No. 5. 



The Doctrine of Special Manures. 



IGl 



The Expense of Farm Yard Manure. 



BY D. P. GARDNER. 



There are few farmers who adopt the 

 plan of manuring- to any extent, who have 

 not been on mature reflection, somewhat 

 surprised at the great expense they incur. 

 When the cost of raising and storing the 

 provender, of feeding out, of handling the 

 manure, of carting to distant fields, of plow- 

 ing, and in a great measure for the purpose 

 of obtaining a fresh supply of provender, are 

 duly considered, the expense is by no means 

 trifling. It is indeed urged that stock is 

 necessary to the farmer, and that he finds it 

 profitable to feed such well; but I am not 

 considering the question whether a farm be 

 so situated as to make it profitable to graze, 

 or make cheese and butter, but the more 

 simple question of the expensiveness of em- 

 ploying farm yard manure as is now done or 

 amending the system. It is urged by British 

 agriculturists, that a supply of neat cattle is 

 an essential to good farming, and that the 

 farmer should be content to gain the manure 

 only for his time, labour, provender and 

 capital. The plan adopted under this re- 

 commendation consists in purchasing a num- 

 ber of Highland or Irish steers in the fall, 

 when they are driven into England for the 

 purpose, and maintaining them until spring, 

 when they are sold in the neighbouring mar- 

 kets to the butcher ; and we are assured that 

 if the animals sell for as much as they cost 

 in the autumn, the farmer is well paid for the 

 heavy investment of capital in land and ani- 

 mals by the manure reserved. It is not de- 

 nied that many make a profit of some kind 

 besides, but this is the dictum of agricultural 

 authors and unfortunately the experience of 

 many worthy men. It is further considered 

 that more than a third of the farm should be 

 set aside for the purpose of supplying the 

 hay, turnips, mangel wurzel or other neces- 

 sary provender to carry out this scheme. 

 VVithout desiring to push the expense to the 

 highest figure, it is however useful to con- 

 sider what may be the effect of this recom- 

 mendation amongst us, allowing a fair amount 

 of profit on the feeding. It isstated by resi- 

 dents of Dutchess county, in New- York, 

 that it is a common practice to take up west- 

 ern cattle in the spring or during the early 

 summer, graze them untill fall and then send 

 them to market. The cost of the animals 

 averages $20 a head, and they are sold at 

 $30 each, in New- York market. On farms 

 of 200 acres 100 head can be taken and this 

 will pretty nearly exhaust the productive 

 resources of the land.* Let us suppose that 



* The statement of Mr. Wyckoff' at the Farmer's 

 Club, New York. 



the animals exhaust the provender of the 

 farm and the expense will be at 7 per cent, 

 per annum, 



Interest pn land, worth $50 the acre, $700 00 



Interest on the investment for G months, 



100 head at $20 each, - - - 70 00 



Expenses of labour, 2 men and a boy 6 

 months, at $18 for each man and $10 for 

 the boy, - - - - 276 00 



Expenses, 



$1,046 00 



The profit on the cattle will be $1,000; 

 the farmer does not therefore at this rate ob- 

 tain a return of seven per cent, on his capi- 

 tal, in as much as he pays $276, for labour ; 

 and therefore if instead of farming, he made 

 an investment of his money ($12,000) in 

 bond and mortgage at 7 per cent, reserving 

 his house, he would do much better than by 

 this systetn. The numbers given above re- 

 present very nearly the condition of things, 

 the only difference being that a small surface 

 is in corn, grain, orchard and garden, which 

 do not produce more than sufficient to main- 

 tain the stock used by the family and the 

 vegetables and grain for the table. The 

 manure dropped is left on the field and wasted 

 very considerably from this cause, little is 

 collected, and the whole broken and spread 

 in the spring does no more than maintain 

 the land in sufficient heart to produce the 

 necessary crop for the next season. There 

 is little doubt that this process is without 

 economy, but it is extensively practised ; and 

 it is a subject of consideration whether it be 

 not as profitable as any system in which the 

 feature of feeding cattle for manure is intro- 

 duced ; to arrive at a fair conclusion on this 

 subject we must omit all profits derivable 

 from milk, cheese or calves, for in this case 

 the stock is made a means of selling the crop 

 as well as supplying manure, and they vvill 

 consume more food and be a more permanent 

 portion of the investment. It is yet a ques- 

 tion with practical men, who are within 

 reach of a good market, whether corn or 

 grain can be profitably turned into flesh, and 

 we are not disposed to entertain this matter, 

 but are merely drawing attention to the great 

 expense of farm yard manure. 



Suppose, however, that all the straw is 

 economized on a partially arable farm and 

 this is added to the yard, the other provender 

 being derived from a third of the land ; will 

 the operation be much more profitable ! The 

 number of head of stock kept will depend 

 upon the condition of the grass land, which 

 must be manured to keep up a fair yield, and 

 little more than the straw will go back to 

 the land from whence it came. The addi- 

 tion will unquestionably sustain the land in 



