The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-06

the lotUSE III tlSlc, ilOt iICNcoooi AOA paO-
ucation, but as an evidence of good faith.
Practical Notes About Farm Manures.
Thomas D. Baird of Kentucky writes to
the Southern CuLtiUator as follows on the
subject: To ask the mass of farmers what
i manure they would readily answer, the
excrement of animals With this idea they
suffer much valuable material to waste that
thew otherwise would not. With this idea
many farmers daily step over substances of
great manurial value, wishing for manure
70 enrich their worn-out fields To be able
70 accumulate all the substance on the farm,
that is valuable as manure, the farmer
should understand what constitutes
it Manure may be defined to be fertiliz-
ing compound or simple ingredient added to
the soil. of which it is naturally deficient,
and as all cultivated fields should contain
the earths, silica, carbonate of lime,
alumina, decomposing organic matter and
certain saline substances, it is evident that
in cases where any of these is contained in
the soil in sufficient quantities for the sup
ply of vegetable plants, that then the addi-
tion of that substance, either in its simple
form or in a compound form, constitutes
the great art of manuring.
Manures naturally divide themselves into
three classes:
First, the earthly, which are by far the
most permanent portion of q soil.
Second, the organic (which are either
vegetable or animaD, which are the least
permanent and are used in much smaller
Quantities than the earthly.
Third, the saline, which are the most
sparingly applied of all manures, are the most
readily absorbed by plants, and whose period
of duration in the soil is longer than the
organic, but less than the earthly. A man
ure is either useful to plants by affording in
its simple or decompoSed state direct food
or constituents, or else it is a fertilizer by
adding to the soil additional power to alb
sorb and retain atmospheric gases and
moisture.
In the various substances which are ca
pable of being benefcially employed as
manure there is a great diversity; some are
found to yield the matters which are neces-
sary for the support of plants much more
readily and abundantly than others, as ami
nal, vegetable and all such substances
as are rich in mucilage, saccharine matters
and calcareous earths, and readily afford
carbon phosphorus, while others that are
greatly deficient in all or many of these
principles, or do not readily part with them,
are found to be of much less utility when
employed in the way Of manures This is
probably a principal reason why some man
ures when put upon ground. are so greatly
superior to others used at the same time and
in the same manner and proportion. There
are many other ways in which substances
when applied to soils render them more fer
tile and productive, and contribute to the
aid of vegetation. Some, besides furnish
ing matters as are suitable for the purpose
Of promoting the growths of plants, are
known to add considerably to the quantity
of vegetable and other matters contained in
the soil on which they are placed, aud there
BY provide a more suitable and convenient
bed for the reception of the roots of plants
others contribute but little in this way, but
operate chiefly upon such materials as are
contained in them, breaking down their
VI OcAbulC anu huuo StOUllS dO
liberty different volatile and other ingre-
dents by which new compounds are formed
and brought to such states as are the most
adapted to the support of vegetable life.
Others, again, act principally by producing
certain changes and alterations in the con-
stitution or texture of soils, such as render
ing them more open and porous or stiff and
"A I1xyS, hrinarin0 fhau1
into the most proper condition for the bear
ing of different vegetable production; and
there are still others that contribute in all
or several of these ways az the same time.
Excrements of animals are most generally
used by the farmer, and these. though pro-
duced more or less on every farm. vary
greatly in value as a manure The farmer
can feed his stock in such way that the
manure will be of little value. Many times
the farmer hauls out a large bulk of manure
and applies it to his crops, and is astonished to
see but little response, when the fact is there
was very little plant food in the manure. 1t
is too much the idea with the farmer that
the manure from animals was all the same,
that it was all manure in the fullest sense Of
the word. You may stamp lead in the same
die that gold coin is stamped in, yet this
does not make it Of the same value of gold.
Just so with feeding animals; you may feed
food rich in the elements Of plant food and
have rich manure, or you may feed food
with but few of the elements of plant food
and have manure of little value
Having experienced considerable loss in
purchasing and managing manures that
when applied to crops, seemed worthless
and had but littlee feet, these losses led me
TO give the subject much thought to acquire
acknowledge in the true principles of feeding
and management of manure. found that it
required skill and care in the manageme mt
OF manure in order to preserve it from
waste and secure its greatest efficiency By
proper management there may be made not
only an increased quantity Of manure, but
The quality may be improved and the con-
dltion rendered more effective. This manure
consists, or should consist, of solid and
liquid eScrements Of farm stock mixed with
tne hitler or bedding of the stables 1t is
evident there must be a wide difference in
the character of this manure arising from
the different feed consumed, the age and
condition of the animals fed, the kind Of
inter used and the care with which the
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