The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-16
Established 1877
Home Fertilizers For the Farmers


1t is essential to their ultimate sue
cess that farmers of the South be i'm
pressed With the Importance of giving
more attention to the saving Of farm
manureS. The convenience of COM
mercial fertilizers the ease With which
they can be obtained (they can al
ways be bought on credit, and the
fact that their use requires little fore
thought have led most Of our farmers
to forget or neglect the home supply.
Another reason why home manures
have been neglected is that owing to
the lack of intelligent care of them
the results following their use have
not been satisfactory. If much good
has been obtained from them it is
usually reached only by their use in
such large quantities as it is difficult
to secure upon the average farm.
We should not be understood as
opposing the intelligent and economi-
cal use of commercial fertilizers.
Commercial fertilizers have proved
themselves of great value and are des-
tined to play even greater part IN
our farm. economy; but it is only when
used as supplements to the home
product that this will be so. In the
first place, they are costly; and, sec
ondly, their exclusive use instead OF
effecting a permanent Improvement OF
the soil actually hastens the depletion
of that soil of its plant food. 1t IS
only when used With green manures
and barnyard manures that the most
permanent Improvement can be ac-
cOmpliShed.
The small value frequently realized
from the use OF barnyard manure
arises from the fact that it is not
properly saved and handled and the
manure has lost the greater part Of
its plant food. Barnyard manure
may be regarded as just so much
vegetable. matter. 1t differs, how
ever, from the food FROM which it is
derived in that. having been once di-
eested its fertilizing elements are
more available for plants.
Available plant food means plant
food that is easily decomposed~ and
soluble in water. Ii the manure Is
left exposed to the elements, the water
from rains easily and rapidly teaches
out the soluble plant food. On the
other hand, If the manure is allowed
to heat a large amount of the nitro
gen is driven off into the atmosphere;
so in order to get the most valuable
manure both of these sources OF loss
must be avoided. There are several
ways OF accomplishing this Proba-
bly, the best plan, where it is practica-
BILE is to haul the manure direct upon
the land and plOW 1T ln-ShalloW on
clay soils and deeper on sandy loans.
Again especially with horse manure,
etc, it is good to allow the manure to
remain in the stable, using plenty of
litter. The animals tramp the
manure down, thus excluding air, and
as it is kept dry it Will keep With
practically no loss. The litter used
in bedding not only is itself of value
as q fertilizer. but serves also to alb
sorb all liquids and prevent their loss
If not practicable to pursue either of
these methods, then cheap shed
can be provided and the manure
stored in it until ready for use.
There is one precaution that must
be observed when q shed is used, and
especially if the droppings from horse
predominant. Under these conditions
the manure is apt to heat This
should be prevented by dampening it
For this reason it is a good plan to
have a leaky shed-one that will not
permit the entrance of enough water
TO leach through, but will leak
enough to keep the manure moist. In
case of protracted drought there
should be artificial means Of watering
the compost. The question may arise
with the farmer whether it is more
economical to go to this trouble and
expense With his manure or to de-
pend upon commercial fertlllzers.
This question is soon answered III the
affirmative.
Bear in mind that while the farmer
may buy an equal number OF pounds
Of plant food, he can not get 1t IN as
good a form. nor do the cOmmeTcl1i
fertilizers have as great an erect
They do not add vegetable matter, 40
not start soil fermentation. and DO not
correct mechanical defects of the SOIL.
A ton of Well preserved manure from
a well-fed horse contains about 9.S
pounds of nitrogen, So pounds OF
phosphoric acid and 9.6 pounds OF
potash---plant food that would cost