The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-02-10
Ghe 1emurrat-Sfar
The Necessity For, and the Use
of Manure.

vi NhthtAANNGe
II continued drafts are made
from a bank deposit with no addi'
tions beng made, it will iD time
become exhausted. The soil is the
farmers bank deposit ct fertility
from which he expects to make
drafts for tue production of such
crops as he puts under cultivation,
and so if he makes no additions to
his bank OF fertility, it must suffer
exhaustion INST in the ratio to the
demand upon it. Without going
into the discussion OF the exact
composition of manure, it ia suffi
cient 10 say that all T composed
OF certain mineral elements and
combined gasses in different pro
portions. The gaseous elements are
believed TO come largely from the
atmosphere, while the mineral ele-
ments being drawn from the soil
are the chief agents in causing di-
minished fertility. Now, if all
plants obtain their mineral Ple.
ments from the soil, ii they were
restored to the soil there would bc
loss, but Il healthy maintenance of
fertility. Bat crops are grown for
a different purpose, VIZ: for sus-
tenance of man and animals,
and upon which is their de-
pendence for the substances that
enter into tleirStructure,And which
are necessary for their continued
existence; so, of what is consumed
by man and ANIMALS is Il demand
made for carbon, oxygen, hydrogen
and nitrogen, besides a small per-
centage OF the mineral. We see
then, that a portion of vegetable
substance is held for the support
and growth OF the animal system,
while the balance is wooded as ex.
crementitlens matter, Il cOnsldera-
bic proportion composing what is
denominated manure. or the sol
ids in vegetable substances a com
paratively small proportion is re.
tanned in the animal system, and so
in realty there would be no great
loss if all the excrementitiOuS mat.
ter resulting from the use of vege-
table substance could be saved
the trouble is, that while vegetable
matter is largely consumed by man.
animals too become the food of man,
and in the cities and villages the
excrementitiOnS portions are lost
to the soil FROM which tie vegeta-
BILE life sprang.
But there is n strong necessity
that every portion possible be saved
that it may be available for return
ing to The soil. 1t is, therefore,
the duty Of every farmer TO practice
the strlctest economy in the saving
OF all fertIlizing matter t~hataccum-
%uldtes, that it may be mixed with
the animal manure and applied
where most needed.
We sometimes fail in our concep.
1ion OF manure; we do not take
i'll the idea that everything OF
the vegetable or animal kind is so
much fertility when reduced to Il
suitable condition; bones when
whole, although of little use to
growing crops, if reduced to a fine
powder, r so acted upon by the
moisture of the soil as TO become
available as plant food, and
1t is this condition ut availability
that renders "a fertilizer of greater
or less value, OF is more or less eft
fectual in its action upon growing
plants. So in the case of purely
mineral or chemical fertilizers
their value depends upon their
Solubility. Substances possess diff.
degrees of solubility. In
one case it may be very rapid, while
in another 1t may he very slow. In
the case of most manures there is a
sufficiently rapidaction in this line
for all ordinary requirements. But
IN order to hasten the activity of
substances, as well as ma
nures themselves, decomposition
becomes necessary. There is a
lOnble advantage where decOmpO-
iitiOn is carried through in an CO.
lOmical manner; it is rendered
soluble, aud rendered more
thoroughly pulverized, so as to adj.
nit of more even application. For
he above reasons some farmers
'refer TO carry a years stock of ma
10 order that it may be manip-
Hated aud decompoSed before used,
relieving than an advantage ac-
rues theretrom. But this is ques. !
lOnable, since the mechanical eff.
ect produced in some soils by the
ecOmpositiOn of manure is of the
reatest advantage.
Mannres should he used literally
'hereyer needed, not only to culti.
ated crops, but to grass or moving
lnds. Unless the practice is fol
wed of taking up every few years,
is well to appropriate a portion :
I tue more thoroughly ~pulverized
of manure to moving fields,
here It's effects will be very mark.
aud a large addition made TO the
ay yield. The motto of every
.rmer should be to make all tue
anure possible, applying to his
III. Z