The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-12-09
AbsOrbents.

My questions nave Deen so cordially
and so satisfactorily answered in your
department that come again. An
article from Professor Caldwell on the
capacity of different substances to alb.
sorb liquids has been going the rounds
of the press, and the comments thereon
would lead one to think that the value
of muck, sand, soil, etc., to the farmer
as absorbents was estimated by the
amount Of water they would hold. Ii
it so? Will not some substances hold
the water and allow the valuable ele-
ments to escape, while others will filter
the liquid, holding what is of value and
allowing the water to run off nearly OF
quite pure?"
REPLY BY AGRICULTURAL DIToR.-
There is vast difference in the USE
fulness of various substances when
used in the stable as absorbents. Our
correspondent is right in supposing
that some substances allow much of
value to escape-nothing more so than
the dry long straw which is so uni
versally used on farms as bedding for
stock. This is of even less value than
the raw siliclous sand used frequently
near the sca-coast, especially where
straw is scarce and brings high price.
Nearly the whole of the urine of cattle
will 90 through bedding of long straw
foot deep, unless the floor beneath is
made water-tight. A very few expert
ments will satisfy any one that dry
straw absorbs urine very slowly. The
hard outside coating is almost perfectly
waterproof. If straw, however, is cut
shert-say in pieces an inch long or
less-and is used literally, it is fair
absorbent, and will take up nearly all
the urine, if the floor is tight If not,
two-thirds of it will run through, even
when the straw is chaffed. Dry muck
is an excellent absorbent, and if used
beneath the chaffed straw in layer
four to six inches in thickness it will
take up about all that is valuable in the
urine. In order to have dry muck, a
years. supply should be kept ahead of
the need of it for use. Piled under an
open shed, even to the depth of six or
eight feet, the water will settle and dry
out of it quite thoroughly in year,
and it will then be in fine condition to
ha mead hcA
with straw, the latter being used as a
covering for cleanliness.
Next to this we should prefer saw
dust bedding when it can be had, choos-
ing hardwood in preference to soft and
fine in preference to coarse. Sawdust.
drawn green from the mill and piled in
an open shed will dry quicker than
muck, as it will usually heat sufficiently
to drive off the moisture, if drawn in
the spring, so as to be quite ready for
use in the fall. Neither muck nor saw
dust need to be completely dry. In fact
they absorb more readily if just little
damp. Next to dry muck, or sawdust,
we should prefer good soil (not sandy
for use in the stable. The best way to
use this is as above directed for muck.
in stables where there is no cellar be-
meath. When the stable has a manure
cellar under it we should use no bedding
in the stable, or only enough for clean
illness. The muck or loan Cor a half
and-haf mixture of the two) should be
stored in the cellar in a convenient
place, and layer of il from six inches
to foot thick spread so as to catch and
absorb all the liquid droppings from
above. If the cellar is cemented, or
has puddled clay floor, we may depend
upon the oozing out of the liquid as
guide in renewing this layer; but if the
bottom is sandy and open, more care
will have to be exercised to prevent
loss. We think it will always pay to
cement that part of the cellar floor
which is under the cattle, as it is very
easy to lose the cost of the cementing in
one season where considerable stock
is kept and no sufficient attention given
to secure the liquids by free use of alb
sorbents. When swine are kept in the
cellar they should have a dry place to
lie, but should be allowed to run under
the tie-up, as their treading is great
help in securing complete absorption
of the liquids by the absorbent mate
rial, whatever it may be. 1t is a good
plan to have this part of the cellar sepa-
rated from the rest by fence or low
partition. Then the saturated absorb
ent and manure can be thrown out and
replaced by new supply of the
former.
To reply more directly to the last part
of our Querist's inquiry, it is quite true
that good ordinary loan will filter out
the fertilizing matter dissolved in
manurial liquids, and this usually in
proportion to the goodness of the
loam-that is, sand will take out but
little, while good garden soil will take
out good deal. OF course the good
soil becomes saturated in time and has