Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1902-03-14
Agricultural.
Com posting Barnyard Manure.

ION posting oaInyALu AhnuIe'
At the station we purchase good
deal Of farmyard manure. As this has
TO come from the city where hay of good
bad and Indifferent quality, and those
containing many foul weeds are fed, it
becomes necessary for US to compost the
manure for three reasons. First, TO re-
duce il SO il can be used 10 the man ure
spreader to the best advantage second
to break it down aud get il 10 condition
where it will yield up its plant food most
quickly; and third, 10 destroy the foul
weed seed.
There is serious objection to q good
deal Of the manure offered for sale in
many cities on account of the shaVings
or sawdust used as bedding The source
Of the material is chiefly pine, though
occasionally those derived from hard
woods are used. The shaving and saw
dust contain little or no fertilizing con-
stituents, and it takes long time TO re-
duce them 10 available forms of plant
food. Manure containing large amount
of these substances is not worth half &c
much as that where straw is used, as We
have demonstrated from our experiments
here. 10 view Of the large and increas-
ing smount Of such substances used as
bedding. the matter is worth the Atten-
ton Of the farmer, who probably does
not realize the amount Of money he is
paying for something practically worth
less as plant food.
10 composing the manure, we first
select level piece Of grOurd as con-
venient to the field where we propose 10
use the manure as possibly. Owing To
the fact that our prevailing soils are
heavy red clsys, there is not much dan
ger Of the plant food teaching into the
soil. and SO comparatively little is lost
in that way. We prefer TO haul the
manure in the winter time when work
is slack and pile It in compact masses
about ten feet wide and six TO eight feet
high With an abundance of rainfall
in the winter and spring. there is little
danger Of the manure heating 10 fact,
We have never been troubled with fire.
fang except once or twice in the summer.
After the compost heap has been COM
pleted, large pillow is run around the
manure pile two or three times throw
ing a mass Of earth up toward it. The
additional use Of shovel for few min
utes serves TO hold the liquid manure
within the heap and as nearly prevents
any loss from teaching as is possible to
do under the circumstances. BY this
method we are able 10 break down aud
prepare the manure for use as opdress-
ing on spring crops or for use through
the manure spreader on land that is to
BIO plowed for corn or other spring crops
We have found that composted manure
gives US quicker results in increased
crop yield than when put on the ground
in the raw condition, aud as the land is
generally too wet to allow the direct
spreading Of the manure from the wagon
when first hauled and we prefer using
it through the manure spreader anyway,
the cost Of composing is slight and the
benefits derived more thaO pay for the
time aud labor Of handling it.
It often happens that we have more
or less rough manure to work up in our
compost heaps, aud SO we often 6ud it
an advantage to FIRST put down heavy
layer Of straw and alternate layers OF
straw and manure in constructing the
compost heap. OF course, other rough
material eau be used just the same nj
straw, but the straw is good absorbent
and helps to hold the liquid manure,
and when forked over once or twice il
broken up BY the heating process The
past year a food swept over a portion
Of our farm and destroyed some cereal
crops so that they could not be used for
anything except compost work and they
have been worked up in the manner sug.
gested To good advantage
A compost heap is difficult to handle
successfully in the South in summer
unless 40 situated that water can be put
on it quite frequently. II placed 10 the
open field it does not matter how large
or oompact the heap may be, il is Away
sure TO Gre fang. and that means thu
loss Of ammonia and should never b.
tolerated A heavy coating of earth
over the heap reduces the danger Of FIRE
fang materially. US evaporation is prac
iically stopped 1t is more convenient
aud better to have the compost heaI
convenient TO water. so it can be sprink
led with hose or put on with a pail. -
Prof A NJ. Soule, Tennessee Tx peri
ment Station