Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1880-01-24

ID. NJ. Ferry & Co., in their ew cata-
logue have the following: A ,ything,
which being added to the soil, directly
or indirectly promotes the growth Of
plants, is a manure. Manur directly
assists vegetable growth, either ! enter
ing into the composition of p ants, by
absorbing and retaining moisture from
the atmosphere, or by absorbing it from
nutritive gases. Manures indirectly as
sist the growth of plants, either by de-
stroying vermin or weeds, by decOmpos-
ing in the soil, by protecting plants from
sudden changes of temperature, or by i'm
proving the texture of the soil The ma
nure of cows and all animals that chew the
cud is considered cold and suited to
light soil; that of horses, hogs and pOul-
try is hot, and best suited to cold,
heavy soil. All new and fresh manure
engenders heat and has a tendency to
tighten the soil, while old, rotten manure
is thought to render it more compact and
firm. The manure Of birds is richer than
that of any other animal. Three Orfour
hundred weight of the manure of fowls,
turkeys, ETC., is equal in value to from
fourteen to eighteen losds Of animal ma
nure. GuanO is manure of this class.
1t is well to apply about two hundred
weight per acre, with One-half the usual
quantity of other manure. Guano should
never, in fresh state, come in contact
with seeds or the roots of plants, as it is
sure to destroy their vitality. A thick
coat of hog pen or barn yard manure,
spread on the garden and turned in every
spring, will enrich, warm and tighten
the ground better than any application
of other manures. The principal ami
NAL manures are those Of the horse,
the hog, the COW and the sheep Of
these N. horse manure is the most valu-
abb, in its fresh ate, but it should be
exp we'd as little as possible, as it begins
to heat and los its nitrogen iu medi-
ately, ~ may be perceived by the smell;
mix it with other manures, and cover it
with abs0rbents as soon rs possible. That
Of the hog comes next in value, while
the COW i. at the bottom of the list.
The richer the food given to animals, the
more powerful is the manure. If animal
manures are employed in a fresh state,
they should be we'll mixed with the soil,
and given to coarse eeding crops, such
~ corn and the garden p a, but nearly
all plants do better il the manure is
compost d and fully fermented before
use. Bone dust, mixed with ashes or
pulverized charcoal, and sown broadcast
ever the ground at the rate of three
bushels per acre, is very beneficial and
the mo valuable for turnips, cabbage,
etc, and the quantity needed for an
acre is 30 sun IL that the expense is less
than almost any other application. Com
mon salt, at the rate of six bushels rer
acre, sowed in the spring, on lands dis
tant from the sea shore, not only pro-
notes fe tility, but is very useful in des-
troying wO ms and slugs. Mari, where
it can be obtained, may be applied with
advantage, especially to sandy soils. SCOT
is excellent to drive off ilsects and
vermin. Very little of this can be OBJ
tanned, but it should be carefully pre-
served and applied in small quantities to
cabbages, turnips, cucumbers, melons,
and all plants infected with inse cts.
Charcoal renders the soil light and fra
bile, and gives it dark color and addi-
tional warmth for early crops. When
cOmposted with night soil it becomes
poudrette, and is second only to guano as
fertilizer. Leaves, straw and rubbish,
thrown together, and moistened with a
mixture of lime and salt, if kept damp
until decomposed, forms the best known
manure for trees and shrubs. Swamp
muck, mixed with salt, lime, or leached
ashes, is Of value where it can be obtained,
but Of still more value is the leaf mold,
or black surface soil of the woods. For
the vegetable garden, il is best composted
with fresh animal manure, but can be
applied directly to most plants in the
flower gsrden, many oil which will not
flourish unless this material is present in
the soil. Tan bark, decayed chips, saw
dust and shaving, covered with soil, are
Of great advantage to potatoes. Wood
ashes, leached or unleached, may be used
with decided benefit as top dressing to
most growing vegetables, especially tur-
nips and onions. Plaster, sown upon the
growing crop is good for turnips, cab
bages, bans, cucumbers, squashes, mel.
ems and all broad leaved plants. Il