The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-10-02
Take Care Of tile Manure.

It has beeu said that manure was my
politics. I am pleased to be so highly
complimented, for political politics well
followed is filled with reefs, disappoint-
ment and ruin. Not so with manure.
The more ne talk of it the more we think
of it; and the more we think of it the
more interest we take in it; and the
more interest we take in it the more we
will try to accumulate and save; and the
more we have the better crops we raise |;
and the easier and better times we have.
Many farmers run wild over politics and
neglect their farms the heading OF this
article never enters their minds, their
farms are failing, and almost yearly the
Judgment is passed on some poor field,
ssdepart ye improbable servant"
One of The main reasons why farming
does not pay is the neglect of making,
saving and applying manure. The first
thing the farmer wants after rising in the
morning is something to eat, and he
would do but little through the day
without food. Just 30 with your soil, it
must be fed before it should be expected
to perform its labors of supporting crop.
The farmer forces bis land to grow crops
year after year without food; aud then
complains that 1t does. rot produce
enough to pay for the cultivation. The
farmer must remember that for continu-
GUS successful farming the manure crop
is the most important the farmer pro-
duces, and should have the most care and
prompt attention. But instead, none is
go needlessly neglected and wasted. In
fact great majority of farmers do not
consider the manure pile as a crop. 1t
is only the incidental by product LETT
from the result of farm operations, and
they are entitled to great credit if they
make profitable use Of it. But it is a
crop susceptible of being worked and will
grow both in bulk and quality, according
to the degree of labor and care bestowed
upon it.
In & general way farmers understand
that considerable part of the value Of
what they feed to stock goes to the ma
nure heap, but neither the Importance of
judicious feeding or good bedding, nor
their means, are appreciated as they
should be. II requires study to learn
how to make valuable manure proita-
BILE. High feeding will not always do it,
neither will keeping q large amount of
stock do it. 10 making manure protita-
BILE, keep no more stock on the farm than
is needed to work it, and young stock
that yearly increases in value. These
can be fed such food as will supply oil
their need and return to the soil a ma
nure richer in plant food than the crop
just taken of.
Bedding Of this stock is more essential
in making rich manure, as we'll as in
creasing the bulk, than many might sup
pose, for the liquid is the most valuable.
Not only is it richer in plant food but
the plant food is most available for crops.
But Notwithstanding this, very few pro.
vide any bedding at all, while still fewer
nse the best. Breitenlohnaer found that
1 900 of bedding absorbed the following
weight of liquid: Good straw, 5000
pounds; sawduat 3,57l; leaf-raking,
1880; and peat, 4,4S3. From this it
seems that leaves are next to the most
valuable material that can be had for
bedding Not only do leaves make 8
better bedding but have agreat manurial
value in themselves. Nearly every man
has some woodland attached, and in that
woodland ANNUALLY goes to waste forest
leaves that could and should be utilized
SIS fertilizing matter and for bedding.
The off days and part Of days when there
is not much else to do can be proftably
employed in gathering up the leaves and
hauling them to the barn where they can
be used as bedding for the horses, cattle
and pigs, as well as spread thickly in the
barnyard to absorb the liquid portions of
the manure which would otherwise be
wasted by evaporation and drainage.
This bedding should be removed to a
good place and formed into compost,
and other fresh clean bedding put in its
place. This should be done at least
twice through the winter, when cattle lie
out on the yard.-TAos. d.. Baird, IN
,0onyberD Ht}ti1nfor