The Bulletin. 89 



mentation of the heap. The compost must be watched, and if it be- 

 comes hot, a hole should be made in the side and towards the top and 

 water poured in to cool it. Heating is likely to occur if made under 

 shelter, while if made out of doors in the winter and early spring the 

 rains are apt to be sufficient to keep it moist, but here there is danger 

 of loss, esi)ecially of the very soluble potash and phosphoric acid, 

 from leaching, and the heaps made out of doors need careful watch- 

 ing to see that they do not get too hot just after making and between 

 rains, and more especially to see that they are thoroughly covered 

 with dirt and compacted, so as to make the water run mostly off the 

 sides instead of through the heap and draining off with the most 

 valuable part of the manure. The heap should remain 40 to GO days, 

 and may stay longer. Before using, it should be thoroughly cut up 

 and mixed by means of hoes and shovels. If the manure, woods- 

 mould and dirt are reasonably free from litter and trash, the mixture 

 may be put through a sand-screen and be in condition to drill as other 

 fertilizers are. This will require care in selecting the manure, mould 

 and dirt. 



Unquestionably, there is great advantage, if it is not indeed an 

 absolute necessity, to save scrupulously all the manure and other 

 waste material on and around the farm to assist in maintaining or 

 increasing its productiveness. One way to do this is to use the com- 

 post in some way similar to that suggested in the foregoing. Another 

 and perhaps somewhat cheaper way, unless the compost is made at a 

 time when the farm" labor is not profitably occupied with other work, 

 is to apply the manure and woods-mould, etc., broadcast where there 

 are large quantities of them, or in the drill when the amounts are 

 limited and less than 1,500 to 2,000 pounds to the acre, and drill the 

 acid phosphate and kainit or >other materials on them. This saves 

 the cost of mixing. Each plan has its advantages and each farmer can 

 decide'for himself which best suits his individual case and which will 

 enable him to save to best advantage these exceedingly important and 

 valuable fertilizer materials on and about the farm, and which go to 

 waste, or partial waste, in far too many instances. 



Compost with Cotton Seed. — Frequently cotton seed are used as a 

 fertilizer. One difficulty in the way of their use is the killing of the 

 germs of the seed so as to prevent them from sprouting and growing. 

 A common custom is to pile the seed in the field early in the spring 

 and allow them to become wet and afterwards heat. They are then 

 put in the drill as other fertilizers, or sometimes broadcast. They are 

 also killed by composting, and the following compost with cotton seed 

 is a well-balanced and rich one for general farm crops : 



Acid phosphate 300 pounds 



Cotton seed, ISy. bushels 40o pounds 



5^i">t 75 ^ou^^g 



Barn-yard manure, etc 1 225 pounds 



2,000 pounds 



