Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-03-22
The 9arnI aud fireside.
PREPARATION OF MANURE.

Perhaps the time will never come, when we
can dispense entirely with the use of CONNER.
cial fertilizers. In Europe and in the North
ern States, where the keeping of stock and
making of barnyard manure have, from time
immemorial, been regarded as the road to
successful farming, the use of commercial fer
tiizers is rapidly and steadily on the increase
The South, On the other hand, is wisely re-
trenching in this direction, by utilizing ma
terials on the farm, which mixed with cheap
commercial fertilizers, render them equal in
value to the most costly. We refer to COM
posts of cotton seed and acid phosphate, which
cost very little more than half as much as
ammoniated phosphates of the same agricul-
tural value As another step in the same di.
rection, we suggest that composts of cotton
seed and ashes may be made, to diminish still
further the purchasing materials obtainable
only beyond the limits of the farm. These
composts should be made exactly like those
with acid phosphate, adding to eight bushels
of green cotton seed the same amount of un.
leached ashes--mixing the two thoroughly
wetting and tramping them we'll, that they
may rot slowly and steadily. Rotten cotton
seed and decomposed stable manure would be
unsuitable for such compost-it would be best
to use nothing but green seed and ashes. The
quantities above named would be moderate
manuring-about equal to that amount Of
phosphate compost which contains one hum
dred pounds of acid phosphate.
Ifall the ashes on farm are carefully hus.
banded during the whole year, enough can be
secured to manure quite a number of acres OF
land.
We would suggest also bone compost as
another home fertilizer. Let all the bones
within reach be gathered up, and pile of al
ternate layers of wood and bones be made and
fred. When large quantities are to be burn.
ed, it is best to begin with moderate sized
pile, not more than five or six feet square, and
three or four feet high, and as it burns down
throw on more bones and wood until all the
bones are burned. If too great heat is gene
rated and the air is excluded Gas it will be in
the centre of large pile) part of the phos-
phate of the bones will be vaporized, driven
off and lost. After burning, the bones can be
readily pulverized or broken in small pieces
ready for composing. In this compost, cotton
seed alone and bone may be used, or stable
manure in conjunction with the cotton seed.
IF cotton seed alone are used, mix intimately
with eight bushels of seed, one hundred and
fifty pounds of bones, wet the mixture thor
oughIy and tramp we'll to insure moderate,
steady putrefactive fermentation. If desired,
use four bushels of seed and four of stable
manure in place of eight of seed, and proceed
in the same manner as above. 1t is all i'm
portant that the mass should be thoroughly
wet throughout, as the solubility of the bones
depends upon the presence ofsubstances which
can only be generated by the rotting of the
seed of manure. This compost should be
made at least two to three months before
planting time. Six months would be better
still. The quantities named above will ma
nure, moderately, one acre of land.