The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-07-19
LIQUID MANURE.
Best Way of Saving and Applying It. The
Nyafhob.

pobs way VI Saving anu applying ne
Brommer Method.
The BONNER method is not specially
intended for the application of liquid
manure, but saves it with absorDents
made into compost placed over a pit
into which the liquid drains. There is
q water-tight cistern made on the sur.
face foot or so in depth, and this 10
covered with rails or logs or an open
floor upon which the manure Is heaped.
The manure is mixed with any thing Of
q fertilizing character, no matter wnat
1t is, 30 that it will absorb manure and
decay and make plant food. The sta
bles are drained, and the drains flow
into the cistern. A common wooden
jump is fitted in the center by which
the liquid is brought up and poured over
the heap. The heap receives all the
rain water, and any excess Of 1t sinks
through the heap and is caught in the
cistern and dilutes the liquid manure
in it.
This is a simple affair, but it is very
| useful suggestion. and serves valuable
purpose. 1t is most timely just now in
view of the modern discoveries in re-
gard to the nitrification of the soil and
the certain development of nitrates
from the free nitrogen of the atmos
phere, made by Prof. Hellriegel, and
corroborated by exl riments of Sir. j.
b. Lawes during the last two years.
Sir j. B. Lawes' reports, just now pub.
lished, of his tests in 1883 and 1889
have satisfied him-as far as his ex-
tremely cautious and conservative
hoh Nf ,,,in 10 hoh
which might most usefully be initiated
by many other scientific experimenters)
permits him to say-that HellriegePs
views are sound; for by the use Of an in.
fusion of soil under certain circum-
stances he found leguminous plants pro-
cured four or five times as much nitro
gen as he expected, and that this came
from the free nitrogen in the soil,
through the actions of certain we'll rec
ognized organisms.
Now, the composing of organic matter
with earth or available soil has long
been known to produce large quantities
of nitrates, as witness the old method
of making saltpetre beds for the purpose
of procuring this nitrate for the manu-
facture of gunpowder, practice much
American nitre deposits. Hence this
so-called BONNER method gives much
present interest just now These Or
ganisms which exist in the soil must
exist also in the atmosphere and sbe
brought down by the rain, and it only
requires heap of manure to be com.
posted with organic matter, with some
available soil as the yeast, so to speak,
to start the fermentation, and to moisten
the heap with the highly nitrogenous
liquid manures, and facilitate the pas.
sage through it of the atmosphere,
which is done by Mr.. Bommer's plan of
leaving an air-space under the heap, to
set this nitrifying agency at work, and
to gather whatever of the atmospheric
nitrogen can be made available.
The old plan and the new discovery
fit together admirably, and the old
farmer who has passed away yet leaves
behind him his useful work, which
should bring him well-deserved repu-
tation, but one of which unfortunately
he can not now enjoy the fruits. 1t is
to be hoped that this old method may
not be patented by some new discoverer
who will tax the public for the work of
his appropriation. Lest this might
happen, / desire to inform your many
readers who may usefully put the
method in practice before any royalty
can be charged them for the use of it.
In these days of agricultural depres-
sion, every thing must count to reduce
expenses and increase products. Mill.
ions of tons of liquid manure go to
waste every year, every ton of which
might yield twenty to thirty bushels of
corn extra, or reduce the area of land
cropped in proportion, and so lessen
cost of production. All this may be
saved most profitably in this way, and
the saving of it will develop habit of
saving and utilizing other wastes to
work up with it.-Henry Stewart in
Country Gentleman.
Slmnle and I'm m rovad DIoua