The Opelousas courier., 1882-11-25

seed till I had secured exactly what
was needed. did SO, and at last pro-
duced a perfect compost for cotton. |
then ascertained that my crop of eight
bales had taken out of each acre of my
land as much of the constituents of cot
ton as was held in $50 pounds of my
compost. / therefore put 500 pounds
| of compost on each acre, restoring dou-
BILE what the crop of the year before
had taken out. The result was that
made four bales extra. [ then restored
double what the twelve bales had taken
| out and made twenty-three bales. l
doubled the restoration the next year
and got forty-seven bales. l doubled
again, and this year have at least eighty
bales.n
"But does this extra manuring pay?'
Immensely. Here are my figures
1000 pounds of my compost cost 81 %
or So 90 q thousand pounds. The first
year 1 put 500 pounds to the acre-cost
| 81 90 an acre, or $l17 for sixty-tiVe
acres. But my crop rose from eight to
twelve bales, the extra four bales Civ
ing me 5000 surplus, or $83 net on my
manure. Next year my manur (lOOO
pounds to the acre) cost 1885 but my
crop increased to twsnty-three bales
from eight on unmanured land. These
extra bales give me $3.50 or net profit
on of $5l6. The next year [
used 1000 pounds per aere at cost OF
81 IS an acre, or S471 for total. But
my crop went from 8 to AZ bales, giving
increased income or $3.50, or net over
cost of n of about $500. This
year l used 1000 pounds to acre costing
Sl4 so, or S942 for total manure. But
my crop is at least eighty bales with
this manure, where it was eight with
out. This increase of sey%enty-two bales
is worth $4,000. Deduct cost of manure
$94O, and we have $2650 as the profit
ON use of manure"
"And then the land 10 90 much rich
err
"Certainly. 1t is worth 800 an
acre, where it was formerly worth S5,
You must credit the manure with this
"Where will you stop in this pro-
gression z"
al don't know. I shall double my
manure next year, putting 5000 pounds
to the acre. I believe l will get $50
bales from the IS acres. hope to push
it up to three bales an acre. | have a
few acres on which I put 10000 pounds
of compost as an experiment, and every
acre of it will give me three bales this
year."
"Mr. Warthen raised five bales to the
acre ?"
eyes, but left bis land poorer. He
pushed it, stimulated it and took the
very heart out of it. After taking off
my enormous crop | leave my land
richer than before. I cultivate my six
ty-ive acres with two plows, and l will
make $50 bales with those two plows on
sixty-fve acres. That will be glory
enough for me, and will be a revelation
to the world. / believe I will get 80
bales this year with two plows. | have
already picked 80 bales, and the best
judges say hardly ons-third is yet pick
ed. This is an astounding result, and
simply shows what intensive farming
will do.n
How do you make this eompost?
Here is my formula: Take 80 bush
els well-rotted stable manure or WE'LL
rotted organic matter, as leaves, muck,
ETC., and scatter it about three inches
thick upon o piece of ground SO situated
Chat water will not stand on it, but shed
off in every direction. The so bushels
will weigh about 900 pounds; to 200
pounds Of good acid phosphate add 100
pounds kainit, and mix the acid phos-
plate and kainit thoroughly, then scatter
evenly on the manure Take next 80
bushels green cotton seed and distribute
evenly over the pile, and wet them
thoroughly. They will weigh 900
pounds. Take again 200 pounds acid
phosphate and 700 pounds kainit, mix
and spread over the seed, begin on the
manure and keep on in this way build
ing up your heap, layer by layer, until
you get it rs high as convenient then
cover with six inches of rich earth from
fence corners, and leave at least six
weeks ; when ready to haul to the field,
cut with spade or piekax square down,
and mix as thoroughly as possible.
Now, we have 80 bushels of n
weighing 900 pounds and 800 pounds
chemicals in the first layer, and 30
bushels cotton seed weighing 900
pounds and 400 pounds of chemicals in
the second layer, and these two layers
combined form the perfect compost.
Twenty-four hundred pounds of this
mixture cost me 90 65. This mixture
makes practically a perfect manure for
cotton, and a splendid application for
~