THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



223 



and carbonic acid, and this carbon is converted 

 iiiio wood. 



Tho doctor iiindly promised to enter more 

 larffciy into tlie subiect at some future evening. 



U. C. 



PEAT COaiPOST. 



From the New England Farmer. 



Almost every agricultural writer is inclined to 

 ride some hobby. He find ourself uiclined to 

 bridle and saddle " j/jmcA;" — to buckle on spurs 

 and drive ahead. The way belbre us is 7niry, 

 and we may gel. bespattered : but a little mud has 

 had no terrors lor us in days ol'yore, and we have 

 no lears (hat we shall prove a coward in leading 

 as many larmers as will ibllow us, to an attack 

 upon swamps and muck holes. 



These bog meadows are among the beet lands in 

 the eastern part ol Massachusetts, and they con- 

 lain in abundance materials by which we may, 

 and by which we shall, m a Jew years, greatly 

 enrich our uplands. These bogs are the most 

 valuable part ol' our farms. This assertion is 

 made deliberately. We are aware of its extent 

 and its import. We have made it seriously, and 

 we predict mat not many years will pass away 

 belbre its truth will be generally admitted. 



Leaving at present all consideration of their 

 worth lor cultivation, we wish to draw attention to 

 them as sources Irom which manure can be ob- 

 tained. Muck, properly prepared, and spread 

 over our uplands, will greatly enhance their ler- 

 tility. " biop, young man" — meihinks i hear the 

 aged liarmer saying—" Slop, young man. I have 

 used this muck, and experience tells me that it is 

 sour stuti, doing olien more harm than good to the 

 uplands. Such is the lesson which experience 

 has often taught.''^ We do not deny it — we do not 

 doubt it ; we know that ii is true. Muck, as it 

 comes from its bed, is often, is almost always, 

 sour ; it will impart of its sourness to the soil on 

 which it is applied. This sourness is the natural 

 product of the decomposition which the vegetable 

 matters composing the muck have undergone. 

 And until that sourness is removed, this meadow 

 mud is not a manure ; it does not furnish food for 

 plants ; but as soon as the sourness is removed, 

 as soon as the acid is neutralized — this muck is 

 nourishing to the crops that we cultivate. 



How then can we remove the acid or counter- 

 act it ■? Exposure to the actions of frosts and 

 winds, rains and suns, will do much towards 

 eftecting the desired change. Farmers might do 

 well to have three or lour years' supply always 

 OQ hand, and then not use that which has not 

 had three or lour years' exposure to the weather. 

 But it is not necessary to wait thus long in all 

 cases belbre we avail ourselves of the use'of this 

 article. We can, by the use of animal manure 

 and lime, neutralize the acid of the muck in a 

 kvf months or weeks, and thus more speedily 

 enlarge ;our manure heaps. 



The principles of making composts from muck, 

 dung and lime or ashes, as recommended by Dr. 

 C. T. Jackson, of this city, we gave in our 

 report of his remarks at the State House ; but 

 deeming them most highly important, we make 

 no apology for repeating them in our own words. 



Take one cord of dung, and mix it thoroughly 

 with two cords of muck, that has been lorseve- 

 lal months, at least, exposed to the action of the 

 atmosphere. Then apply one half of a cord of 

 muck to the outside of tlie heap, as a coating ; 

 pat this coaling hard and smooth as you can 

 with the shovel. If the whole be covered with 

 straw or hay, tills will be an improvement. Let 

 the mass lie in this stale for several months ; to 

 mix in the autumn and sutler to remain until 

 spring, is a good course. Then, about 10 or 15 

 days before the manure is to be applied to the 

 laud, lake one bushel ol unslaked lime.to a cord of 

 compost. Slake this lime, but do it with so little 

 water that ii shall be a fine, dry powder. Now 

 throw over the heap, mixing this lime well into 

 the mass. Again coat tne whole heap with 

 another half cord of muck. The whole lour coros 

 in the course ol two weeks will become good 

 .manure. 'The ammonia given out by the dung, 

 will have neutralized the acid of the muck. 



Heaps formed at this season my answer for use 

 after the middle of May ; though it would be bel- 

 ter to allow a longer lime. We make an earnest 

 appeal to such fiirmers as have the materials in 

 readiness to try this process and adhere closely to 

 the rule. We wish to know distinctly whether 

 science here is iLirnishing a valuable rule to guide 

 us in our art. 



Imagination carries us, reader, to your fireside, 

 and hears you saying, " I'll try that, but I'll save 

 some of the labor; I'll put ray lime in when I 

 first mix up the heap." It is our turn now to say 

 '•Stop, sir, stop.'-- We want, belbre you go to work, 

 to tell you that the great object is to neutralize (or 

 counteract, or fix or destroy) the acid in the muck. 

 The more ammonia you can extract or set free 

 from the dung at once, the more ellectually you 

 will do your work. Now lime applied to dung, 

 in its green state, will not help lo throw out am- 

 monia half as fast as if the dung be considerably 

 decomposed before the lime is used. II, then, 

 you save the labor in the v/ay proposed, you fail 

 to getihat large quantity of ammonia, at one lime, 

 which, if produced, would work like leaven 

 through every lump and particle of muck in the 

 heap, and neutralize the acid. 



" Well, then, Mr. Editor," you say, " I'll save 

 labor by letting the dung get considerably decom- 

 posed before 1 go to work upon it, and then will 

 put in both muck and lime at once." Do so, sir, 

 if you please ; but if you do, the winds will have 

 carried much ol your ammonia to Maine or to 

 Georgia, before you begin to nee it ; and therefore 

 the quantity of muck which your dung will 

 change into manure is very materially lessened. 



Let the dung, while green, be mixed with 

 muck, because the ammonia which passes off ih 

 its first stages of decomposition, will then be saved 

 and used. But do not put your lime in for several 

 weeks, because its action upon dung that has 

 undergone considerable change, throws off am- 

 monia much faster than from fresh dung. The 

 fiister the ammonia is generated or set free at any 

 one time, the more thoroughly it will penetrate 

 the muck. 



The principal use of the lime in this process is, 

 to generate ammonia rapidly from the dung. 

 This ammonia is the strong smelling effluvia or 

 gas, that goes ofl from the fermented dung heep. 

 The same substance is sometimes called harts- 



