The Lake County star., 1877-05-17

VALUE OF POULTRY MANURE.


From actual experiment, we found
the dyoppings from four Brahmas, for
one night, weighed, In one case, ex-
actly one pound. and In another more
than three quarters, an average of
illustrated Book Of Poultry. BY dry
ing, this was reduced to not quite one
and half ounce. Other breeds make
less, but allowing only one ounce per
bid daily, Of dry dung, fifty fowls will
make, In their roasting house alone,
about ten hundred weight per annum
Of the best manure In the world. Hence
fifty head of poultry will make more
than enough manure for an acre Of
land, seven hundred weight of guano
being the usual quantity applied per
acre, and the poultry manure being
richer than guano in ammonia and
fertilizing salts. No other stock will
give an equal return in this way, and
these figures demand careful attention
from the large farmer. The manure,
before using, should be mixed with
twice its bulk of earth and then allowed
TO stand In a heap covered with q few
inches of earth, till decomposed
throughout, when IL makes the very
best manure that can be had.
Utn snIFTLEss FARMERS.
All that Is needed to distinguish
shiftless farmer Is glance thro' his
fields and about the buildings. He Is
like the drunkard who leaves row of
empty whiskey bottles standing on
the window stOOl,-we need not in
quire within. All around the house
we find loose stones, rotten boards, and
rubbish Of every description. The
shiftless farmer never wastes his time
cuitivating hOwers-nOt he, such nom
sense IL sheer foolishness, literally time
and money thrown away. Shade trees
are .Ometimes permitted to grow, but
the proper care Of them has been SO
neglected that they are as good evil
deDce of shiftlessness as everything
else. The house itself Is also In a very
dilapidated condition. Owing to GER
tain prejudices Of the owner, 1t has
never been painted, and here and there
q clapboard swings upon one nail, as
II bound to- hell' appearances as much
as possible.
The shiftless farmer doesn't believe
in patching things. His idea Is to do
an extensive job at one time, so he lets
The shingles have become worn I'm
places, freely admitting the rain i'm
summer, and the snow In winter, but
the house Is to be newly ohingled next
summer, SO never mind!-Inside the
house we find everything Just as we
expected. The floors and wainscot are
covered with old fashioned yellow
paint, which, by frequent additions of
smoke, dirt and grease, approaches
dusky brown. The books are not to
be seen. The shiftless farmer doesn't
have time to read; and If lie did, IL
could be more prOfitably employed.
The fact Is, book farming Is a humbug.
The idea that brains has anything to
do with successful farming is absurd.
The shiftless farmer has a remark
able faculty for leaving his tools scat
tered about. His wagons and sleighs
are always seen standing outdoors.
His hoes, shOvels, plows, ETC.. are al
ways rusty and weather-beaten. He
has no place to house them, and never
has time to build one. 1t is noticeable
that he Is always in o hurry, and still
he Is always behind hand. He Is also
very unlucky. Something breaks down
Just when 1t Is most needed, necessi-
Iating repairs at once. This is Of course
due to the fact that nothing is well
made 'in these Gays"
To say that the shiftless farmer
makes money would of course be
His business prospects are
severely injured by the hard times.
Spectators in the great cities eat up
all the profits of farming; besides his
produce never commands so high
price as that of his neighbors. His
beef Is always leaner; his butter is
never quite as yellow; his potatoes
have been frozen; his apples have been
allowed to remain in the orchard until
they have been nipped by the frost,
and he meets with a thousand mishaps
every day. All this is of course unex-
plainable; therefore we conclude by
asking, us it best to have shiftless
or not?"-Amerfcdn Cnifipd-
tor.