Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-03-12
Composing Manures.

Not nearly so much is said or written
about the composing of manures as
used to be the case. The idea is becom-
ing prevalent that it does little good,
and that the cheaper, easier method OF
drawing out manure as fast as made,
and spreading it on the land, is nearly
as good. 1t is argued that the manure
must ferment some time, and in the soil
there is little chance for it's tertilizing
properties to escape. But we suspect
that the fact of the new method saving
labor is with many the most important
consideration. In olden times farmers
did much of their hardest work IN win
ter. Chopping wood and clearing land
were usually winter jobs, and often
when the country was new more hard
work was thus done than in cultivating
crops during the growing season.
1t is not doubted that composing ma
nure makes it more Immediately avail
able. 1t does not add to the benefit
that the manure ultimately gives, but
if the compost heat is properly protect
ed it need not detract from It. Assum-
ing that the same quantity of manure
will ultimately in either case put an
equal amount of plant food in the soil,
there is still a great advantage in hay
ing it ready for use early in the season.
Excepting winter wheat and rye,
no farm crops are sown late in the
season, and even these make only q
small part of their growth in the fall.
If manure ID applied late in spring I'M
fermented, it is often past midsummer
before the crop gets full benefit from it.
Corn ground, cultivated often, may be
helped by the first of July, but small
spring grains on ground covered in
spring with wholly unfermented ma
nure rarely receive much benefit. The
effect of the manure is mainly seen in
an extra growth of weeds following the
grain crop.
Stable manure is never drawn out
wholly unfermented. 1t has to be
gathered into heaps for greater con-
venience in handling, and thus gathered
fermentation, especially with horse
manure, begins quickly and progresses
rapidly. 1t is for this reason in great
part that horse manure is generally
reckoned worth more than that from
COWS. 1t is presumably somewhat fer
mented, and, therefore, somewhat sol
uble before being applied. Pile the
COW manure in heaps a few days, give it
equal fermentation, and, if the COWS
have been fed as we'll as the horses.
their manure ought to be equally valu-
able.
we DSllCNo ldTlucTS Wbulu uDu IL
their interest to pile up all manure at
least few days, and especially in win
ter, before drawing it to the fields. OF
course the heaps thus piled up should
be protected from rains and snow, and
should also be covered with loan or
some other absorbent to prevent evap-
Grafton. In such condition they might
be lett month or more without any
loss by evaporation. The extra labor in
piling up the manure is partly offset by
the lessened amount to be drawn, and
it's finer condition, which enables it to
be more evenly distributed, and by its
greater availability.
1t is somewhat strange that this princi-
pie has not been more generally recog-
nized. Farmers pay large amounts of
money for commercial manures, mainly
because they are Immediately available
and easily distributed. If they put
more labor in composing their own
homemade stable manure a part, at
least, of this expense would not be
needed. The farmer might himself
compost the manure, and if he pur-
chased fertilizers, mix both and thus
get double the immediate benefit from
manuring that he now does.-American
Cuhirutor.