The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-05-18
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AGRICULTURAL.
Saving Manure.

ne OL. AOulS OOuTHUC " 0YFtCNC-
tire speaks as follows of earth clos
ets:"
One of the most valuable absorb
ents and deodorizers is ine, dry earth.
1t enables us to utilize. II an agreeable
manner, the most valuable manure
produced upon the farm, viz the hu
man excrements. And what is of still
greater consequence, by its use we are
enabled to entirely obviate one of the
most prolific sources of disease In warm
weather, the foul odors arising from
privIes, etc.
A good deal has been said or writ
ten of late about Earth Closets, and
a patent article is offered for sale.
The principle of the closets is the use
of fine, dry earth, clay or loan, not
sand, as an absorbent. They are per-
fectly successful, and the principle is
simple and within the reach of every
farmer without paying for any patent.
A privy constructed for dry earth is
cheaper than one with vault. while
the vault is prolific source of disease,
and ought to be abolished.
A correspondent of the Country
Gentleman gives the following account
of his method of applying the dry
earth system in his own domestic es-
tablishment:
''The house is built in the usual
manner. Under the seats l have a
drawer made of two inch stuff, put to-
gether with brown paper and white
lead, made so that it can be drawn out
bottom of the drawer with about three
- 1E u 81 md thar, Ill
a shovel full of plaster over it. The
drawer is cleaned about once a week,
and the contents go to increase my
manure pile. So far. | have not found
any smell coming from the arrange
ment. although we have had a pretty
hot summer, and the privy is within
fifteen feet of my house. The drawer
runs on two slides. End when In place
is covered on the ends by doors.
This is my earth closet. An i'm
provement would be to have box in
each compartment full Of dry earth,
and a scoop, so that more earth could
be thrown on from time to time. As
yet, [ havenot found this at all nee
essary."
Another writer in the same paper
says:
"A bed of dry muck, or dried earth
under cover, to pour out the slOps OF
the house over, and be occasionally
turned over and added to, will be con-
verted into the best kind of poudrette
by fall. In this bed may be deposited
all the old bones, after being broken
in small pieces, and by their heating,
etc, they may be more economically
reduced than in any other way, add
ing much to the value of the mass"
The manure made from human ex-
crements is undoubtedly the best that
there is. 1t never fails, being good
for all soils and crops. A manuTiat
agent of such importance should not
be neglected as it generally has been,
especially now, when a simple. effect
i've and agreeable mode of utilizing is
known.
We would urge the readers of the
Gazette to lose no time In economIz-
ing this most valuable fertilizer, and
thus do away with, at the same time,
fruitful source of disease. But in
applying to the soil highly concentra-
ted manures, the value derived
from their application will depend
very much upon the time they are
spread upon the ground.
The right way is to keep the fertil-
iZers in q dry place, In barrels or in
bulk, and then apply to grass lands
in the midst of one of those steady,
rainy spells which we always have In
Spring, and when vegetation is always
making a rapid and vigorous growth.
The mouths of the little rootlets of
the grasses are at this time always
oman op1 hnpnru Co. Ed. orI oon
centrated manures now used are at
once appropriated and not wasted.
Applying manures to grasses, too, has
these advantages: 1t makes a greater
growth of hay, and thus pays at once.
And the turf IS made thicker and bet
ter, so that when broken up the land
will be found to have been benefited,
and capable of bearing larger crops
for several successive years. CtR.
Gazette.
THE PROPER CROSSES FOR POULTRY.
1t is universally admitted that a
continued system of breeding in and
In. In the horse, COW, sheep or hog, is
sure to produce deterioration. Not
only is there decrease of size, bat
tenderness Of constitution and increas-
ed liability to disease.
One of our subscribers was recently
telling US of the care he took of his
poultry in this particular, not only
every season to have a change of roost-
ers, but also In selecting his own stock
for keeping over the year, and in sell
ing pairs always to have them mot
akin" He informed us that while
his neighbors had among their poultry
Group, gapes. cholera and other chick
en- diseases, his flock was entirely free
from them. He considered this to be
the cause, and there can certainly be
no reasons why the same o bjections to
in and-in breeding should not operate
as with other stock. We apprehend,
in selling poultry, very few farmers
take pains to pair them not akin-and
indeed, there is obvious difficulty in
duing so, unless more system and
method is introduced into the poultry
yard, and more divisions than usual.
We have occasionally purchased fowls
from party having a small enclosure,
and who feeds high, retaining year
after year the same stock. These are
large and fine; but we have had them,
without any previous warning, to drop
over suddenly, we presume from