The Portland daily press., 1879-04-23
AGRICULTURAL.
Home sources of Fertilizers.

Home Sources of Fertilizers.
What to do with poor soils to bring them
into bearing condition is a question thai
worries nine-tenths of the farmers in the
country. We have gone on growing crops
without adequate manuring until the soil
has worn down, and it is unfortunately sup
posed that there is some sholt way to bring
them up again without cost. To do this
would be TO get something out of nothing,
and that is obviously impossible. There is
certainly something left in the soil, but it is
in condition in which it cannot be reached,
and before crop can be grown something
must be put into the soil upon which the
crop can subsist. Something can be done by
good management, when no other way is
possible, aud it is here where the farmers
, skill is made available. Some method is
wanted by which at small expenditure,
profitable crop can be grown. In many cases
time IL an important element in the problem,
but just now time is short, and there is no
opportunity for the employment of thorough
tillage to help the soil. There are some ex-
pedients that may now be turned to advan.
tage, and one that presents itself is the EN-
ployment of the considerable stock
of Dight-soil that could be produced in
every village or town. The majority of
houses in country places are provided with
cess-pools which need cleansing, and any
farmer who would do this work could secure
the contents of these at the cost OF the labor.
There are plenty of laborers who will do the
work for pay, and if the work is done in the
right manner it is inoffensive and easy. A
cess-pool may be emptied by means OF buck
ct hung upon light pole or a long fork
handle. The bucket is suspended by an iron
strap pivoted almost one-third of the depth
from the top, and the strap is strongly Sc
cured 10 the long handle. By this method
the contents may be scooped up and deposited
in basin made of loose earth, swamp muck,
or sifted coal ashes prepared for the purpose.
Earth or other absorbents, with liberal
supply of plaster, may be thrown in the cess
pool from time to time to deodorlze it and
make it convenient to handle.
The semi-li9uid mass is deposited in the
basin until that is half filled. Then the sides
are thrown into the centre, and the whole,
thus reduced to moist, half solid condition,
may be shoveled into tight wagon-box and
removed to the field, where it may be spread
and mixed with the soil by the harrow. This
manure is excellent for corn or for top -dres-
sing for grass or clover, and ten wagon loads
per acre will be equal to at least as many of
the best barn-yard manure, supposing the
mixtures one-half night-soil aud one-half
earth or sifted ashes.
Other available fertilizers are lime and
wood ashes. Lime is cheap, but unfortu-
nately it cannot be depended upon to bring
up poor soil when used alone. In fact, il it
has any effect upon the soil at all, it is mere
ly as stimulant, and only further exhausts
it. When used with small portion of barn
yard manure it hastens the effect OF this and
makes it available at once, in place OF wait
ing for its slow decomposition. 1t is thus
helpful for the farmer who wishes to excite
his soil as a temporary expedient, or has a
0Ood nhipNt m vic 10 cQttinO the Immediate
effect of sod turned under of crude fresh
manure applied; otherwise it is poor de-
pendence. On the other hand, wood ashes
have not only this same beneficial effect as
lime, but they also provide needed potash for
the crops, and some soil being deficient in
potash more than anything else, the wood
ashes will be found very useful to them; so
that in some cases lime can be used as a
cheap fertilizer with benefit, and in every case
be picked up in considerable quantities if
they are sought for at this season at village
houses. 1Ef@
Another fertilizer ready attainable is poul-
try manure. An instance of economy in this
may be given. A flock of 80 light Brahma
fowls have the past Winter produced 10 bar
rels of excellent manure, consisting OF fine
soil and droppings in usual parts, with lib
eral mixture of plaster. These fowls have a
south, and frost has not penetrated it in the
coolest weather; the floor is of earth, and
during the day becomes warm enough to re-
main unfrozen during the night; besides the
loose earth is dry, and frost will not pene-
trate dry earth. The floor is raked over .ev-
cry week, and the dreppings with the earth
mixed with them, are put into barrels and
kept for use in the Spring. A good busting
of plaster is spread over the floor after each
olo norr IF THO fQrtilizpr M y
be spread over one acre of corn by giving one
liberal handful to each hill. Thirty fowls
may thus be made to help in great measure
to fertilze three acres of corn.
Another valuable fertilizing material which
usually runs to waste is the Stops from the
kitchen sink, the washtub and the chambers.
II will pay to lay a wooden pipe
connecting with the kitchen sink, or barrel
sink, out OF doors, to shallow cess-pool at a
convenient distance, or to the barn-yard. In
one year sufficient fertilizlng material may
thus be saved from one house to enrich sew
eral acres of land. The soapsuds are rich In
valuable matter. The wastes from the skin
which is carried off in soiled underclothin z
amounts To something considerable in year,
and these are rich in nitrogen. THIS may be
proved by keeping tubful of soapsuds over
for week in warm kitchen, when the am
monia will begin to escape freely. There is
some potash from the soap also, and that
helps. fEt At
The small savings soon aun up to large
amount. We have not heretofore looked to
small things in our farm economies. But
this is now most important consideration.
We are now recovering very slowly from the
wasteful and riotous living of some years
past, and we come down to hard pan very
unwillingy. But it must be done, and it
will help to ease the fall to exercise the
strictest economy in saving everything that is
valuable as manure for the field or the garden.
IN. Y. Times.