The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-10

q anything 10 WnAL u0 u0S GAC l
but the old adsge, constant dripping
wears away the stone" seems applicable
to the case of farmers about learning
improved methods; hence to give "Lne
upon line and precept upon precept Is
apparently the only manner OF bringing
about important changes.
I walk about the c1UCty a great deal,
and nothing strikes me more forcl0lY
| than the unskillful manner IN which many
If the farmers handle the manure made
Oh the premises. And thle, too, IN q
country where, and at a time when, to
secure a profitable crop the need CT a
stimulating fertilizer is a paramount ne
cessity.
But I have in view giving a slight ex-
~perience had in the Experimental Station
WORK, The gcound devoted to the hOrti-
cultural work is mostly very poor, and 1t
has been impossible to get anything like
| sufficient to bring 1t up to aproper
state of fertility.
Ny plan has been to buy all the manure
I can possibly get from the hotel and
livery-stables in our small village, and also
some from other parties. Last year,
when 1 began buying this manure, 1
found a considerable quantity at )ne stable
| viii Ii had laid in a large heap for several
wears, and as soon as the top was taken
off it appeared to be an almost worthless
mass of ~fre-fanged refuse. l was dis
| courag9 I'D, and threw up my agreement to
take it on the ground that the manure
was so badly burned as to render it
worthless, but was finally induced to take
it at 80 cents a load.
This manure was composted with a
quantity of leaves, woods mould, and
| refuse which I had raked up in a piece
of woodland on the College farm. The
manner Of composing wa as followers;
A layer of leaves, mould, ETC., was placed
upon the ground, c"vering a space about
40 feet long by 20 feet wide to the depth
of several inches, and upon this wa
placed a layer of the dry manure about
one foot deep, and then another layer of
leaves and mould. Thus the layers were
alternated until we had piled up % cart
loads of leaves and mould and 25 double
wogon loads Of manure The pile was
kept broad and fat, and in fact we drove
right over it until almost done. 1t was
placed within reach of the water works,
and when finished, a hose was turned
upon it for hours at a time until we Judged
it to be thoroughly wet through. In
about two weeks the pile was turned and
carefully mixed; fermen 1atiOn had set in,
and everything was in a most promising
condition. The hose was used freely
during the turning. This was repeated
each two weeks, until the pile had been
thoroughly mixed sour times.
1t was freely prophesied by some that I
would lose all the ANN. MA or nitrogen by
such a course Of fermentation, but as not
the slightest ammonia smell could be
detected abou the heap at any time, I
concluded there was no danger. And we
did not at any time have sufficient rain to
wash through aheap of this size and carry
away any Of the soluble ingredients.
When the time came to put out the
plants Of vegetables | used this compost
at Tie rae Of about four tons per acre on
a part Of the testing-grounds, and wher-
ever used it produced a most marked
result. Il was spread on the surface just
before putting in the crop.
While haul: g the compost on to the
land q sample was carefully taken, repre-
| sentative Of the whole heap; and though
this was so wet that it only gave 1874 per
cent of dry matter, its analysis, even
w tn this large content of water, showed
a valuation of $3.50 per ton. The analysis
was made by DR.. Bowman, Chemis of the
| Station. and showed about the average
composition of stable manure had been
made, by out slight outlay Of labor, from
material that did not look promising in
the start. The barn yard manure cost
about 80 cents per ton and hauling, and
| the mould and leaves cost the collecting
and hsuiog, which, all tod, could not
have brought the outlay above So per ton
for the m ready or the field.
1t may be argued that these ingredients
were all there in the material before COM
posting, and most certainly they were;
but I do not believe that n cultivator of
experience will argue that the dry, fire.
fanged manure, and mould, leaves and
refuse could have been dumped out Upon
the field and secured anything like the
result which composing brought out of
such material.
While the manure was being removed,
DR.. Bowman inspected the soil and sur
roundings, and stated that he did not
believe there had been any sppreciable
loss of soluble matter; and I give it as
my experience for years that manure
composted in the open field with muck,
woods mould, ETC., does not loss nitrogen
or other soluble material, and is rendered
much more valuable for use on plants than
when not so treated The compost must
be freely and carefully turned. I wish
further to add that if muck or leaf-mould
can be used in the stable as an absorbent
of urine, it is vastly better and cheaper
than to save the liquid manure in pits,
c~isterns, etc
The old story is repeated, "The wealth
of the world was poured through Rome
into the sea" via the Cgoo, and the wealth
of modern agriculture is poured into the
brooks and rivers via the faulty barns,
barn-yards, and bad systems of handling
manure Vim. B. Alwood, In Geuthsrn
Planter.