The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-05-19

rsrafv Of Vermont and Stete Agricultural Col
isye.
CONCLUDED
Bones, too, another waste product
loud in greater or less quantity in uu.
slightly profusion, often, upon many a
farm. contains one substance, phosphorus,
Of the EXTREMIST value to the farmer as
fertilizer to his crops, although without
some chemical treatment, they may pro-
duce BY their addition no marked effect
on the soil. But they certainly should
be carefully boarded until enough in
quantity to attract purchaser, Or better
still be converted into some proper condi.
ton for application to the soil by the far
mcr himself. Ashes, too, were, until re
Gently, disposed of to the itinel ant buyer,
and the few cents bushel received by
the seller counted as so much clear gain;
but fortunately there remains now but
little need to call the attention Of our
farmers to their value, whether lcached
or upeached So, tco, the suds from the
weekly washing the dish water and the
countless wastes Of the house, the table
and the kitchen each have certain
value, which, in the aggregate, may, by
being utilized, determine the question Of
profitable or Improbable husbandry.
But there remains another waste, so al.
most universal aud so extensive. that
cannot leave this portion of my subject
without calling your especial atten.
ton to it, Of course / refer to the use
and misuse of that valuable resource of
the farmer, stable manure. From the
earliest stages Of the world, long before
chemistry or agriculture existed as sci.
ence, as common practice has prevailed,
which is to-day sanctioned and endorsed
by the highest science, viz The applica.
ton to our fields of the refuse from our
stables. Side by side, also, with this
commendable practice, has existed an.
other almost as universal, and as repre-
hensible as the other is worthy. Against
this lamentable practice Science has a
thousand times raised her voice in oppo'
sition, but to-day this same ruinous prac.
tice prevails, and, strangely enough, is
most prevalent in those very countries
which boast most loudly their scientific
pre.eminence. refer now to the waste
full loss which is permitted of those most
valuable constituents Of stable manure.
those very constituents upon which, in
many cases entirely, and in every case its
value to great extent depends. Who
ever should heap his ashes in his yard
exposed 70 drenching rains and the SHOWS
Of winter, and expect them to remain as
valuable as when removed from the fire.
place or stove, would generally be count
ed as a fool, aud simply because the com.
mon use to which ashes are, and for gen.
erations before US have been, applied has
rendered us somewhat familiar with one
Of their properties, We are aware that
within a leach or without it, water has
the property Of dssolving out Of the ashes
the chief constituent they possess of value,
AID that after the production Of certain
quantity Of lye, we know that the ashes
have been rendered comparatively worth.
less. We know, also, that sugar and
salt snd many other substances will dis.
solve in water; but We do not generally
know that to great extent the value of
stable manure depends upon the presence
OF Certain ruOp.Aue0s, which, like sugar
and salt, are readily soluble in water, and
that therefore if in any way the liquid
portions are permitted to leach from the
manure heap into the earth, or worse
still, if the rains and SHOWS are allowed
to fall upon, saturate it and run off again,
the value Of the manure may rapidly de.
teriorate, and, aware of this fact, many
farmers have made use of muck, of straw,
Of sawdust or of earth to absorb these val
liable liquids, and thus retain these fer.
tili7ng constituents. Whom NO consider
that plants are able onl y to take up into
Thur circulation those substances which
exist in solution, and when too we con.
slider that in the liquid portions of the
manure alone is found this soluble plant
food. that alone which is Immediately
available as food to the growing plant the
stupendous folly Of our farmers generally
in their practice becomes apparent. We
are generally content if from load Of
gathered sheaves We may place few
bushels of unwinnowed wheat into cur
granaries; if, from some hogsheads of
sap. We may obtain some hundred
weights Of sugar for we recognize in the
wheat and sugar the chief or only constit.
uents Of value but it is not generally
understood that even in ton Of the best
stable manure there is present only some
20 or % pounds possessing any value
sufficient to warrant its being carted from
the stable to the field, eight TO ten pounds
of potash. triAe less Of nitrogen, aud
half that amount of phosphoric acid but
still even these few pounds of soluble
plant food. il not allowed TO waste by
teaching, are sufficient to render it gen.
orally the cheapest as it is always the
most available fertilizer at the disposal OF
the farmer.
Tnere yet remains under this head one
further consideration, for at this present
daJ it is matter receiving most careful
attention in all Of our larger cities. We
are aware that by this removal of crops
from our fields, and their transportation
we are constantly impoverisbing our land
and that, except in rare instances, nc
compromising return is made. A mo.
ment's reflection will convince US that for
the most part the refuse product of all
this consumption, find their way by ter
thousand channels, more or less direct, tc
that common reservoir, the sea but few
OF US, presume, are aware of the start
ling proportions which this waste as
sumes and that we may all join in THU
Increasing protest against its continuance,
! will present very few statistics, tina
we may from one know all. 1t is esti
mated that the annual waste Of fertilizinl
material in the cities of the United
States would half pay the interest upor
our national debt This statement, iu
credible as it may seem, is made by tn,
Manufacturer of New York city, and By
reference to few details, its magnitud,
will seem less surDrisino In the citp n