1869. 



NEW ENGLAND F^UIMER. 



131 



HOW I MAXB MANURE. 



I have a eellar under my barn made as tight 

 as stones and mortar can make it. No cold 

 winds can find a crack through which to enter 

 in the winter season. Manure never freezes 

 at all in it. In the summer, doors and win- 

 dows are thrown open and free circulation 

 given. The barn above is made tight with the 

 exception of a ventilator, and in consequence of 

 having a warm cellar under it, is itself warm. 

 Manure very seldom freezes behind the cattle. 

 The linter is constructed with a trench behind 

 the cattle for the droppings, and in rear of 

 this is a raised walk. In the linter the cattle 

 are kept nearly all the time in cold weather, 

 and every night during the summer. As soon 

 as the snow disappears in the spring, muck is 

 wheeled into the barn every morning, and de- 

 posited in the trench. Enough is used to ab- 

 sorb all the liquid, and take up the juices of 

 the solid droppings, so that there shall be no 

 leaching from the heap below. Care is taken 

 that the muck be considerably dried, so that 

 it will absorb large quantities of the liquid. 

 The next morning the trench is cleaned out, 

 care being used in the process to have it well 

 mixed with the solid ex.rements, and a new 

 supply of muck wheeled in. In the (cellar it 

 is left as light as possible. No cattle hogs 

 or anything else are allowed to step upon it. 

 A mild fermentation takes place and decompo- 

 sition rapidly commences. If the mucl^ is 

 well dried and a sufficient quantity is used, 

 there will be no leaching from the heap ; and 

 being under cover it is not washed by the rain 

 nor excessively dried by the sun. The fer- 

 mentation is not great enough to throw off the 

 ammonia. There is no waste, no loss, all is 

 there and is held by the absorbent powers of 

 the muck for the use of the plant. 



In the winter no muck is used with the cat- 

 tle droppings. The horse manure from the 

 stable passes through a scuttle to the cellar 

 beneath, and is there thrown over and mixed 

 with an equal quantity of muck and left light 

 to decompose. This process is carried on all 

 through the winter, or all the time the horses 

 are stabled. A large quantity of excellent 

 manure is derived from this source. 



The swine are kept in the cellar in pens 

 with tight plank iloors. Into these pens are 

 thrown large quantities of muck, turf, loam, 

 leaves, brakes, straw, &c., for the hogs to 

 work over. Muck is preferred to anything 

 else, when a sufficient quantity is at hand 

 which can be spared for that purpose. After 

 it has been well worked over by the hogs, and 

 thoroughly mixed with their droppings, it is 

 thrown out, forked over and left light in a 

 heap to decompose. This operation is carried 

 on in winter as well as summer. The ingre- 

 dients for winter use are carted into the cellar 

 in the fall, and thrown into the pens in small 

 quantities at a time when needed. 



My sheep are kept in sheds adjoining the 



barn. In June the manure is taken into the 

 cellar, thoroughly pulverized, and mixed with 

 an equal bulk of muck, when it is left to fo- 

 ment and decompose. Great care is necessary 

 to ^ee that the heat does not become too great 

 and cause it to "burn." Water is thrown up- 

 on the heap when the heat becomes too great. 



The soap suds and waste water from (he 

 house are made to contribute their store of 

 riches to a heap of pulverized muck. The 

 privy also is supplied with the same material. 

 These two last make an excellent compost for 

 the corn hdl, and a large amount can thus be se- 

 cured if proper attention is given to it. The 

 muck used is thrown from its bed in summer 

 and hauled during the leisure of winter. 



That my way of making manure is the best, 

 I do not claim. That it is a good method, I 

 most heartily believe. That my practice is 

 susceptible of improvement, I do notcjuestion. 

 If it should receive criticism, I will not quar- 

 rel with the critic. That I make large quan- 

 tities, the generous piles give evidence. That 

 it is a good manure, the crops will testify. — 

 Z. A. Gilbert, in Maine Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 EECIPKOCITY TREATY. 



Among neighbors it is a point of honor never 

 to interfere with another man's trade. We all 

 have something to sell, — some manufacture, 

 some produce, or our own labor. When we 

 seek a market for our commodity we feel cha- 

 grined to find ourselves forestalled, the mar- 

 ket supplied, and perhaps overstocked with ar- 

 ticles from some unexpected source. 



This has been the feeling among farmers 

 along the Canadian frontier, when they have 

 raised a variety of produce to sell to pay tax- 

 es, or to buy manufactured articles that have 

 paid a government license, and are therefore 

 high, and find the market dull and prices low 

 for the articles they wish to sell. They feel 

 that while other things are high, their produce 

 ought to bring a good price also, but they see 

 drove after drove of Canadian horses, cattle 

 and sheep, with car-load after car-load of but- 

 ter, oats, wheat and flour, all paid for in spe- 

 cie, and serving to depress American markets. 



Although these importations and their ef- 

 fects bear more immediately upon the people 

 near the frontier, yet the injury is a national 

 one. The cities are the markets for the whole 

 country, and the inhabitants thereof should be 

 fed by the country to which they belong as far 

 as the products will supply their wants. Still 

 the buyers are not to blame for acting upon 

 the principle o*' buying where they can buy the 

 cheapest and selling where they can sell the 

 dearest ; and consumers, whether of foreign 

 brandy and wines, or of mutton and beef nat- 

 urally desire to pay as small duties as possi- 

 ble on things imported. 



The Canadian Provinces are devoted al- 

 most entirely to agriculture. The climate and 



