526 



ti^AKMERS' REGISTEk 



The vast superiority ofihe last is very manifisf. 

 Let not this, however, misleail (he judiftneiitorilie 

 planler. The ordure ot'sheep, inaiigre lis inlrinsic 

 value, is Ihe most co.sily inariiire, wlieii ilie looii 

 lliut uniiual consumes is considered, llial is now 

 iised. 



'i'he English practice of strewing animal ma- 

 nure on vegetable sabslances is not pursued, it is 

 believed, in our southern country. With us the! 

 vmiversal method is, where a sufHcient amount c('| 

 vegetable matter has been brought together, to | 

 inclose the stock at nights on the iieap, until it ] 

 has been reduced to a proper consisleniy, through : 

 the process of fermejitation. This brings the 

 committee to the consideration of the manner ol'j 

 making comports, and the materials of which they j 

 should consist. i 



Composts. — On this subject four important con- 

 siderations present themselves. — 1. The selection : 

 ofa suitable site. 2. The use ofretentive absorb- j 

 ents. 3. The collecting and lidding together such I 

 materials as contain the greatest quantity ofnntri- j 

 nient. 4. The preventing of waste. The site | 

 should be level ground, in the immediate vicinity i 

 of a bed of clay. Around it let an embankmeni j 

 be thrown up, with the ditch liicinir outwards. j 



In our sandy lands ileconiposiiion is rapid. 

 Whilst the volatile portions ol' vegeiable subsian- 

 ces are perpetually escaping in the Ibrm of vapor, 

 ihe earthy parts sink and are lost in the soil. Ey 

 this means we ignoranlly yie'd, perhaj)s, one-third 

 of the treasure, which our unvvc.uied ellorts liad 

 been instrumcinal in gathering. To avoid this 

 long practised error, the use of retentive absorb- 

 ents, such as common cl.iy and pine Irash, are 

 strongly recommended. 



The (bllowing plan of increasing llie quantity 

 and improving the quality of mannri's, the sole 

 object of composts, is considered judicious and 

 proper : 



1. Six or eight inches of common clay with as 

 many buslicis of liiul salt intermixed. 



2. A layer of pinetrasli with s,dr. 



3. Animal dung. Keepingsiocks on the mass for 

 four or five weeks will subserve liie i)urpose aim- 

 ed at. 



4. Vegetalile and other matter, such as fennel 

 and weeds on the edges of ditclies and fences, 

 thistles, o;it-slraw, corn-cobs, ashes,* soot,t corn- 

 stalks, broom-grass, scrapings of yards, where 

 there is no joint or nut-grass, potid-imul, and, in 

 general, all the filth and rubbish ul" a plantation. 



5. A liew bushels of salt. 



Upon these variant n)atcrials, let the cattle be 

 nightly penned, until decomposition is carried suf- 

 ficiently I'ar — then cover the whole with clay. 

 Whilst the clay and pine trash at the bottom, 

 each aided by the inHuence of sab, will imbibe 

 and hold the salts of the urine and other sub- 

 stances, wliich are usually lost, the surface clay 

 will arrest and retain liie gaseous effluvia, consti- 

 tuting as they do one- half, and perhafis the more 



* A bushel of ashes, says Dr. Dana, is equal to a 

 cask of lime. 



t In 100 parts of soot there are, lesides other ingre- 

 iUents of value, 



31.70 of geine. 

 .'j.OO of sulphate of lime. 

 L.'SO of phosphate of lime and iron. 

 3.85 of carbon. — jDr. Dana, 



beneficial one of the entire bulk. By this mode 

 too, dead matter is converted into mould. 'J'he 

 surliu'e clay will not only be im|)regnated vvitli tlie 

 enriching jiruperties of the evaporating particles 

 of the mass, but, if exposed a sufficient length of 

 tune, will be rendered still more valuable by the 

 lijrtilizing action of the atmosphere iiseK. In 

 proof of thi.-^, setting aside theoretical principles 

 and the usage on our northern farms, where the 

 subject of composts is well understood, it is with 

 us a matter ol' aimual notice, that clay (rom the 

 bottom of ditches, several feet below the soil, if 

 thrown on the surliice, will, the first season, pro- 

 duce a better crop than the contiguous sandy parts. 

 That some of the beneficial etfecls thus witnessed 

 are ascribable to mechanical agency, is doubtless 

 true. Hence, in this respect, common clay, which 

 is nearly lice li-on) silicious earth, is far more effi- 

 cacious in its operation than marsh-mud, which 

 has only a small portion of alumina. Our com- 

 posts contain in general only two ingredients — 

 animal duuii and [)ine-trash ; sometimes rushes or 

 marsh is added, aiitl occasionally muti. The rea- 

 son asMgned is, that the supply of pine trash is 

 abundant. There are nevertheless solid objectiona 

 to the loo libi-ral use o( this substance. In the fircjt 

 |)lace, it is the imrsery bed of insects, which are so 

 tenacious oflile, tliat to destroy them the pntrelac- 

 live process must be carried to a point beyond what 

 prudence would advise. Agam, pine-trash pos- 

 sesses a large pioiiorlion of inert s\iatter, which is 

 scarcely soluble. It is, perhaps, for this reason, 

 that it is decidedly interior to marsh, rushes, corn- 

 stalks, &c. Exclusive of these important sugges- 

 tions, it is well ascertained, that the value of com- 

 posts depends on the variety of their materials, or 

 a proper admixture of animal manure with vege- 

 tables, conlaiiiing tiie largest amount ol' geme. 

 This is a proof of a very decided character that, 

 as a general rule, lor there aie exceptions, a com- 

 pound is better than any one of the elements lliat 

 compose it. 



Of all the substances profitable as manure, per- 

 haps corn-stalks occupy the front rank. To sci- 

 entific researches are we indebted for the know- 

 ledge of this useful truth. 1000 parts, says Davy, 

 gave 84 parts of ashes ; and 1000 parts of those 

 ashes afiorded 72.56 of soluble matter. It is known 

 that, after the shocks and outer covering have 

 been eaten by the cattle, the stalks are allowed lo 

 i rot and give their virtue to the air. Using this 

 j plant, therefore, as manure, by burying it in the 

 j fall, or throwing it into the compost heap, is not 

 robbing the soil on which it grew, unless the roota 

 1 are taken, whicli of course should never be done. 

 ■ Here then is a source irom winch an abundant 

 supply of the best aliment may be drawn. 

 1 Among the ends to l)e answered by the position 

 of the larger part of Ihe salt, the annihilation of 

 Ihe vermin with which, as already remarked, 

 pine-trash abounds, is one of the most important. 



It is not advised, though pounded shells thrown 

 upon the pine-trash would have a happy tenden- 

 cy, that lime be added to the coinpost heap; be- 

 cause all the advantages to be realized from such 

 i a measure, are attainable by spreading the calca- 

 j reous earth on the land, where it is most needed. 



The mixed compost, thus brielly considered, 



recommends itself lor its economy, vaiietyof in- 



I gredienis and (acility of construction ; (or being 



i composed of jiighly nutritious as well as stimu- 



