The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-03-11
Composing Manure.

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spent much time in collecting materials
to compost, with what was then called
barn manure, which consisted of the
manure made by the horses, horned
cattle and sheep kept on the farm. At
that time many farmers applied manure
to cultivated crops by blowing in one
half and placing the other half in the
hill, and the opinion was very general
that it was great waste to apply
crude, unfermented manure to the soil,
except it be plowed in; and it was also
believed that, whatever be the charac-
ter of the manure, it must be covered
up with the plow or the hoe, immedi-
ately after it was applied to the soil, so
deep that it would not BIZ liable to be
brought to the surface when cultivating
the crops. With such practice and
such opinions. it is not strange that
large compost heaps were seen ON al
most every farm. Manure placed in
the hill, in its crude state, was in many
cases found to be injurious rather than
beneficial to the growing plants; while
manure applied in the same way, re-
duced in strength by composing with
muck, was found to produce much
more satisfactory results. Thus the
farmer seemed to have positive evil
dence that every cord of muck which
he composted with his manure was
worth as much, if not more, than a cord
of clear manure; but a more thorough
understanding of the action of fertil-
izers upon the soil, and upon growing
vegetation, has led many farmers to
doubt if it is desirable to compost ma
nure except by applying to it, as it
lies in the yard or cellar, sufi-
cient absorbents to save the LIQUIDS.
Many of the advanced farmers
of to-day believe, if the character
of the soil upon which the manure
is to be applied requires to be changed
by the application of sand, clay or
muck, that it is best to apply these ma
terials directly to the soil and thus save
the great labor of making the compost
heap, digging it over and recarting it;
and they also believe if the character
of the soil does not need to be changed,
that it is economy to apply the manure
in its green state, and compost it d.
rectly with the soil; that by so doing
the growing plants not only assist
in the decomposition of the crude ma
terials, but that, having their roots
running through the soil at the time
of the chemical changes which take
place while the manure is being de-
composed, they receive much more
benefit than they possibly could by
having the changes take place in q
compost heap, and applied to crops
after the chemical changes are over.
The practice to-day of farmers who
occupy advanced positions is, either to
apply the liquid portions of the fertil-
izers of the farm directly to the soil,
in liquid form, or to absorb them with
the smallest amount of dry absorbents
possible. Dry muck, one or two years
old, has been found to be the cheapest,
if not the best, material that is within
the farmers reach. The practice of
carting into the barnyard and cellar
large quantities of sand, loan and green
muck is being rapidly abandoned bv
good, practical, observing farmers. It
has been found that ten cords of ma
nure increased to forty cords by add
ing thirty cords of sand, loan or muck
Is not worth enough more to pay for
carting and recarting what is little bet
ter, if SO good, as the soil upon which
the compost is to be applied.
A soil that requires an application of
sand, clay, loam or muck had better
have such materials applied in their
fresh state and thus save the labor of
twice carting, and also the additional
room that would he required if mixed
with the manure in the barn cellar. As
there is always some coarse materials
on every farm that can be manufactured
into good manure by passing them
through the hog.pen, no good farmer
will neglect to gather up such materials
and set his hogs at work on them, but
tocart in large quantities Of crude mat
ter. that possess but . small amount Of