The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-02-27

4
cavated to receive the drip,5swhich
must be poured again on the pile.
The best composts are produced by
forming the pile of all the various
kinds of manare-horse, COW, sheep,
swine, night soil, straw, leaves, all
kinds of vegetable and animal mat
tiers, soapasds, slops, waste salt +; but
not ashes or lime, as these would set
free and dissipate the ammonia. In
forming the pile it should be inter
stratified with good absorbents, such
as sods and swamp muck, to twice
the amount of the barnyard manure. I
But nothing containing the seeds of
weeds should be added. To each
CARLOAD about twenty five pounds
of land plaster or gypsum should be
uniformly applied. If portion has
been previously used in the stables,
use less in the heap. This use of
land plaster is all important, for on
it mainly depends the preservation
of the ammonia and other gaseous
elementslr The first chemical change
that takes place is the absorption OF
the oxygen OF the air or from the
water bv the earbenaceous matters,
and carbonior acid gas is produced !
this is readily absorbed blythe mois-
ture, and it acts directly on the sili-r
cate of potash in the glazing Of the.
straw, or other vegetable substances.
The carbonic acid unites with the
potash, forming carbonate of potash
soluble in, water-and ready for
plant food. The silica, set free,
mites with water, forming hydrati
ed or soluble silica or flint. ready to
be absorbed by the roots and form
the glazing Of the plants. The car
bonic acid also uniIes with the am Z,
monia set free by the deconp position
OF substances containing nitrogen,
forming Carbonate ofammonia. The
gypsum composed ofsulphuric acid
and lime-is also deeomposed, the
sulphuric acid uniting with the am
monia, aformingasulphate of ammo
MIA, and the carbonic acid, with the
lime, forming carbonate of lime.
/ All these are now soluble in water
and available for plant food. l5t hu.
None of these would have been
available without decomposition,
and without the presence OF the land
plaster large portion Of the am
monia would have been lost, If
bones or other animal matters are,
added to the heap, they should be
finely divided and the bones be as
finely broken up as possible; or,
better, ground to powder. From
time to time the whole pile should
be turned over, thoroughly mixed,
and rebuilt. When decomposition
is complete the whole mass will
have become perfectly friable and
powdery, and readily available as
rich plant food. When the heap is
once begun, and the habit formed
of adding to it all matters that will
add to its richness and amount, 1T is
wonderful how fast it will grow.
The great objection made by most,
farmers is the amount Of labor nee
essary to turn over and mix up the
piles, and to avoid this they prOpos-
ed to have the hogs do it for them;
and to entice them to dig up and
root over. the manure, they scatter
shelled corn throughout the whole
pile. Whether the experiment
works satisfactorily or not we are
not informed. 1t is evident, how
ever, that we must come to com
posting before long, as the demand
tor manure is yearly increasing
and barnyard manures,. even with
the expense of composing added.
WHICH az least doubles their value
are cheaper than the commercial
manures.