The daily gazette., 1875-10-28
Success In Com posting Manstres

ROYAL Smith, Millington, Mass &C.
scribes In the New England Farmer
successful method of making GOOD
manure at small cost;
1t was composed of about two CORDS
of good, green cow dung, mace IN the
stable. under cover, mingled with ten
bushels of plaster and five bushels OF
salt. The heap was cut over carefully
four times during the summer, the
Jumps beat out, and the whole thor
oughly intermingfcd, and the last time
it was cut over, two hundred and n1ty
pounds of German potash salts, SAID
TO contain sixty per centum OF sui,
phate of potash, were also mingled
with it.
My object in getting up this com
post heap was to test by experience,
for my own benefit, what effect these
different ingredients would have on
each other, whether beneficial or not,
during the heating process the heap
should undergo, in summer and early
fall, before it was used on the land.
had used plaster before, in limited
way, and had seen it used by Others
ever since l was old enough to be in
terested in the subject, by putting
small quantities of it in the hill at
planting time and some in compost re-
Gently, with other manure for growing
corn and potatoes, with very striking
effect, causing the crops to mature ear
lier, and produce larger crop at the
| time of harvest.
The experiment has proved very
successful with me- used one hundred
and seventy bushels of IL last fall at
the rate Of bushel to the square rod,
sprcad from the cart with my shovel,
on a moving field composed of stiff,
moist, sandy loan, but which had
been underdralned and mad borne good
crops of grass for several years, but
needed top dressing. Its effect on this
land was very gratifying and satisfac.
tory, the small amounts used produc.
ing as good results as a heavy top.
dressing Of good compost, and the
surface, now th" crop of grass is mown
off, presents "A thick mat of grass tina,
looks green anh vigorous and very
promising for IA good crop OF roweu,
which is more than can say of
any other top dressed mowings just
now.
The balance of this concentrated
compost put in barrels over winter
and have used the most of 1t on a patel
of Early Rose pototoes. The land or
which these potatoes are growing II
good, sandy loan and 1t is the secont
iyear it has been in hoed CROP
Last year the ground was indiffently
plowed and at the rate of six bushel
of plaster and four bushels of salt Il
the acre, sowed upon it broadcast, oil
the inverted sod and narrowed in ant
planted to potatoes that were manuref
lightly in the hill; plaster was applied
to the land at the time OF hocing, bu
the crop, for some reason, was ligh
and did not ripen well. The potatoe
were soggy, as if they had been gnaw
ed by worms, and all my other pota
toes, last year, were similar to those
THIS piece of ground is occupiet
with hoed crop again this year, par
J of which is In Early Rose potatoes, il
rows three feet apart one way an
eighteen inches the other, one Who'll
potato of medium size with about on
. pint of the concentrated compost az
: piled to each hill, about two-thirds 0
which was applied at the time G
planting, ,and the other third at the frs
hoeing, and no other manure has bee
: applied to them during the season. TIL
ground was cold in the spring, an
when they were planted, they were
Q good while in coming up, but thei
q growth has been steady. The plant
i appear healthy and vigorous, with
J. profusion of blossoms rarely seen on
!. field of potatoes. The tubers al
: smooth and free from scabs or othe
blemishes, and, taken altogether,
= think that it promises to be the be-
+ crop of potatoes l ever remember
have raised, with, probably, one e.
ception.
think also the heavy dressing {
salt and plaster applied to this fiel
last year, though of no perceptible be
eft then, is showing good results tn
year, acting in the soil as an auxilial
!. to the concentrated compost in produ
ing the promising potato crop allud,