St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-12-05
FARMER NDPLANTER.
SAVE The MANURE.


4 Sadly Neglected Source Of front On
Many Farns
can not afford to close this series
OF articles without something on the
important subject Of the saving and
judiciOus use of manure.
l have hesitated to write on the sub.
jet because l doubted whether could
intsrest she average Texas farmer.
When we come to think about il. there
IS quite largo arc of post oak and
hill lands that vii! be greatly benefit
cd by manure as we'll as horizontal
culture, besides gardens everywhere
need it.
It is only question of time when it
will be used even on the black lands. l
would use it now. l remember very
well when in the rich Mississippi and
Red river valleys the cotton seed were
thrown into the bayous, and allowed
to accumulate at the gin houses until
in the summer they created q stencil
and malarial atmosphere that was very
offensive.
Sometime in the torties several plan.
tiers visited the hill country of east
Louisiana and became familiar with
this system OF using cotton seed, and
began to manure with them ON their
farms. 1t was soon found the lands
produced as well as when they were
new. 1t became general in all that
country, and the crops, especially of
corn. were wonderfully increased. In
the Older states it was n continual
study and labor to make and save all
the manure practicable. Now it is in
the hands mainly Of set Of IMPROVE
dent renters that care not how fast the
land wears out. and the consequence
Is the country is going to ruin.
We used leaves and straw in the lots
and stalls for beds for the horses, and
when cleaned out was put on the land
In the burrows and covered for both
corn and cotton. I have seen here in
Texas lots cleaned up with road scra-
pers, and the manure dragged out on
to the river banks, to wash of. when
little more labor would have put it
Oh the land adjoining the lots in such
a manner as to produce two or three
bales more cotton. l have witnessed
this more than once.
Any farmer or gardener who will cx-
pertinent little will end it pays to
save and use considerable amount of
it. and especially If put out in tile fall
or early winter, and p!owed under. In
gardens it may be spread over it, and
let the rains wash it in, or it may be
spadcd under.
Cow and sheep lots, where they arc
penned in the summer, may be sown
in turnips or oats for sheep and cattle
In the winter. Whenever farmer be.
gins to experiment with it he will
never give 1T up.
l never rot my stable manure.
learned better many years age. You
should have plenty of stalls and keep
it dry until you clean ont and haul on
to your land and put into the furrow
and corn. Two good men with shovels
will haul and put out very fast from
the wagon. When you have it covered
all the fermentation, all the gases are
retained in the soil and go to produce
your crop. and one load is worth more
than two rotted in the pen or manure
heap, where the sur, rain and heat
evaporates and wash much of the Gle
ments of fertility away. In this dry
climate the fall manuring, as a rule. is
the best Melons and Irish potatoes
require well-rotted manure. Scrapings
from wood yards and where hogs have
been cleaned is good for potatoes The
manure from the poultry should be put
up in barrels and carefully saved, and
is very valuable in your garden. Save
ali your ashes, all the bones you can
get and burn them in a brush pile,
enough to make them brittle, and
pound them up aud mix with ashes
and rusty iron from the blacksmith
shop, and put around your pear trees.
after removing the dirt down to the
roots three or four feet in diameter.
You will find it better than cutting of
the roots. or a coat Of bermuda grass
that will be your master the balance
of your life.
You may dissolve the bones with
crude sulphuric acid, or lime and ashes
will soften them. but it is a slow pro-
c.ss. found the burning or scorch.
ing the best and quickest lam aware
that you lose considerable in the value
of the bones by the fire. You will find
in a year or two the little pear rootlets
clinging to the bones with great
tenacity. All the ashes Except pine)
should be carefully saved and used on
garden, orchard and vineyards.
1t is well to have . manure pen con.
venient where all the sweepings and
trash are deposited and all soap suds
from the wash tub. In process of time
you will have some fine manure.
have seem in Texas peach trees
very much improved on black land
where cotton died in spots las was
supposedly from too much alkali by the
application Of strong ashes from
wash place near by. l would have
hesitated to use them myself. but the
improvement was very marked. L
leave the question to be settled by the
agricultural chemists-would be glad
to see the soil analysed. as there is
considerable of that kind of soil in
Texas.
1t pays to have summer lots so ar
ranged that you can cultivate them in
fall and winter crops after penning
your cattle and sheep. 1t saves much
labor as well rs manure. A cows
urine is said to be as valuable rs the
dung, which You lose unless you Guilt
vate. They should be penned scpar-
ately, rs the cows will hook and iniure
the sheep at the salt trough.
In using pine tar rs before recon-
mended, for the health of all stock, put
down = small batch or spoonful met a
oucketful as the printer made me sxy)
and put the salt omit.
II you have a pack Of worthless ours
take them ont and chop their tails OF
just behind the ears, and get your bow
. shepherd dog, and feed some pigs
with the food you have been accus.
toned to give the dogs.
Put your manure in drills and plant
in it, and you will be surprised at tho
result.
If you want to raise cabbage that
will astOnish the natives, put plenty of |
stable manure in deep burrows in the
fall and put your plants SO the roots
will gradually reach it. as they pene-
H. H.