The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-07-20
THE COMPOST HEAP


In the first place let us have clear un.
derstandinS OF what compostis. The word
literally signifies "a putting together and nc
word could better express the idea A com.
post is compoundng of such clements OF
plant food as will best serve to render land
fertile A good cook brings his food on to
the table so compounded with fat and lean,
so seasoned with salt and pepper, and so pre-.
pared for easy assimilation that the very
smell stimulates the appetite and the stomach
ilnds no trouble in its digestion What the
cook docs for the food of man the farmer
should do for the food of his plants. Com
post such clements of nutrition as will best
nourish vegetation, and let them lie together
AID cook during the warm weather, as thew
will BY the heat generated internally by
oxidRtson' favored by he genial condition Of
the ar The compost heap may be likencd
to loaf of bread, in which little lcaven
has leavened the whole lump, converting by
chemical process unpalatablc dough into
sweet food
The simplest form OF vegetation requires
ut least dozen elements for its perfect de-
Hrlopmcnt Hence compost properly pre-
pared is the true idea Of plant food. 1t is
nonsense to suppose that because the potato
Is potash plant it can live on potash alone
All plants and animals must die unless fur.
nlshcd with food compounded of dozen or
more elements. Not that every fertilizer
must be such compound, for many, gencr-
ally most, of the elements of plant food
abound in the soil and air, and it NAV only
be necessary to supply those that arc lacking
IN order to render Il soil fertile
This leads us to inquire OF what the COM
post heaps should be made. The answer to
this question must depend somewhat on the
condition of the soil aud the nature of the
crop to which it is applied. IF the soil is
naturally full of vegetable matter and in
clined to be cold, it would be folly to make
muck the basis of the compost heap. Sand
or sandy loan would be much Preferable
On the other hand, if the compost is to be
applied to sandy soil, muck is just the thing
for its basis. In like manner if the compost
is to be used for nitrogcnous crop, cabba-
gcs for instance, ammonia in some form
should be prominent component part In
general it may be said that phosphate lime,
ammonia, and potash are tue constituents
NEST likely to be found wanting il our long
cultivated fields, and most essential to plant
growth These therefore should enter large
" ;'.to th- oomPos. hoar O.her. cnastitn.
cnts shoald be added as the sol! demand, or
opportunity is furnished to supply them.
Among these we may mention chloride of
sodium, Common salD and sui l!huric acid,
which can most economically be applied in
the form OF sui lphatc of lime, (rlastcr) All
the inorganic elements Of vegetation may be
found in ashes. Wcthcrciorc put upon our
compost all the ashes, lcachcd or unlcachcd,
upon which we can lay our hands
These constituents of the compost placed
in juxtaposition and being mixed and COW
cred with some absorbent, such as muck
earth, or leaf mould, heat up by chemical
action, are dccomposcd aud recomposcd-
in other words arc cooked, forming new com
pounds which arc readily assimilatcd by
plants. The muck and leaf mould are also
fastened in their decomposition BY the infu-
enccs of the dccomposing mass, the whole
forms food which plants dcvour grecdily.
But where shall we get the phosphate of
lime, the ammonia, and other constituents of
the compost hcap!' is the next very proper
question of the farmer. Bones are the great
resource for the phosphate of lime These
arc lying around every slaughter house,
every lanyard and almost every farm in the
country, dried by the sun and air, and con-
scquently slowly dccaying. Let them be
gathered and broken up by a scdge ham
mer if there is no mill convenient for grind
ing them, or they may be put into large hogs
heads with alternate layers of wood ashes
and kept constantly moist for few months
during warm weather, when they will be
found sufficiently softencd to be cut with Il
sharp spade. In this condition put into fer
mcnting compost they will further disintc-
crate aud add greatly to the value of the pile
The next constituent of the compost heap
is ammonia, and this may be found in barn
yard manure, night soil, dead leaves, and
dead animals of all kinds; the refuse Of the
tannery, the woolen or paper mill, the slaugh-
ter house, the ccsspool, and divers other
places too numerous to be mentioned. Pre-
cious as ammonia is, there is probably no
substance which is more wasted 1t is going
off to the sea in our sewers by thousands of
tons each day. The rivers which pass our
manufacturing establishments and dense
villages arc full of it, SO much so as to be
sources of miasma during the warm and dry
months There is no lack of ammonia, If
farmers will only keep vigilant eye for it.
In fact they may shut their eyes and their
noses will tell where ammonia abounda.-
Ten chances to one they can smell it ascend.
ing from their horse-stables, barn-yards
priyioc and cnsencolu IN ho ,u,CtoJ o,,o.