The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-10-23
Bel Air, Md, October 28, 1885.
DEER CREEK FARMERS CLUB.
Barn Yard and STABLE MANURE.

Mr.. James Lee said MIR. Moores field of natural
as any he ever saw. He had been drilling wheat
among turnips, TO the advantage of the latter, as
this crop is generally sowed too thekly. 1t would
be too late to SOW wheat after the turnips are
taken up.
Mr.. Geo. E. Silver said the committee might
have mentioned that Mr.. Moores' cattle had never
been stabbed and had been fed no grain last
winter. The gain on them was therefore remark
The topic selected for discussion was Making
and applying barn yard and stable manure"
John Moores said that fifty years ago the most
important work on u farm was saving and max
ing manure. Bone dust and phosphate were not
used. The waste from the house, the serapings
of the poultry house and every thing else was
carefully saved and composed. New every
thing is wasted. A ton OF good stable manure,
properly composte;df,, he thought t,o was equal
posting our barn yard manure we can make
1t go farther. We cart out ~ loads to one acre.
when If judiciously composted with plaster it
would be sufficient for five acres. 1t takes more
labor than the present method, but on any 100
acre farm II woul pay 10 keep a man employed
nine months in the year gathering and manipu-
latng manure. The coarsest manure can be con-
verted into manure fine enough to go through the
drill. The best way of applying manure is on
grass year or two before the land is plowed for
corn.
MIR. Moores said that lest year he made rail-
pen behind his wood-shed, in which all the chips
coal ashes, &C., were placed. lie put three bar
res without heads or bottoms in the middle and
had all the soap-suds and Stops poured on the pile,
through these barrels. He hauled out from this
20 cart loads of good fertilizer last spring.
spread manure on grass as fast as it is made. If
you have not stock enough to convert your corn
even TO haul them out on grass. Land will i'm
prove If covered with anything. He had top
dressed wheat with manure with good results
Its better TO furnish bedding enough to stock
10 absorb all the liquid manure than to save ii in
liquid form. 1t is good plan to make compost
to apply to corn in the hill. For corn manure
should be applied several years ahead if possible.
Il. Harris Archer spoke of the change of views
among farmers in regard to the Importance of
fat hax alma ufa.tf
was thought 10 depend upon the amount of arr
mona it contained. Now ammonia is not regard
ed as the most important element. South Caro-
lima Rock and Orchil Guano contain no ammo
mia, and many people say the results from them
are as good as they obtain from high priced fer
tilzers. He advised applying barn yard manure
to portions of the farm most distant from the barn
yard because the fields nearest had, perhaps, re-
ceived more than their share for many years.
VIM. Munnikhuysen said he makes It a rule
to cart manure from the stable and spread it at
once. He thought manures attracted from the
atmosphere more than they lose. Any rough lit
ter thrown upon the ground will cause it to i'm
prove. Manure hauled out as soon as made will
do more good than in any other way. 1t will also
cover more ground than when composted. Bet
ter results are obtained from using commercial
fertilizers with barn yard manure than from
either alone.
VIM. d. Lee likes to get all his manure, rough
and fine, out in the spring, applying 1t to grass
year or two before putting the field in corn. All
the home made manure possible should be saved.
He objected, however, to spreading it upon
frozen ground, as much of it is washed Off.
s. NJ Lees idea was to apply manures on grass
as quickly as possible. He doubted whether it
would not cost more to compost manure than its
enhanced value would be worth. 1t is almost i'm
possible to get enough homemade manure. He
thought the cheapest way to improve land is to
turn down green crops for wheat. However,
saving homemade manure has been too much
neglected.
VIM. Webster said it was important to properly
house and apply manure, but all that can be saw
cd on the farm can not be thus housed and COM
posted, on account of the expense, and therefore
il is necessary to use. also commercial fertilizers
He did not, believe that land could be per-
manently improved by phosphates. 1t pays bet
ground intended for corn the following year, or
on permanent pasture. Barn yard manure may
deeply. but phosphate must be applied carefully.
He advised farmers to save all their manure and
buy as little commercial fertilizers as possible,
VIM. II. Bayless said his father mad large COM
post pile every year, in which he used dry, rich
earth, muck from the branches and plaster He
considered it superior to bone dust. 1t is import
ant to collect and utilize all the manure about the
place. Even the washings from the fields should
be hauled to the compost pile. The time would
be well spent in manufacturing that sort of
manure, and it would pay to hire an extra hand
f. M Allen did not believe fine crop of wheat
could be raised from stable manure. He regard
ed 1t as important to save all the manure that
be saved about farm, but on u poor farm man
can't produce anything to make manure without
commercial fertilizers. He was satisfied that the
blowing down of clover is too much neglected.
land You can't cover great fields with manure
but you can fill in the remainder with clover
Mr.. Allen spoke of the relative value of bone
dust. Some has 8 Or per cent. of ammonia and
some or Z per cent. The latter is worth several
dollars per ton more than the former.
II. E. Swartz thought farmers should pay strict
attention to saving every particle of manure at
home. Home made manure is the best and
cheapest article for permanent improvement
He prefers to apply IL year ahead for grass, and
in the spring clean out the yard for corn. Bone
dust comes next in value to homemade manure,
to in favor OF homemade manure. Most
phosphates will make crop but nothing is left
s. A. Williams said success in any business de-
ponds upon economy and management. In no
calling are these more important than in farming,
and in no item is the outlay greater than in the
item of manures. Therefore, any efforts towards
economy in that direction are highly advantage
ous He was in favor of applying all manures,
except phosphate, on grass. He had for several
years been applying it two years in advance, and
could see the Improvement In both corn and
wheat.
Robert W. Holland preferred to apply stable
manure two or three years ahead for corn A lit
tie pho sphate will also help it. He thought many
farmers made mistake in not plowing down
clover for wheat.
made manure he can and he thought it better to
haul ii from the stable than to pile it under Sheds
and on nds @ results
applied two years before blowing. He had not
found that manure would make his land too rich
for wheat. He prefers bone for grass but phos-
phate will bring the best wheat.
Johns II. Janney thought Mr.. Moores' theory
in regard 10 saving manure is right. If we went
around the fence rows and gathered rich soil, COM
posting 1t with all of our manures and bone dust,
getting it fine enough to apply 1t 20 the soil after
suits. But this is almost impossible His prac-
tice is to haul out manure sod and it is better
to apply IL two years before blowing than one
year. He also thought that blowing down clover
is too much neglected. You can scarcely COM
pare bone and phosphate. Phosphate gives i'm;
return. He thought there would be permanent
Improvement from phosphate If more were ap-
lied than the crop would take up. 1t has every
thing in it that the soil needs except vegetable
matter and you can get this by blowing down rye
VIM f. Hays said that farming without barn
yard and stable manure would be like farming
without tarred rope. Nomanure acts like it, and
more. He also advocated blowing down green
crops. If manure is kept in heaps and well
silver sad h he Woond aher haVe his
manure where the rain would fall on 1t than
under sheds, as it will not fire as much. great
deal of fertilizng material might be gathered up
about wood-piles and used to mix with stable
manure. Manure from corn stalks and straw is
and he believed there would be as good results
from feeding fodder, &c. in the field as from
composing it. Barn yard mapures should be ap,,
piled to grass. More of 1t ought to be saved and
we would get better results If applied directly
after they are made. He believed in the use of
commercial fertilizers also.
Thomas Lochary said his practice is to haul out
manure as soon as he can, never saving it for any
particular crop. He had had good results from
applying 1t very thinly to wheat directly after II
was sown, on the poorest places. They yielded
the best wheat he had.
X. John Rogers also thought farmers should
save and make all the manure they can at home
He had been applying Il. like the rest. on grass
There is. also, a place for good phosphate. Fol
wheat, 800 lbs of bone and 200 lbs. of good phos-
phate to the acre, had rarely failed to give salts
factory results. He also spoke in favor of South
Carolina rock and said that he had seen no differ
ence in wheat where he used bone and rock q,
compared with that on which be had applied bone
and phosphate. Bone by itself should not be Up
piled for wheat unless some time before sowing
He asked IL green clover turned down would
bring crop OF wheat.
Maeara Allan and q M Lee both auawarad In