The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-02-02
The Back hone of the Farm.

The Backbone oil the Farm.
The season of the year il fast APP
preaching when every farmer should
at once set about seeing how large n
manure heap he could get together
during the winter, and 10 that end
devote all his spare time TO the
gathering of leaves, dry litter and
woods. mould TO be used in his stock
yards, pens. barns and stables along
with the straw and fodder produced
on the farm. and would take care TO
clean out all these places regularly
every week, and to mix all the
manure from them thoroughly in the
pile, and TO add To il all the waste
animal and vegetable matter and
the drainage from the house and
farm buildings, il Will astonish him
in the spring to see the result, and
in the fall to feel the return in the
shape of dollars and cents. The OBJ
ject in most eases seems TO be not 70
endeavor to see how much manure
can be saved, but with how little
trouble it can be wasted, and the
result is impoverished farms and
proftless crops, and even those OBJ
tanned only Ly an outlay for com
mercial fertilizers. Commercial
fertilizers, used wisely in conjunc-
ton with farm yard manure and
compost, can be made to pay hand
somely, but used alone on our humus
wanting lands, are too often only a
delusion and snare, and especially
so when used without due experl
ments having been first made to
ascertain the wants of the particular
soil. No mistake can be made in
using farm yard manure and com
post. Wherever applied some OF
the fertilizing elements in the ma
nure, and generally most of them,
will be found needed, and applied as
these are, in conjunction with the
humus forming vegetable matter in
the manure. good results can be
relied upon. We strongly urge our
farmers to at once set about the
making of manure and compost
heaps. Let these be placed on
ground level or sloping slightly to-
wards the centre of the heap. In
this way the liquid matter will be
conserved in the heap. Place them
where no water will drain on to them
from buildings or hillsides. The
water falling directly from the clouds
will give amply sufficient moisture to
rot all vegetable matter. Indeed,
we would prefer that even this was
kept off the heap, and for this pur-
pose would cover the manure heap
with shed if able to do so. We
believe that such an expenditure of
money as would be necessary to GOV
er over large part Of the barn yard
with light roof, under which the
manure could be stored. would make
On ample return in the increased
value of the manure. There need
be no fear of the manure heap be-
coming too hot and the manure fire.
fanged if only the different kinds of
manure are carefully mixed in the
heap as removed from the buildings.
They will aid each other in maintain
JuSl ouCH a hSdt DIS Will result III
the complete decomposition of all the
vegetable matter and leave mass Of
rich. frlable manure ready for plant
food so soon as mixed with the soil
In the field. The liquid weddings of
live stock, forming the larger part in
weight of such weddings and the most
valuable in plant food, should be
carefully saved. Either they should
be absorbed by an abundance of litter
or dry earth spread around the
animals daily, or should be drained
into pit or tank from which they
can be pumped on to the manure
heap or into barrel fixed on wheels,
and in that way be spread over the
land. Whichever course is adopted,
let 1t be attended to. We have
grown the heaviest hay crops with
nothing but liquid manures applied
to the land, which we ever raised.
See to it that none Of this liquid is
allowed to go meandering down from
the buildings to the nearest water
conrse or drain. This is too often
the way in which it is disposed of.