The Portland daily press., 1876-12-08
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Mannring i'm Winter.

The almost universal practice among New
England farmers has been to draw out their
manure from the barnyard upon the land in
the spring. The occasional exception might
be the removal of the summer accumulations
in the fall as a matter of convenience 10 be
piled in large heap in some central place,
or perhaps mixed with corresponding pile
of muck.
As matter OF course where cattle are
pastured through the summer the additions
to the manure heap are comparatively small,
mainly from the night yarding, and therefore
from lack of material or deferred by the
depth of snow the farmer waits till spring.
When 70 protection is given to manure in
the barnyard and it lies as it is thrown from
the barn it is mixed with successive layers of
ice and anow and becomes a solid frozen
mass. In such state it does not undergo
any change either for the better or worse,
but with the coming of spring it is exposed
to new atmospheric conditions. Thus it
happens that while the farmer is quarrying
out blocks of half frozen manure with extra
labor he is also almost overpowered with the
ammoniacal odors that are wasting his SUBJ
stance on the air. Add to this the fact that
this,severe and eXhaustiDg labor of removal
to man and beast both comes at time when
they are least able to bear it, and when vege-
tation and termination advance so rapidly
that both are often hindered by the long
drawn out job and no further considerations
are needed to prove that if it can be avoided
this heavy work should not be imposed upon
the usual burdens of spring.
The thoroughly decomposed and finely pull
verized vegetable matter which may be found
in the cellar or yard of well-organized barn
in early winter, is then in its best condition
it gains nothing by longer keeping, and
therefore there is no reason why it should
not at once begin its work of improvement,
and be placed where it will do the most good.
1t is therefore only necessary to see that the
soil is in proper state for its reception, to
decide at once upon winter manuring. When
garden have been plowed in the fall, or fields
prepared for corn, such old and well rotted
manure may be advantageously applied to
the surface, or later still spread upon the
snow which covers them.
Coarse, strawy, freshly made manure is not
suitable for such soils but may be proftably
to The grass field and pasture, or the smaller
fruits of the garden. In the latter case it i:
especially adapted to the strawberry bed
serving alike for dressing and mulching, pro.
tecting the vines through the winter, and
when raked off in the spring enriching the
soil and keeping the ripening berries from
contact with the earth.
In the exercise of proper discretion there
fore, different kinds and qualities of barn
manure may be applied proitably to the sew
eral parts of farm during the winter season.
1t is also vastly better for the health of ami
mails, and for and all kinds of food kept ii
and about barns, that accumulations of ma
nure should be removed as early as is pos
sible. When quantities of muck, soil, Or 9th
er absorbents are hauled into cellars ant
swine are used to effect proper intermix
ture it can be retained with more safety. I
may be said in general however, that tn,
proper place for barn manure at all season!
of the year, is upon the surface of the soil, o.
just under the furrow.