The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1910-02-03
Value of Manure
AS a Fertilizer
By John A. Mcclure, Director
Third Institute District.

produce authorities to bear out the
points we made and add new ideas
to those already presented to your
readers; the first authority we shall
call upon, or rather quote from, is
Prof Voorhees,, an eastern authority.
Prof Voorhees, says: "a farmer
should realize that a well fed milk
COW will, on the average, produce
l2% tons of manure per year, and
that this product will contain on the
average III pounds of nitrogen, n
pounds of phosphoric acid, SO pounds
of potash, enough, IL all the constit-
uents in 1t are used, to grow nearly
20 bushels of wheat with the accom-
panying straw. These have come
from the farm somewhere; If they
are not returned the power of the
soil is lessened."
IF the farmer wishes to return
these in the form of commercial fer
tilizers, he would have to pay out, at
present prices $4,000 per pound for
the nitrogen and 41sc each for the
phosphoric acid and potash" That
the real cash value of manure is not
given a thought has been, we think,
clearly demonstrated in the article
that which is to follow.
Mr.. Chas. e. Barker, of Pembroke,
KY, who Is a successful breeder of
short horn cattle, southdown sheep,
poland china hogs, etc., and who is
not satisfied with less than 40 and
80 bushels of wheat to the acre, in
writing to the Leaf Chronicle says:
To the Leaf Chronicle:
Some six or eight years ago when
the lands were 'clover SICK" | COM
menced to cover the lands to be
sown to clover with wheat straw. In
stead of burning up these great ricks
of wheat straw-to spread them thin
ly on the thin lands-and as much of
the better lands as possible. The
sick lands" got well at once and
| such crops of clover | never saw nor
such perfect stands. You could tell
just to a line where the straw was
put, spaces that were not covered
had no clover.
Now, there are thousands of acres
of straw spread each fall and winter
| (fall much the best) and the great
bonfires that light up the heavens for
miles around-the burning straw ricks
have been succeeded by hundreds
of tons of clover hay and lands are
worth So to $40 more per acre. We
have covered rs acres with straw
since seeding wheat-am busy at II
today while the ground is frozen.
Such preparation and a bushel Of
good red clover, sown in February,
while the ground is frozen and cover
ed with little cells that are formed of
the ice and frozen earth, will as sure
produce a crop of clover as anything
know of. One bushel of seed to
eight or ten acres-sOw only while
cells are open to receive the seed, so
| that when they melt they enclose and
cover and in this way the seed at
once becomes established and send
their little roots out and down and
are able TO resist the dry spells in
April and May that come in order for
us to prepare the land for corn, to-
bacco, etc. Also enables the little
plants to make such growth that they
can resist the shock produced by cut
| ting off the wheat or oats. Try II in
small way whoever may be skepti-
cal and il IL don't win send me the
bill
Glover growing. instead of being a
side issue-a catch crop-should be
the leader.
II one-tenth the effort and expense
/ were used to grow clover that is
wasted on alfalfa, there would be no
| failure.
Listen! Mr.. Wing, Mr.. Lyon, Mr..
Roudebush, Mr.. Walker. each and all,
| tell us to put all of the years crop
of manure and ton or more of lime
on a few acres of the best land on
the farm. Shame on you, gentlemen.
Just as well use all the money to
educate one child and turn the others
out on the commons. Then SOW to
alfalfa and II the moon and the sign
is right you will get a stand. That
you must continue their protective
tariff policy on this over-fed infant
and II the climate and soil condi-
tons are suitable you can grow alf-
alta.
Suppose you take this years supply
OF manure and spread II on 10 times
as much poor land and use the same
amount of labor and other expense
on 10 acres that you used ON one of
the alfalfa, what will be the result?
At the end of 10 years you will have
made your whole farm rich and dou-
bled its value, while with alfalfa you
will either have gone out of the alf-
alta business or be ready 10 go,
l truly believe that red clover prop
erly sown and cared for will cut as
much. and as good hay at one cut
ting as alfalfa will during the whole
| season.
In concluding a letter written TO
the author of these articles, Mr. Bar
ker says: II believe II we would
pillow just a little deeper each time,
and sandwich some of the subsoil
\ between the layers of the top soil
we would have plenty of lime to
sweeten. and render available much
latent plant food" Mr.. Barker is a