The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-06-15

SIX hunGEeu aClu phosphhkei one nun
dred landplaster.
Begin the compost by putting into
the box, way Ave bushels of the seed,
aprinkling ii well with water, (urine Is
better Ii obtainable) but 40. not saturate
the seed. Now put In seventy pounds
Of the acid phosphate and fifteen pounds
Of landplasteF, forking an up together
until the seed are we'll coated with the
phosphate and plaster. Trample down
armly and repeat the operation until ell
the materials are used or until the box
l. filled. Complete the compost by COW
erfng the whole with fine dry earth or
clay dust TO thodepth of an inch. Earth
with much sand In Il viii not answer.
The mass will In a short time become
heated and In two weeks, at faTthest, viii
be ready for use. Let the box remain
uncovered until rain il threatened. AT
ter two or three days the box should be
examined and If the heat has been 50
great IS to eyaporate the water from the
mass a pointed stake should be driven
down in several places and water poured
into the holes to keep the fermentation
steady and prevent fire hanging" Cow
er the holes after the water has been
absorbed. 1t may be necessary TO re-
peat this again.
The above formula is next to the sim
plest. Many farmers merely use the
cotton seed and phosphate, dispensing
with the landplastsr, and relying on the
acid phosphate together with little dry
earth to absorb the ammonia, but as the
plaster is 20 cheap and 80 much more
efficient as an absorbent, it pays to use
1t in the compost. Besides being good
absorbent of ammonia and moisture in
the soil, it furnishes lime and sulphur.
The nominal value of this ton of ma
nure Is On follows:
4S bushel cotton seed at l21S............S 5.37
600 lbs. Acid Phosphate. 1900
100 lbs. Landpiaster' .....,...,...... 100
Ietal......... ,.....o..............SlSST
For corn or cotton, as ordinarily Cul-
tivated, not less than five hundred
pounds to be applied per acre. A market
gardener would apply ton or more and
find it profitable.
In removing the manure from the box
the surface layer of earth should be
mixed with the lower layers Manure
composted as above is as easy of apph- |
cation as a commercial fertilizer, which |
would not be the case if stable manure |
entered into the compost, for it would |
make it bulky and lumpy too, unless |
thoroughly pulverized before using. |
As stable manure is chiefly valuable
for the ammonia that is in it, there
Is no need for its going into a compost,
where cotton seed is the basis. If the
supply Of cotton seed is limited of course
It can be used, but ordinarily it is more
perhaps to manage it sepa-
rately and in such a manner as tOrequire
,nly one handling. Now that the
,ountry Is divided up into small farms
md only a few stock kept, the accumu-
alton of stable manure is not great on
my one farm, and che best use it can be
1ut to, is in manuring the garden in the
all, where it may be hauled out and
,roadcasted and lightly narrowed in.
However large the quantity Of stable
manure, put it in the garden, enlarging
he garden If necessary to receive it. A
ich garden Of one acre well managed is
worth more to farmer than Ave acres
4 cotton, and he can afford to treat it
literally.
OF course il is not necessary that cot
on seed should be cOmpOsted In order
hat full value as a manure should be
salized. But where il Ia designed t
ne Il as 4 manure for quickly maturing
lants and to be applied at time Of
lanting, 1t Is advantageous tOdeCompose
with other substances that win absorb
he ammonia and present it In q soluble
,Em for immediate use. ZEA.
Aiilledgevil March II, '76.
THE AIR OF HAPPY IIyISG.-The