The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-27
Care of Manure.

A CORRESPONDENT writes us from
Kansas to say that he is hauling manure
"from town to his farm"-that it is
horse manure and refuse prairie hay,
generally well rotted. He wishes to
know how to do in order that he may
pillow it in during the winter and early
spring. We should not, under the cir
cumstances, place the manure in heap,
but should spread it upon the ground at
once. The rains will wash the virtues
of the manure into the ground, and it
will save trouble, if nothing more.
We will again embrace the occasion
to impress upon our readers the desira-
bility of saving what manure is made
upon the farm, even if it is not found
necessary to buy any, or even if the
land is rich enough without manure.
Manure is valuable, and when it costs
but little, we should not neglect to eth
er make or save it. The pig-pen, SO Of
ten neglected in the direction of manure
making, is quite fertile source of good
manure, and it does not cost much.
The hog is a tolerably active compost
maker, if he is provided with materials
for the work. If he has straw, muck
when it is possible, or other proper ma
terial, the animal will patiently work it
over and rework it, until it has manu-
featured very valuable fertilizer, one
whose effects will be noticed on some
lands years after its application. Some
farmers turn their hogs into the yards
or sheds, where the COW and horse ma
nure are kept, for the purpose of utiliz-
ing his disposition to turn over the ma
rioI nd hry od
succeed in having great deal of good
manure prepared in this way. But it is
preferable to let the animal work in his
own pen. Material can be furnished as
1t is needed, under such circumstances,
and being constantly worked over, the
fermentation will take place so slowly
that it will do no harm. What is need
ed on the farmers part is just to fur
nish enough material, and nothing
more, and to supply the necessary
moisture. The hog does the rest.
There is entirely too great a DISPOSE
ton to neglect to preserve the liquid
manures made on the farm. The ut
most endeavor is often made to save the
solid manures of the horse stable, while
the liquid are permitted to escape in
large degree. Yet the latter is really of
much more value than the former in aid
ing plant growth. The value of the
solid is greater than that of the liquid
in the COW stalls, and vet it is estimated
that the latter is worth three dollars a
year for every COW kept, and it does not
require much keenness to perceive that
it will not require many COWS to make
the loss count up into the many dollars.
But valuable as this kind of fertilizer is,
it is doubtful if one farmer in ten thou
sand ever makes any special effort to
savei it. We call to mind at this time
barnyard belonging to a farmer, who
was exceedingly economical in every
other matter connected with his farm,
but who allowed his yard to remain in
a situation which favored its complete
drainage into a swamp. He was one of
those economical farmers who think it
foolish expense to subscribe for an agri-
cultural paper, or buy an agricultural
book, and whom an agricultural writer
of note speaks of in this same connec-
ton. In every portion of the country,
it is wisdom to save all the fertilizers
that are made on the farm, but especial
ly is it the part of wisdom where we
recognize that our lands need fertiliz-
ing. In some respects artificial fertil-
izers have been an injury to farmers,
upon the principle that they are so cas-
lily obtainable and SO easily handled,
that the home fertilizers are neglected.
1t is not very many years since that the
farm furnished all the manure that was
needed, and, even when saved in an in
different way, but still, better than is
now the case, furnished good supply.
But we have some new-fangled notions
that are not profitable, if they do APP
pear to be nice.-Wester7a Rural.