Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-02
agricultural.
Shall We Compost Manure ?

A few years ago your correspondent wOuIG
have answered this question IN the fl ma
tive; but from some cause, it may be from
having constitutional objections to shoveiing.
the question would cIntinually arise, does
this work pay? Cannot the same end be
attained without so much hard labor From
reflection came serious doubts-and the
doubts have ripened into firm conviction that
this compost business has been urged to an
extreme. and all that is accompl she by it
can be reached another way with far less la
Dor
The reasons for this change of opinion are
few, and can be briefly stated. II is well
known that all animal excrements contain
the elements of putrelaction the richer The
food of the animal, the stronger the force OF
this principe OF power. Moisture, heat and
air are necessary to set these elements in
motion acids are formed, gases are evolved
tie coarser particles are MAZE fine. and the
original mass is reduced in bulk and il
brought to a condition which can be more
readily assimlared by plants. THIS power
of putrefactIon engendeTs IN vegeta hc mat
ter an action similar to that caused by eav-
en- in dough ; it likewise acts upon the inor-
ganic parts OF the soil. INTERVIEWED ma
nure may rightly be called the farmers. or
agricultural yeast All the mystery there II
in the care and application Of m4nures lies
ciple. Treat them vest to the land, a.
well as an addition of frtilzng material.
and you have the key of success.
Now if l thoroughly NIX ten cords OF
coarse, unfermented stable manure with Ten
cords of loan muck, keep it moist, care
fully fork il over three or four times let II
remain in the heap until fermentati,n ha>
ceased have done what is usually under
stood by composing. A rapid decOmpOsi
e
has prc duced vigorous chemical actor
upon the muck o" loan, and this IS more nr
less converted INTO pl mt food, and | have q
large heap of fine fertiliz all ready for the
young plants. 5 JmetImes comprising T.
simply mixing two or more kinds of dun.
and working them over until the whole D.,
foe and iriable. In this case the fermeut-
ing power is expended upon itself; in IL.
first, it is extended somewhat ; in cher cis,
it has been circumscrIbed and its benefclA
effects are mostly lost; fo- by the time r1.
heaps are applied to the roll, fermentation
having ceased, they induce little or no actor.
therein. just here is the chief objection
az inst composing.
If | haul ten cords Of fresh manure direct
ly TO the field spread and properly cover IT,
its PARTICLES are brought IN contact wiz
a larger number OF PARTICLES of soil. AMI con
iequeDtly the decjmp sing or itrm-ntIn.
=
yeast IN the soil, and get its two told vail,
The process Of deeom position, il is true, D.
not visible, aud the result cannot be mel--
ured in cIb,c yards aud feet. Us IN cJmp,-r
heap; but 1t surely goes on wlen the con-
ditons are right-ga-e-, acids and salts 4r,
formed and an amount Of plant fIDi j. fur
nls1el which will tel ths ~ecDli anI taird
year, if not upon the first crop. By thus an
plying the ten cords fresh aud in their iuI
of - s. H.
them is obtained. The labor Of c1.Iec-ia-
ten cords Of lDam or muck 70 COMPOST w.t..
carting it twice and iOrking twenty cyrI-
over three or tour times Is : wed The lO.e
from evaporation and teaching by rains has
been less
Composing, then, adds nothin. to the in
trinsIc ,lue Of mtnIre on the contrary. DC
rather detracts there rom. The most iirt az
quickest and easiest way of applying tteu.
seems TO be the best, ami all that - es-enti ~
IN this case is to provide cellars or pits dna
water tight sides and bottoms and protection
from the wes Their, to keep down iermenta-
ton, if possible, until the time they ar,
wanted for use When applied in the au-
tumn, they are in good cJnd ton for a.
Sanitation by the first crop as when worked
in q com Ost heap. Not only Is the greatest
benefit of the manure obtained when applied
broadcast, IN an unfermen ed state, aud Tn
sill improved, but the growth OF the crop l.
more uniform and 1t attains higher peri,c
ton.
This dealing out with a shovel and spoon
homo ,ptthIc doses Of fertilizers to m ct
the necessities OF each partIcul IT crop. in
wolves too much labor and a nicely OF ctIeu-
latiOn which the present state of science
hardly warrants. Manure the land an tn.
crop Will fnd it If there are only two
cords per acre, it is better to spread thar
quantity than apply it IN hill OF drill. Tn
drill system is preferable to the hail to 70.
the full bent fit OF the decomposition. for the,
the manure is more intimately mixed with
the soil.
But the advocate of composing may in
quire would you not compost at all? D.
you not want a lIttle fine old compost in the
hill, just To give the plants START With
general field crops It Is unnecessary more
Ove- 1t Is becoming the practice 10 use phos-
plate or some other preparation. It may
also be asked, would you not AXE "A com
post for top dressing grass land Some gold
farmers spread on green, uniermented ma
nure, and clam better result than when
using old compost. 1t the land requires
liberal application, plOughing, working in
the manure and re-seeding is the most
economical and surest way o. using it.
Again, the inquiry may arise, If you had
large beds Of peat muck would you not work
III up IN the compost! CdrtIng it directly
to the field in fall or winter, and spreading
and subjecting it to the action Of frcsts. rains
and SHOWS, and working it into the il with
some manure, in the spring, accompllshes
the same result as composing. Ii tall ma
nuring was generally practced, farmers
would rarely see any occasion for composing
Regarding the action Of stable manures IN
this light, DpOsting adds no new elements
to them, lmparts no new quality, and dUc-
nothing that cannot be done better by work
ing them into the soil.
The question then, shall we compost? can
it seems TO me, be rightly answered IN the
negative. Tue extra labor 1t requires is suf
fclent of Itself to decide the question. TIL.
banding Of manure is a large part Of tile ~
pense OF carrying on our Eastern farms. and
il there is any way of lesseniDg this hara
work, they VINO do the shoveltng or ptv Ion
II ought 10 know it.-N. s. T. az Neig Enq-
l0' d Farmer.
GEN. GRAFT HORsEs.-Tbe presidents
stable at Long Branch are behind his cottag,
in a small grove OF evergreen. near the uu bi,,-