[451] SCIENTIFIC MANUAL. 165 



nanee. To supply this deficiency, superphosphate is added to the 

 compost heap. A combination of stable manure and cotton seed, 

 in the proportions recommended, supplies enough ammonia for 

 summer crops, but hardly sufficient for winter small grain, unless 

 applied at the rate of 400 pounds per acre. The sulphate of lime 

 contained in every superphosphate, besides being otherwise valu- 

 able as a chemical agent, serves to fix the ammonia generated in 

 the progress of decomposition in the compost heap. The fermen- 

 tation reduces the coarse material, and prepares it for the use of 

 the plant. 



" Composting in the Ground." This is advocated by Prof. Pen- 

 dleton and others, and as far as results on crops are concerned, is 

 satisfactory, but has some serious objections in practice. If cotton 

 seed are used, they must be put into the ground before warm 

 weather commences, to prevent germination. This necessitates 

 stirring the manure just before planting, which would risk bring- 

 ing some of it to the surface, or the crop must be planted on a 

 hard bed. Another difficulty under the general practice in Middle 

 and Southern Georgia, is that stock would have to be taken out of 

 the field before spring. This would be advantageous to the land, 

 but would give the planter some inconvenience. There is no labor 

 saved by this system, but it is applied at a season of comparative 

 leisure. 



Composting Under Shelter. This may usually be done on rainy 

 days, or when the ground is too wet for the plow, so that little time 

 need be lost by the manipulation of the heap. There are two meth 

 ods practiced with equally satisfactory results : 



One is to apply the different ingredients in successive layers, and 

 cut down vertically after a thorough fermentatiou has taken place, 

 mixing well with the shovel at the same time. 



The other is to mix thoroughly the ingredients at first, and al- 

 low the mass to stand until used. 



The effects of composts thus prepared far exceed the indications 

 of analysis, and, cost considered, are truly remarkable. 



Formula for Composting. If the stable manure and cotton seed 

 have been preserved under shelter, use the following : 



FORMULA XO. 1. 



Stable Manure 650 Ibs. 



Cotton Seed (green) 650 Ibs. 



Superphosphate 700 Ibs. 



Making a ton of- 2,000 Ibs. 



Directions for Composting. Spread under shelter a layer of sta- 

 ble manure four inches thick; on this sprinkle a portion of the 

 phosphate ; next spread a layer of cotton seed three inches thick ; 

 wet these thoroughly with water, and then apply more of the phos- 

 phate ; next spread another layer of stable manure three inches 



