Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-09-25

liberal supply of water until the mass s
quite damp, then over the dampened
mass sprinkle four hOundred pounds OF
German potash salts, twenty-five per
cent, and yeu have a ton Of manure,
which, if properly handled, will be but
little Inferior to Ville's Complete Ma
nure, at a cost Of less than ten dollars,
fully equal for all manureal purposes to
the best torty-dollar fertilizer, it is said,
on the market. You must then repeat
the process on the same bed, until you
have bank five feet high. Let this
bank stand for week or so, and then
run your hand into it, and if hot, fork ii
over. Be careful not to let it burn
Fork it over two or three times, and
you will havea fine bank OF manure
ready for immediate use. This process
should be carried on under shelter, but
it is not indispensable; and if in the
air, when the bank is completed II
should be covered with five or Sin
inches thickness of the surrounding dirt,
making, in fact, valuable addition to
the manure heap. Now, what farmer
of one hundred acres, with reasonable
sagacity, character and economy, nave
we. whe cannot get up such a manure
pile as that described: Ten loads Of
Stable manure, costing in money, moth.
inc. two tons of South Carolina phos'
phate costing sixty dollars, and two
tons of German potash salts costing
thirty dollars with freights in addition,
aggregate the whole expense, with the
exception of the bone l advised to be
used with the seed when drilled. Is ii
possible that our farmers can't manage
this expense for twenty acres? And
that, toe, when ii is almost absolutely
certain that 1t will be reimbursed, in a
few months, IN the form Of six hundred
bushels ofmerchantable wheat besides
other important, incidental advantages
This formula, fer which l am chiefly in
debted to Mapes, Of New York, will be
followed in preparing the compost toI
INV wheat crop Of this fall, one thousand
hounds of which l expect TO apply to
each acre ofmy wheat field.
1t may not be amiss for me TO state
that early in the spring l scraped over
nv barn-yard and weod-pile and screen
ed these scrapings so as to fit them for
the drill. using a plasterer's screen for
the purpose. l composted them when
thus prepared with South Carolina
super-phosphate, German potash salts
and plaster in the proportion of four
shoyelfnls of the scrapingS and one
sboyelful ofeach Of the other specified
ingredients, thoroughly intermiXing
them before use. Of this mixture, l
used not less than fvs hundred pounds
with nv oats in seeding, using my
drill, and the result is quite satisfactory.
[ think, however, it would be best te
SOW two bushels Of oats per acre, in a
transverse direction, a bushel at a
time, applying with each bushel five
hundred pounds Of this compost, MAX
inc one thousand pounds per acre in,
stead OF five hundred as in my crop. l
also used this compost with my corn to
the full capacity Of my corn planter, II.
NJ. Smiths patent, OF your city, and the
prospects, NEST gratifying. Nor is my
supply Of this compost exhausted, hav-
inc several tons on hand, which | ought
to have applied to the growing crop,
but was unable to do SO for want OF
time.
Well, l started to apologize for not
responding to your postals' and have
wound up with this long, rambling re-
Div. for which, indeed, | owe you an
apology. But, III try aud make my
peace with you by giving YOU full liber-
ty to do with what now send you as
YOU see fit. If there be anything in 1t
which you think will promote the
cause You so ably advocate, publish 1t,
but if not, let il 80 to the waste-basket,
and l will not complain.
Y. b find | omitted to reply to
some of your inquiries. As TO seed
wheat, l find that most Of our farmers
prefer the Fultz, regarding it as a more
certain and abundant crop than any OF
your varieties, and, moreover, but little
liable TO shatter. And, although much
10 by the millers, for the con-
stated, it still retains tie
favor of our farmers. Being a small
grain, a bushel per acre is ample. 1n-
deed. one OF our most considerable far
mers seeded his crop Just gathered with
but little over three pecks per acre,
sarnering nearly twenty bushels per
acre. We have had among US for some
three or four years wheat known as
the Clawson wheat, which, l think, Of
great value. At least, | have raised it
in a small way with decided success,
and it is my intention to continue to d.
so. 1t is white wheat, has a long
berry, an unusually lone head, is tall
and stands well. Yet, 1t has lost favor
with us, even with the gentleman who
it, a Mr.. Grantlan, OF Balti-
more, who has purchased a fine pro-
perty among us, and who, by his man
agement, energy and liberal use Of
his ample means, Is materially contrl-
buting to our agricultural improvement.
1t is tho ght tAat this wheat has an I'M
usual tendency to dampness, especially
IN bulk, and does not weigh out well
and hence its loss Of popularity. But
these objections are not sustained by
my experience, for my last years crop
the top Of the market,
md weighed cut something over sixty
pounds to the bllshcl.
Our crop IS very good one. Some
ST our farmers gather over twenty
bushels per acre, Many gather from
fifteen to twenty bushels and the
whole crop of the country may be safely
at twelve bushels per acre.
Dur oat cropis very good. Our hay
:rop in moss is prodlgious, but its COM
nercial value is seriously impaired by
he fungus growth Of noxious weeds to
yh.ch have heretofore referred.
CURE FOR DIPHTHERIA.-Take a
handful Of alder root, Il handful of dog
yood roat and q handful of the bark of