Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-04-27
agricultural.
This Department il conducted by
m. J. W. Colburn and Hon. John Gregory.
From the Now England Farmer.
Making, Housing and Applying
Manure.

As the farmers Of the New England States
must have manure in order to raise crops pro-
ftably, | thought | would write a little Of
my experience in relation to its management
| have tried many experiments with man
ures and crops, but | am afraid shall make
poor work in getting an ineligible account
Of them on paper.
In the first place make all can and
keep it housed as much as | can until wanted
for use In fact it is all under cover, except
what the cattle drop in the yard in warm
pleasant days My horse manure goes under
the stable where the hogs root it over and
keep it from heating. Then | endcayor to
save the liquids. In the summer | keep
muck in the pig pen, and make lage quanti-
ties Of good manure there. Ny COW stable
has trench, with walk behind il, in which
keep sawdust, dry muck or anything that
will save the liquid. This is thrown under a
shed, as | have no cellar, the land on which
my barn stands being very level keep
muck in the yard and sheds to mix with the
manure, and TO put at the back door aud un-
der the privy, where all the slops and suds
are thrown, TO keep it from smelling bad.
clean these places out twice a year II is
surprising to see how much manure one can
make with but little cost when we 60 to work
in earnest
But my experience has taught me that the
great secret lies in keeping manure well
housed until wanted for use | think one
load from my shed is as good as three from
my yard, and equal TO two loads from heap
that has been exposed to the SHOWS and rains
through the winter and spring.
And here Mr.. Editor, beg leave to differ
a trife from your remarks on Work for Feb
ruary, in regard to drawing out manure from
a cellar to be exposed to the storms till used
1t may be necessary in some cases, if there is
not room, or if it is to be drawn up hill where
the ground is soft in the spring. think the
less manure is handled over and exposed to
the atmosphere and storms the more valuable
it is. If manure could be mingled with the
soil as soon as dropped, would it not be more
lasting in the soill think heavy rain on
manure heaps in the field washes great deal
Of the strength Of it below the reach Of plant
roots, on sandy or gravely soil on clay or
hard-pan bottom, it might not do so. have
heard it said the soil will so retain the fertil-
izing matter in water while passing through
it that none will 90 below the reach Of roots,
but my experience hardly agrees with this.
have one Of the patent pipe wells in my
barnyard near the barn, where there is no
chance for water or manure to get near it, as
ii is in small yard by itself. 1t was sunk
twelve feet. During q heavy rain storm in
March, 1867, the cave spout between two
buildings over my manure heap got stopped
up and the water run on TO the heap. This
manure heap was twenty-six feet from the
well, on land that was nearly level, but lit
tie higher than that around the we'll In q
day or two the water from the well began to
look red, and to taste bad, and the stock re-
fused 10 drink it until compelled by thirst
The water remained bad for about week
have no doubt il was caused by the water
from the heap of manure, which passed through
the soil, which is gravelly.
have drawn out manure from my sheep
in the winter when the shed got too full, and
have found that those spots on which it was
piled absorb so much of the strength Of the
manure that no crop would grow on them the
first year.
| once lived on a dry, sandy farm where
could use my stable manure to n very good
advantage in the hill for corn; but conclud.
ing ] was losing too much by exposing my
manure to the weather, built shed over my
manure heaps, and the result was that the first
year my house manure was so much stronger
than that exposed to the weather, which had
previously used, that got no corn, as it wal
too powerful to be put in the hill
There is no way can get so much benefit