoan,cement mans of the compost heap, lts applica-
t;on to the surface will be found to yield the
most satisfactory results: particularly ior crops
of small grain and for meadow. And for these
crops the early spring. Will undouoteay DC
found to be the most favorable time tor its
For corn, potatoes and garden crops gener-
ally. it will be found better to mix the manure
well into the soil, but even here not more than
to depth Of three or four inches.
Let the ground be broken deeply In the lat
ter part OF the fall, and lie exposed - the ac-
lion Of frost during the winter, aud as soon as
fhe Ground is in condition for receiving the
seed in the spring, let the manure be applied
to the surface, aud well mixed III 10 the depth
above Indicated with cultiyator. The ground
NAV then be furrowed and planted.
The practice OF throwing fresh stao.e maG'
ure over the surf ice OF the Sro1nd, after seed
ing 10 small grain in autumn, or IN the carly
spring months, whether on grain or grass
crops. cannot but be attended with moro or
less loss OF ammonia, and Is therefore DaG
economy. But if it has been mixed with SOIL
in the heap, and has been properly treated
with gypsum, there can be no objection to TINS
manner ofits application. Int has not oeen tnus
to the surface OF land without being accompa-
MED with liberal use OF gypsum.
We have seen q crop OF over eighty Dusnele
of corn produced from IN acre OF land that has
been completely exhausted, Dv looral aDpli,
cation OF manure that has been thus treated
with drit sand and plaster.
III we have to al with land that has been IN
A. measure exhausted, we cannot rely on the
barn-yard alone for fertilizing materials. II we
depend upon the production OF such firm ior
the sustenance of animals; because It's scancy
production would not enable US to keep enough
OF animals to afford the amount OF excrementi-
tions matter that would be demanded by the
farm: and consequently we could only reclaim
to state of fertility small portion at time;
and also consequently there would be great
'ioss in the time required to bring up such
farm. In this case We may probably resort TO
ths use of euano, which is rich in ammonia,
and Of bone phosphat 8, to enable us TO get the
soil into condition that will produce good
crop OF clover; and whenever we shall have ad-
Yanced thus far we may consider the dead point
as passed.. Bone phosphates may become nee
essary as an occasional application on many
soil originally poor in calcarious material; but
with these exceptions, the farm itself should
supply all the ferilizing materials il will ever
need. Barn-yard manure can be easily and
chsap]y made IN abundance. and OF good quail :
ty. if all the conditions above INDICATED be at
tended to. This, then. should be the farmers
main reliance; and every available substdn g
should thus be busbdnde1 tor the use OF
the farm. The habit of soihng animals, or
conini0g them in sheds to receive their
given food in summer may be mado
fo contribute, not only to the cheap subslst-
ence and well-bcng of tho animal. but also to
The rapid production OF valuable fortlllzing una
ter,als for the use Cf the tarm; the hair and
feathers of slaughtered animals and poultry
should be carefully eposlted III the compost
baoD &C being especially rich III nitrogen. Al