The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-01-27

monia is q compound or nitrogen anu NY
drogen, and is developed by the process of
fermentation. These ingredients being
imnortant elements of nutrition, ammonia
becomes m important object Of attention
. very slight attention to it will suffice to
convince us of its volatility. 1t can also be
shown to have q great affinity for water, which
is able to mold large quantities of it in
solution. The tendency then, IN . pile
of fermenting animal cxcrements, is to
give off to the air nitrogen and hydrogen, In
the form of ammonia, in large quantities.
Then we at once perceive source OF waste
Of valuable tertilizing materials. The am
monia that thus passes off is not lost, 1t is
true, to the general purposes of vegetable
production, IS it must sooner or later be
returned to the earth in the water that de-
sends from the clouds but when it has
once passed to the atmosphere it becomes
common property, and will help the fields of
nv neighbors, or the forests of the noun
tains, equally with my own fields. 1t be-
comes, then, n matter of much importance
TO husband this material, and retain it for
nv own exclusive use. To do this, several
conditions must be known and attended to.
In the first place, certain amount Of heat
and moisture are necessary for its develop
ment; consequently, during the low tenn
perature of winter, there is very small
loss to the manure heap from its escape.
So also in summer; if the requisite mois-
ture be withheld it cannot be generated.
Then, to secure the manure heap from loss
from this source it should always be kept
well under cover. But with all the pre-
cautions that may be taken, there will al
ways be moisture enough to admit of its
generation, even though it be slow, when
ever the temperature is high. Then we
must, if VIC would prevent loss absolutely
from this source, attend to other precau-
tons and measures to prevent its escape.
We will premise that animal excrements
should always be kept under cover.
Then, to prevent loss from the escape Of
ammonia, they should be duly mixed with
swamp muck, drift materials, or even com
mon soil from the roadside and every
time that the heap of excrements receives
covering of any of these materials 1t
should be slightly sprinkled over with gyp-
sum (sulphate Of lime).
This latter article possesses the property
of causing ammonia to adhere to the soil,
instead of flying off into the air and
hence, by its use as above, it becomes
fixed. This method, so valuable in retain
ing in the heap this valuable ingredient,
| ammonia, has this other advantage, that it
greatly increases the size of the pile.
This valuable property of gypsum (plas-
ter of Paris makes it an Indispensable ar
ticle at every stable. 1t should always be
| kent on hand, and the floors Of stables
should DC busted with it at every cleaning.
1t should be used in every compost heap
that contains the excrements of animals or
the elements of ammonia in any form as
also for surface dressing in the spring
months for small grain and grass, as well
as in the hill for corn, potatoes, and garden
vegetables, because of its property Of alb
| stracting ammonia from the atmosphere,
and fixing it to the earth. The next ques-
| ton TO be considered is the best method of
APPLYING manure to the soil and the crops.
| Some have contended that as ammonia
constituted the most valuable ingredient of
stable manure, the latter should never be
applied TO the surface of land only as the
plowman is ready to follow and turn it i'm
mediately under, so that its ammonia cam
not have an opportunity to escape. I'm
doubtedly, if We had no method Of fixing
ammonia 20 the soil, this method Of apply
ing manure would be preferable to its sur
face application. But if the precautions
above referred to be duly observed in the
management of the compost heap, its ap-
plication to the surface will be found to
Weld the most satisfactory results, particu-
larly for crops Of small grain and for mea-
dow. And for these crops the early spring
will undoubtedly be found to be the most
favorable time for ito application.
For corn, potatoes, and garden crops
generally, it will be found better to mis- tue
manure well into the soil, but even here
not more than TO a depth of three or four
inches.
Let the ground be broken deeply in the
latter part of the fall, and lie exposed to
the action of frost during the winter, and
rs soon as the ground is in condition for
receiving the seed in tho spring, let the
manure he applied TO the surface, and well
mixed in to the depth above indicated with
g cultivator. The ground may then be fur
rowcd and planted.
The practice of throwing fresh stable
manure over the surface Of the ground
after seeding to small grain in autumn, OF
in the early spring months, whether on
grain or grass crops, cannot but be attended
with more or less loss of ammonia, and IL
therefore bad 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 this manner of its applica-
ton. If il has not been thus treated in the
heap it should never be applied to the sur.
face Of land without being accompanied
with liberal use of gypsum.
We have seen crop of over eighty
bushels of corn produced from an acre Of
land that has been completely exhausted
by q liberal application of manure that
has been thus treated with drift sand and
plaster.
If we have to deal with land that has
been in q measure exhausted, we canno
rely on the barnyard alone for fertilizine
materials, if we depend upon the pro
duction of such farm for the sustenanct
of animals because its scanty production
would not enable us to keep enough Of ami
mails to afford the amount Of excrementi
tious matter that would be demanded By
the farm and consequently we could only
reclaim to state Of fertility small por
ton ut time; and also consequently Their,
would be great loss in the time required t
bring up such a farm. In this case WI
may prohtably resort to the use of guano
which is rich in ammonia, and of bone
phosphates, to enable us to get the soil int
condition that will produce good crop o
clover; and whenever we shall have ad
; vanced thus far we may consider the dea,
, point as passed. Bone phosphates may be
come necessary as an occasional application
on many farms, just as lime may becom
0 necessary to soil originally poor in calca
rious material but with these exceptions
, the farm itself should supply ali the ferti
1;,;Dp ,,n.nr;olo ~ Mill orar poa1 R,r,