The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-03-08
HOMEMADE COMPOST.
Dire ctions for Making Valuable Manures
at Home.

HOMEMADE COMPOST.
Directions for Making Valuable Manures
| at Home.
From N. C. Agricultural Departments Bulletin.
The subject is one of the most impor-
tant which the farme- has to deal with
an item which, if he will attend to and
utilize properly, will add many dollar
to the credit side of his balance sheet at
the end of the year, bringing peace and
happiness to him and his family, with
the knowledge that the work of the year
has not been proftless; if, however, he
has not taken care of this very important
branch of the farm economy, then 30
surely will he be the loser.
The subject of home made manuresin-
wolves unquestionably the saving or
losing of money on the part Of the farm
ers, according to whether they have
utilized in the best way the various home
products and cared for them to the best
advantage. Making homemade manures
means money in your pockets. Wasting
home made manures means money in
somebody else's pocket.
tits known from the results of numer.
Gus experiments that phosphoric acid,
ammonia and potash in various proper
tions are necessary for the plants growth.
All of these can be obtained from waste
products from every farm. Potash, for
instance, is found largely in wood ashes,
forming large part by weight of the
whole, or in every hundred pounds of oak
Wood ashes there are nearly ten pounds
of potash, and besides FIVE pounds Of
phosphoric acid. 1t is not generally
known that a pound of unleached oak
wood ashes costains more fertilizipg con-
stituents than pound of kainit, and yet
how many bushel of ashes are thrown
away every year on every farm.
The old adage ga penny saved is
penny made" is true one, and many
household would ba happier, more con.
tented and richer if they considered it in
their everyday life. Other refuse mat.
ters, yielding fertilizing materials, might
be mentioned, among which are stable
manure, hen manure, swamp muck, pond
mud, river or creek sediment, shells,
marls, tobacco stems, all organic vegeta.
BILE matter furnishing ammonia, such as
leaves, pine straw, &c; also ashes,
lesched or unleached, dried blood, dried
meat Of every description, dried fish,
bones and others. Each one of these is
valuable and means dollars and cents to
the farmer if it is saved.
Every pound Of these ingredients
added to the soil will be valuable to the
growing crop and for the future.
FORMULA FOR coMposTs.
Below is given variety of formulas to
suit Individual requirements.
In preparing the composts the same
general plan must be carried out in each.
The mixing should best be made under
shelter, and if that is not convenient,
mix where it can be sheltered by thick
trees to protect it from rain and weather,
putting down first layer of stable ma
nure, then layer of acid phosphate, and
80 on till all the materials are exhausted,
wetting each layer thoroughly with water,
and when with kainit dissolved in water,
and then the heap is finished it should
be covered with earth. Examine from
time to time, and if necessary moisten
with water to prevent overheating. In
about four or FIVE weeks, not sooner, the
compost is ready for use, when it should
be mixed as thoroughly as. possible, then
loaded in carts to be applied to the land.
It is hard matter to advise as to the
proper quantity of each compost to be
used to the acre. The farmer knows his
own capabilities and resources, and
should, therefore, be his own judge; he
best knows how much money he can
afford to spend in manures for applica-
ton to soil. The formulas given are all
in the right proportion, and the general
rule will hold for each, as, indeed, in all
fertilization of land in this way.
The larger the quantity of composts
supplied to the acre the greater will be
the crop yield.
COMPOST FOR COTTON AND CORN.
1. Using cotton seed:
Stable lemanure.................pounds.. 600