The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1880-06-18
How to Make Manure.
Editor Orange5ury Democrat:

of my farm duties prevented me from
writing, but the subject is of sufficient
Importance to interest every one en-
gagged in farming at any time. The
questions asked as nearly as I recol-
lect were rs follows:
''Is ammonia plant food or stim
;ulant? If food, does it develop the
growth of plant, or increase quantity
of fruit? What are the sources at
hand on q plantation from which it
may be obtained, and how? If stable
manure and cotton seed arc the on
ly sources, and if Others, low manage
TO utilize them in such manures as
farmer can ahord?"
The farmer of to day cares very
little about q theory that practice
does not bear out. The age is too
progressive and time TOO precious to
deal in anything but the practical.
Thousands of dollars have been spent
on this same volatile substance, am
monia, in as small place as Orange
burg County, and yet among the mass
of farmers very little is known about
it, but I tLink a happier day is dawn
these are asked by the farmers does
it not show that a spirit Of inquiry
is alive among us, and that we are
seeking after the practicable and
available, something that will pay.
This very question brought out q
piece flom 81. G. H." last week in
your paper that is richly worth doz.
en- years subscription to any farmer
in the county. If 81. G. H." had
never written anything else but this
piece on ammonia, it in itself wonld
place the Orangeburg farmers under
lasting obligations TO him. 1t is true
it took him q long time to own up the
corn, but he has manfully admitted
it at last, where he says lie uses all
the cotton seed lie can get and
stretches it as far as il will go, even
bushels to the acre. That is right,
Doctor, ''if a little will do good, a
heap will do moe.'
Is ammonia plant food or q stimu-
liant? IT is both it first stimulates
the plant to healthy and vigorous
growth, enabling it TO send out its
roots in all directions in search of
more food; hy an increase Of Leaf
growth it absorbs moisture and am-
monia flom the atmosphere at the
same time the roots are gathering
supplies from the soil. We were t?ll
IN 81. G.. HIS excellent article that
all plants contain ammonia and ns
nothing is self generated. they must
Jake it up from both: hence the ncccs.
slty OF supplying it when soils are
deficient in this necessary element,
as Il sutli, mt quantity is net supplied
by the atmosphere. If ammonia then
is found i'll all plants, and it is more
abundant IN The seed than nny 0Mer
part, 1T must necessarily follow that it
tends TO increased productiveness Of
fruit as we'll as healthy growth of
plant.
Stable manure and cotton seed are
not the only sources for supplying
ammonia on 4 plantation, that are
available. What are these others
and how managed? With stable ma
nure and cotton seed rs base, the
farmer has it in his power to create
sufficient ammonia at home for all
necessary farm purposes without pr
chasing single pound and few
weeks from now will be the time to
commence operations. If you haven't
stables or sheds for all your stock go
to work and build them, no necessity
for putting up anything fine, just anv
thing that will do TO turn water and
rain off your stock and their drop
pings Put into these stalls and un-
der these sheds all the vcge' able mat
ter you can gather about the place,
whether green or dry, rake and haul
litter from the woods--don't fear you
will get too much, have 1t two or
three feet deep in the stalls after it is
we'll packed by the stock, so that
none OF the droppings from them will
leach through, but everything absorb
ed and retained. AS the top he
comes foul add more litter, and con
tinue doing SO as often rs it becomes
necessary. Pen up all cattle, sheep
and goats every night, and every
morning let the slops from the house
be emptied in these stalls, and when
hogs are penned for fattening shelter
them too, put plenty of litter in their
pens, and the quantity of rich manure
they will make will surprise those
who have never tried it. And now
we have by Christmas vast hulk of
crude material rich in ammonia gen
Grating properties-Jut it is not auail-
able plant food in this condition. BE
fore it can be taken up by plants it
must undergo decomposition; as the
food taken into The stomach under
goes fermentation and decomposition
before it supplies nourishment to the
body, or can be taken up by the ab-
sorbent vessels, SO this crude mass
requires @ change to become plant