The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-12
M;ke Rarnt.
MANAGEMENT OF STABLE MANURE.

CAN FARMER the following important
letter on the above subject:
My letter dated December 2, 1878,
giving reports of last years crops in
Europe, | hope you have received
More particulars | cannot give | only
know that on the boundary of Russia
large heaps of rye are lying on railroad
stations, waiting for shipment. There
are not lines nor cars enough to trans
port them further. According to your
wishes, III try to write some informa-
ton about agricultural affairs, and |
think you have no objection when l
speak about theme l lately discussed
in our Agricultural Assembly, viz. -
How TO USE STABLE DUNG IN THE
BEST WAY. Whatever you should find
useful to your farmers, or worthy of
notice, please use in your own manner.
Stable dung is considered in our coun-
try as the best, cheapest and surest
manure of ALL and every farmer ought
to strive to preserve this manure in its
highest strength until it reaches the
roots of our plants. 1t requires great
care and labor to handle stable dung in
the right way, but it is a paying labor.
Of all the fodder we give to our ami
mails, one part is used to keep up respir-
ation-that is. respiration through the
lungs as we'll as perspiration through
the skin. The ingredients in fodder
used up for respiration are starch, sugar,
fat and oil, and consist mostly of oxy-
gen, hydrogen, and carbon. Other in
gradients, especially albumen, casein
and gum, are consumed in forming flesh
and fat The third kind of ingredients
in fodder are those forming bones,-
such as phosphoric acid, lime and mag
nesia, together with nitrogen. The &C
tivity of life appears in this way. Con-
tinually atoms of the body are dissolv-
ed and leave it; other atoms are new
formed out of the well-prepared ingre-
dents of given fodder, so that the
bodies of animals are constantly at the
same time about to be dissolved and
to be renewed. All material not used
in conserving or charging the body is
either expelled through the lungs or
the skin, in the form of gas, or it leaves
the body through the bowels. This last
liquid and solid excrements we call
stable dung, and it is evident that the
better we feed our animals the more and
and richer dung they will return US.
The most soluble materials are going
away in the urine; those parts more
insolube leave the body as solid excre-
ments. In urine we find mostly nitro
gen, potassa, soda and salt, because
they are very soluble; in the solid ex-
crements we find mostly carbon, lime,
magnesia, silicious earth and phos-
phoric acid. Urine, rich in nitrogen
and potash, ferments very soon, and
has rapid stimulating effect OH plants
Solid excrements produce more humus
on account of their great organic mat
ter, and are grain-producing on account
of phosphoric acid. These two kinds
of dung, urine and solid excrements,
complement one another They ought
to be caught in litter and well mixed
up before they are carried to the soil
A man who neglects to collect all
urine and excrements produced by his
animals. or who collects them and
allows them to be in his yard outwash-
ed by rain showers, or to mould or to
burn, is squanderer; all his sorrows
and hard labor cannot compensate his
loss in manure. But how many farm
yards we find full of puddles of dung
water, such as by rain showers run
over and leave the bad householder!
On farms where more filthy fluid is
gained than beds Of straw can swallow
up, the fluid is to be collected in water
proof cisterns. The cisterns ought to
be deeper than wide, to keep the urine
cool, and so to prevent rapid ferment-
alton. They ought to be covered, so
as to keep off sun and air, and no rain
water should fill aud wash out these
cisterns full of costly, rich matter But
as urine soon begins to ferment, and
gases Especially ammonia) volatile,
urine ought to be mixed with gypsum,
sulphuric acid or sulphate of IRON
These materials will prevent a rapid
fermentation and will retain all ammo
MIA. Better than to collect urine in els
terms is to pour it over composts. Com
posts are all mineral and organic wastes
and scrapings collected on farm
They contain large quantity of useful
minerals and humus, and give, bv add
ing urine, very rich and complete ma
nure for all plants
In handling the solid excrements of
our animals, the best way is to keep
them in the stable as bed for the ami
mails as long as possible, for then we
obtain very rich manure and in the
best condition The solid and fluid ex-
crements are well mixed up with litter,
and the urine keeps the manure equally
moist, so that fermentation slowly be-
gins, and it never gets mouldy. Cattle
have very soft and even dry bed when
straw is use sufficiently. This kind of
dung has got light-brown color, and
the straw is sufficiently mellow. To
prepare the dung in this way, the stables
ought to be large enough to let cattle
run about, or when they are chained the
stables ought to be so arranged that
they can be elevated when the heap of
uuhS I'D 3 AoNiuS. AuOtHcl gam ucTlfcu
from it is, the air in a stable in which
the dung lays many mouths keeps
purer than when the dung is stirred up
and removed every week. Those who
have no room to fill up the stables with
dung in this way ought to take care to
carry the dung from the stable at once
to the land, and to spread it regularly.
1t is great fault to let stable dung lie
in small heaps on the field, because fer
mentation will arise very irregularly.
The sap of such heaps dries up; the
under part gets either burnt or moulds.
All ammonia formed during fermenta-
ton is then taken away by the moving
air. Another mischief happens: Be
low these heaps, lying long while, the
soil is oversaturated with dung; the
rest of the soil, when the heaps are
afterwards spread, gets an outwashed
or mould-burnt, fre-fanged, useless stuff.
Therefore duno broupht on land oupht