The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-08
Preparation of Manure.

Perhaps the time will never come when
we can dispense entirely with the use of
commercial fertilizers. In Europe and
in the Northern States where the keep
ing of stock and making Of barn yard
manure have, from time immemorial,
been regarded as the road to successful
farming, the use of commercial fertilize rs
is rapidly and steadily on the increase.
The South on the other hand is wisely
retrenching in this direction, by utilizing
materials on the farm, which, mixed with
cheap commercial fertilizers, render them
equal in value to the most costly. We
refer to composts of cotton seed and acid
phosphate, which cost very little more
than half as much as ammoniated phos-
pilates of the same agricultural value.
As another step in the same direction, we
suggest that composts of cotton seed and
ashes be made, to demise still farther the
purchasing of 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 unleached ashes-mixing
the two thoroughly-wetting and tramp
ing them we'll, that they may rot slowly
and steadily. Rotten cotton seed and
decomposed stable manure would be un-
suitable for such compost-it would be
best to use nothing but green seed and
ashes. The quantities above named
would be moderate manuring for one
acre of cotton-about equal to- that
amount of phosphate compost which con-
tains one hundred pounds of acid phos-
phate. =
If al! the ashes on a farm is carefully
husbanded during the whole year, enough
can be secured to manure quite a number
of acres of land. t
We would suggest also bone compost
as another home fertilizer. Let all the
bones within reach be gathered up, and
a pile of alternate layers of wood and
bones be made and fired. Where large
quantities are to be burned 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 un-
til all the bones are burned. IF too great
heat is generated and the air is excluded,
las it will be in the centre of a large pile,
a part of the phosphate of-the bones will
be vaporized, driven off and lost. After
burning, the bones can be readily pulyer-
lied 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 thoroughly and tramp we'll
to insure moderate, steady putrefactive
fermentation. If desired, use four BUSH
els of seed and four of stable manure in
place of eight OF seed, andproceed. in
the same manner as above. lit is alElm-
portant that the mass should be thorough
ly wet throughout, rs the solubility of
the bones depends upon the presence OF
substances which can only be generated
by the rotting of the seed or 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 manure mod
erately, one acre of land.
Composts of stable manure, cotton seed
and phosphate should be put up now.
they may be made later, but when several
months old they are of better quality.