Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-07-26


intelligent contributor to the Journal of
Agriculture of the Province of Quebec, has
the following in answer to correspondent
upon this subject
can enquirer wishes to know my opinion about
the management of the liquid manure on farms
where little straw is grown. He Is not singular in
his idea that the question is a puzzng one. He Is
tired Of carting black earth to the stable and back
again to the fields, to say nothing OF the digging
Il and setting Il up to dry, and do not wonder at
It, On small farm, where a puncheon would
hold weeks supply Of urine 1t might be mixed
with Its bulk OF water and carted out at once to
the grass land; this, however, could not be done
In the winter, and it is in that season that the
principal amount Of urine Is available suppose
tank must be built, and the bulk kept for dis
tri6ution in the spring, but the whole subject is
known many tanks built for the purpose, but af-
ter years trial they have been disused The
favor Of correspondence on the subject is so
licited."
This correspondent, who grows few straw
crops, has, it appears, been bedding with
dry muck as an absorbent, but has become
tired Of the labor it entails. He wants to
know more about the management of the
stable liquids, but Mr.. Fust gives him rather
POO' CNiucnblJ llOu ldCh VI
personal experience in the matter. To help
him and others who are interested, we have
requested Mr.. u. E. Jameson of Irasburgh,
Vermont, to give us report of progress in
the use of liquid manure tanks in his neigh.
borhood, where they were quite generally
adopted several years ago. We may preface
his observations by saying that the use of
tanks at Irasburgb grew out of the discovery
of the msnurial value of the earth beneath
old COW stables. 1t was found that the soil
beneath these old stables, in use for twenty
years and upwards, was strongly impreg-
mated with manurial substances,-so much
so, indeed, as to be nearly or quite as valu.
able fertilizer as the commercial manures
offered for sale. When this earth had been
excavated and applied to crops Especially
grass, where it gave an enormous growth)
the idea arose that the fresh urine would be
equally useful; and the cavity made in re.
moving the manurial earth was accordingly
cemented, and became tank. A great
many evils were anticipated from this, but
none seem to have been realized while the
most encouraging point about the matter is
that those who began have continued to
make use OF this method, while others have
initiated them and the practice is spreading
from the more to the less enterprising, as is
so often the case. The Irasburgh farmers
all apply the urine to grass without any di
luton with water, and with no ill results.
homemade apparatus for its distribution,
something after the style of street water.
ing cart, is used, the liquid being either
dipped or pumped from the tank. Mr.
Jameson says;
81 will first report in regard to Mr.. Story's re-
suits. (Mr. Story one Of the first experiment
| ers) This spring, with a new hired man, the
able, although his former man could fill the draw
ing tub Of one hundred gallons and distribute II
In the field and return In ten minutes, while this
man found he could not get out load In less than
eleven and half minutes, He had seventy OF
eighty loads. The application Is to grass In the
| field. visitor estimates his hay crop will be
| eight tons heavier because OF the application OF
the urine The liquid was applied to a few acres,
and apparently these acres can be kept up to a
large yield. The track Of the distribution is
plainly shown in the crop In referring to the ar
| guments against the manure tank, Mr.. Story says
| the disagreeabe odors OF the stable are not In
| creased by tank of urine below the floor, and
when part OF the floor Is taken up there Is no
rapid escape Of odors perceptible But when it il
agtated or distributed, 1t has a rank odor, in
which ammonia Is prominent Another says IL
must make the stable cold to have a cistern under
1t. In response, Mr.. Story calls attention TO the
general fact that cellars under houses do not make
them COLDER and also states as fact that his sta
| BILE Is warmer In winter than ever before. The
cistern put under my stable was flooded by sur
| face water during thaw in the winter, and so
was not Of full strength There were eleven loads.
| | dipped 1t out with pals and my son poured II
into the hogshead, or tub. 1t took only little
while one forenoon to get 1t out. Some writers
who are sensible on what they know, make very
foolish statements in regard to what they don't
know, They speak OF costly apparatus. Aside
from our work two days, my drawing and dis
trbuting apparatus did not cost over dollar.
| From pile OF logs being sawed up for firewood
| selected a sound birch about twenty inches in
diameter and had four six-inch blocks sawn off
for wheels. made axles and reaches from maple
timber. The cask was thrown by by the mer-
| chant who gave 1t away. Iput on sled thills to
attach the horse. mention my method without
either pride or shame, TO show that this valuable
manure may be saved and applied by farmers
| with very little expense, and thus overthrow an
| other argument of those eminent writers who op-
pose this system. have kept three COWS at the
barn this summer, and have been using various
sorts OF bedding; yet my ever-ready tank has
| caught the unabsorbed urine In quite quantity,
and as my land Is well adapted Tor manure, my
son has been wanting to water various garden veg
etables with this liquid. | favored the idea and
wished note Of the experiments. In few days
couple OF rows of Multlplier onions ripened off
some cucumbers withered up, a tomato plant hung
limp as wet rag, several hills OF watermelon,
were conspicuous by their absence. As | sus.
pected, 1t was the effect OF the application OF un.
diluted urine from the COW stable Grass will
bear the application, and think grain and vege
tables will Il the liquid manure Is applied to the
soil before the last narrowing. When such mer
as Hon. George Geddes of New York and Henry
Stewart of New Jersey write against saving and
applying this powerful fertilizer In this direc
way, 1t shows the subject is not generally under
stood When fertilizer manufacturer thinks hii
trade in Vermont may be injured thousands O
dollars by few words from the Board OF Agri
culture 1t shows that Vermonters are buying fer
tilizers, and the board would do good work Il
continue the investigation begun by Colonel Mead
Let a committee be appointed TO examine and re
port. ! believe that II the liquid manure Il
properly saved the fertilizers Of the farm will b,
doubled, and there will be little need OF CONNER
uial fertilizers"