Mo. 5. 



On Manures. 



143 



On manures* 



, paper read by a member before the Agricultural 

 Board for the Eastern Shore of Maryland, upon the 

 subject of Manures — and ordered to be presented for 

 publication. 



Resources of manures formed by nature 

 re all important to the farmer, and these 

 hould be dihgently searched for, and their 

 ontents daily distributed over the arable 

 inds. 



1. Marsh mud, low bottom lands, and de- 

 jsites of fossil shells, commonly called shell 

 larl, are my only natural sources of manure, 

 prefer this marl in the first instance, because 

 contains Ume which furnishes the earth 

 ith an essential ingredient to enable it to 

 •educe well, and aids the action of all other 

 anures that may be applied afterwards. — 

 )rae of these depositee of fossil shells are 

 uch richer with lime than others — of those 

 have, six hundred bushels, as dug out of the 

 nk or pit, to the acre will produce evident 

 id salutary effects— and after a moderate 

 easing of the same land with any vegetable 

 animal matter, the same quantity of shell 

 irl maybe again applied with additional 

 vantage. A further application of marl 

 m this I have no experience of, and I in-j 

 iieto the prevalent opinion, that this is 

 ough marl for some time. 

 Of salt marsh mud there is a great variety. 

 Y experience teaches me that some of it is 

 od manure, and that some does not seem to 

 worth hauling— all had better be spread as 

 rly after hauling out as possible. Marsh 

 id should be distinguished from marsh turf 

 8 lis last, according to my experience, is of 

 le value unless it is first burned or deposited 

 a feeding yard or cow-pen — but it is said 

 itothershave witnessed different and better 

 ults from marsh turf I am told that this 

 f dug up and immediately thrown into bulk 

 fj xed with lime in warm weather, becomes 

 ,, ;omposed in the course of the season and 

 1 hen excellent manure — I am now making 

 "i 3 experiment | 



1 !jOw, rich bottom land is known to all as , 

 I 'd fertilizing matter : a great deal of it is j 

 '3 deposite of rich soil washed down by tor- 1 

 ii4|ts ; others of it again is gradually reclaimed ! 

 iraas enriched with various annual accumu- 

 sJons of vegetable matter. There is some- 

 lies to be found a gravelly, poor morass, on 

 ich vegetation seems principally to be sup- 

 ' ted by moisture alone. Such low bottom 

 i!»either worth reclaiming nor hauling out. 

 ')|3re are some things, such as cranberries 

 r some medicinal plants that are adapted to 

 |^»i soils, and for such alone are they fit. 

 r' 'f common salt marsh mud I have put from 

 u'tity to one hundred single horse cart loads 

 ■ is heavy and the loads not large. 



The mode of usmg marl, salt marsh mud, and 

 bottom land is pretty much tiie same. All 

 are better for exposure, and all are generally 

 spread over the ground at all times before 

 ploughing It, but the earlier the better. Some 

 ot the salt marsh mud has been found too 

 acrid, and has totally destroyed all vegetation 

 or a time where it was spread— this is proba- 

 bly owing to excess of salt, and the land af- 

 terwards recovers. 



Of fresh water marsh I have no knowledge 

 but presume it is similar in its effects to, and 

 ought to be applied as, the fertilizing matter 

 from low bottom lands, and in the same quan- 

 tity. ^ 



2d and 3d. The means of making manure 

 may vary on different farms, but, generally, 

 they are the same. There can be no doubt 

 that they are abundant enough on every farm 

 to furnish daily useful employment throughout 

 the year. As the second interrogatory before 

 the Board relates to the means of making ma- 

 nures, and the third to the system of applying 

 them, my view shall embrace both. 



The first means of making manure is litter- 

 ing the farm yard well where your cattle are 

 to be fei before you begin to feed, and add fresh 

 dry litter regularly whenever the yard be- 

 comes wet The quantity and quality of this 

 manure (always esteemed very good) depend 

 upon the care taken of the cattle. Who- 

 ever designs to increase his manure and take 

 good care of his cattle, will litter well and 

 commence feeding as early in the autumn as 

 the cattle can be induced to feed, giving mod- 

 erate quantities of food at first— and he will 

 continue littering and feeding always to the 

 first of May, and as long afterwards as he can 

 find provender and get his stock to eat it. It 

 is an evidence of ignorance, inattention, or 

 want of judgment, when a farmer tells you 

 he can't begin to feed early, lest his proven- 

 der should not hold out ; or, that he had not 

 provender to feed in the spring as long as the 

 cattle would eat it — for every farmer ought to 

 knovv how many cattle he has, and what is 

 necessary to feed them well, and he should 

 provide it. If the seasons forbid this, he 

 should sell off a portion of his fat stock early 

 in autumn and reduce them to the number 

 that he can feed properly. 



Proper attention to bedding horses and 

 cleaning stables, affords the finest source of 

 the strongest manure produced by horses well 

 taken care of; and the milch cows for winter's 

 use, and work oxen, which ought all to be 

 treated in the same way, add much to the 

 bulk of manure. 



In summer, soiling horses, milch cows, 

 oxen, (and if it can be extended to the out 

 cattle so much the better) furnishes much ri(A 

 manure when they can be well littered, and 

 has been satisfactorily proved to be the most 



