Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-04-08
The Compost Pile and Its Value.
(By Richard Muller1

The Compost Pile and Its Value.
! (By Richard Muller.)
| The term compost pile means orgsni
matter OF various sources put in pile
outdoors and allowed to thoroughly de
cay. Such pile may consist entirely o
manure; or vegetable matter; or of pas
ture sods and manure. In all cases !
should be permitted 20 winter over ant
allow the frost action to assist In il
decomposition. The fall is the best tim,
TO prepare such pile for then it will b,
ready the next spring when there ia ,
demand for 1t. The advantage of sucl
compost is that il presents a quick act
ing plant food and soil improver.
Manure Compost Pile. This is pre-
pared by piling mp fresh manure (eithei
COW or horse mauure) in long low pilel
six to eight feet Wide, two to four fee
high and az long as desired. II this IL
put on rather heavy soil or, even better
q subsoil, little plant food will be lost By
teaching. In all cases however 1t should
be out in the open and not covered, fol
IL is desirable to have the action ol
weatheripg to aid In rotting.
Preparation in September for use in
May is good. The sides of the pile are
made as nearly perpendicular as posi-
Die and the top flattened so that rains
will soak in instead Of running of. II
the weather is dry, water shC uld be sp
piled. The pile should be cut down and
turned over at least once before winter
and then given one or two turnings in
the spring Q few weeks before using.
This insures a thorough mixture and
fine texture.
The manure compost is especially good
for top dressing for q growing vegetable
crop, for use in melon or cucumber hills
and for any other purpose where quick
acting food 10 desired. 1t is relatively
high In nitrogen content and 30 particu-
larly for leaf crop such as lettuce.
The large amount of humus 1t contains
also makes the soil in better physical
condition.
The Vegetable Compost. This con.
sist of pile similar in size to the manure
compost and prepared in the same man
ner and time Of year. 1t Ia made up OF
leaves, vines, stems and roots of vege-
table plants free from disease. Melon,
cucumber, squash vines, tomato tops,
bean plants, etc., are good. Corn stalks,
however, are bit too woody and will
not rot easily. This should also be cut
down and turned over several times be-
fore using.
The vegetable compost Is valued chief.
" for the humus it contains. This
fibrous plant material when added to the
soil lightens heavy soils, giving them
better drainage and on the other hand
makes sandy soils more tententive OF
moisture.
The Sod and Manure Compost. This
type of compost 10 made by piling alter
nate layers of pasture sod and manure,
about four inches thickness of sod to
one inch Of manure. The size Is similar
TO the other types Of compost described.
Il is especially important that this pile
be given several turnipgs 80 that the
manure and sods will be we'll iDcOrpo-
rated and rotted. Likewise wintering
over is necessary to insure thorough
decay.
The sod and manure compost contains
mineral elements az we'll as organic mat.
ter rich In nitrogen. The fbrous roots
of the sod, and humus Of the manure In.
sure . loose texture, making . well
drained soil. This compost 10 especially
desirable in seed beds, either In hotbeds
or seed boxes. 1t is also an excellent
soil for early plants to be potted into,
when they are started In greenhouses,
hotbeds or cold-frsmes, previous to set
ting outdoors. It should be sifted finely
for this purpose.