Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-16
BOARDING.
FARM AND GARDEN.
MAKING AND APPLYING MANURE.

MAKING AND APPLYING MANURE
A Massachusetts farmer writes to the
Country Gentleman:
"As my farm is adapted to raising
grass, l want to know how to get the
best results from my present winters
manure. l have been thinking Of max
ing liquid of it and applying it in the
months of April and May, but among
all the discussions there has been
nothing said about liquid manure. L
have plenty of room under my barn TO
compost manure, which l make from
25 head of cattle and three hogs, but
unless l apply it in liquid form, l shall
have to let 1t remain under the barn IN
the form Of a compost heap and work 1t
over two or three times during June
and July, so as to get 1t IN condition
to spread after haying. In this way L
shall not get any benefit from all my
manure this coming summer. VIII
you please inform me upon this point
of liquid manure?"
Farmers in Tennessee need .instruc-
ton on the subject of making and
using manure to the best advantage
quite as much as those of Massachu-
sets. 1t is generally unwise to keep
the droppings Of animals, straw, corn
stalks, or other. vegetable substances
over thespring midsummer months in
barn-cellar, a stable or under a
shed, to be turned over as a
compost heap. Let the same rottlng
and decomposition take place either on
grass turf, or In titled ground, and
great good viii result to the soil in ad-
dition to feeding growing plants with
their natural alment. The gases that
escapes from a mass Of stable manure
In stable or near it are powerful chem
ical agents to eliminate salts Of potash,
lime, soda and magnesia from common
clay or sand where they exist in latent
or insoluble condition. If the earth
salts that form the bones of man and
his domestic animals were soluble IN
common rain water all the time, they
would soon be all washed out of the
soil and render it quite barren. Gases
from decaying plants, leaves, mould or
manure, give rains increased power to
dissolve bones and bone material, and
also that hard flint which finds its way
into cOrnstalks, the stems of wheat,
rye, barley, oats, timothy, and other
grasses. This very valuable agrlcul
tural force is wanted not IN a cOw-yard
or hol se-stable, but IN the precise
places where crops are to grow. Study
ing agriculture by the light of these
facts it is plain that the droppings of
animals cannot be taken too soon TO the
field or garden for use or distribution.
A great deal of handling of a mass
of manure by turning it over and over
again does not add one particle of new
matter to the heap. Instead Of gain
ing in weight, like thing of life which
grows from day to day and week to
week. it loses In substance and weight
ike the wood in a slow-burning coal-pit
Baron Leibig calls this slow combus-
ton of barnyard composts, turf and
mould erema causis. Farmer boys IN
old times placed hens eggs IN ferment-
ing heaps of horse manure, whose blood
heat served to hatch out scores of
chickens. Wherever heat is thus gen.
Grated there is chemical action. Mechi,
the model farmer Of England, iluifies
all his manure IN large watts soon after
it is yoided by stock, and then drives ma
nure-water through iron pipes over the
whole farm by steam power. Fields
are often irrigated by this fertilizing
water, the distribution taking place
through hose fastened to iron pipes at
regular intervals. Two men manage q
hose one hundred yards in length
which is movable and fastened to q low
penstock. The plan has worked wei
twenty years. In this way a six
horse engine and two men boil
manure and water ten acres O
any crop in ten hours time
The intelligent reader Will see that
pair of mules or oxen working a fore
pump could drive Hguifed plant foo,
through wood-pump-logs as well as iroI
or lead pipe; and that hose loo yard
long fastened to the end of the pumI
long at penstock could easily irrigat
a plot of ground 200 yards in diameter
and as two men carry the hose its ful