No. 6. 



On the Preparation and Use of Manures. 



175 



kinds, night soil, &c., &c., may be thrown, 

 and .upon it all the wash of the yards and 

 urine of the stables may be poured; and it 

 the animal and vegetable matters as they 

 accumulate, are kept covered and moist, the 

 fermentation will go on successfully ; the 

 alkalies and salts of the animal matters will 

 act on the vegetable part and saturate the 

 earths used, and the whole will be converted 

 into manure of the most valuable quality. 



Preparation and use of compost. — The 

 labour of preparing compost, it is true, is 

 much greater than merely drawing it from 

 the yard, but the quantity is so much in- 

 creased, and the quality so much improved, 

 tliat it is the most economical in the end. 

 The only method that can compare with it, 

 is to place these matters over the yard, and 

 let them be composted or fermented in that 

 place ; but there will always be great waste 

 in this way ; and where turf or vegetable 

 mold is used for composting with the animal 

 manure, the compost heaps can frequently 

 be made where they are to be used, and the 

 labour of drawing materials greatly lessened. 

 Bommer's patent manure is only compost 

 made in a scientific and accurate manner, 

 every part of the process so managed as to 

 produce a perfect fermentation, without the 

 loss of any of the valuable parts of the con- 

 stituents used. From a knowledge of the 

 processes employed by him, we are able to 

 say that where his directions are followed, a 

 powerful and valuable manure cannot fail to 

 be produced. The fundamental principle 

 upon vi^hich composts have been made, is 

 that of impregnating the earths used in the 

 process with tlie soluble salts and the gases, 

 which, in the ordinary methods of rotting, 

 are wholly or partially lost to the farmer. 

 The discussions which have been carried on, 

 as to the propriety or impropriety of burying 

 manures in the soil, have arisen from not 

 stating the kind of manure to be used. The 

 solid and soluble parts of manures have a 

 tendency to sink into the soil ; the gases 

 evolved in fermentation a tendency to rise. 

 The true principle, then, is to bury the un- 

 fermented matters no deeper than is neces- 

 sary to secure the moisture required for fer- 

 mentation, while the fermented or decom- 

 posed dung, having no fertilizing gases to 

 lose, may be mixed at once with the surface 

 earth. Some of the greatest crops of Indian 

 corn ever grown in the United States, have 

 been produced by placing a heavy dressing 

 of unfermented manure on turf land, and 

 turning it under with the plough. The sur 

 face is then rolled to press the sod close 

 upon the manure, and afterwards harrowed, 

 to loosen the earth for the reception of the 

 seed. Into each hill, a small portion of fully 



rotted manure or compost is put at planting. 

 This promotes germination, gives the young 

 plant a vigorous start, and by the time the 

 roots have penetrated beyond this, active 

 fermentation has commenced in the long 

 manure, and thus fertilizing matters are fur- 

 nished in the greatest abundance when most 

 wanted by the plant. 



U.seo/Lime. — Of the mineral manures used, 

 lime, as has been already stated, is the most 

 important, and under all its forms, is exten- 

 sively used in Europe and in this country. 

 The German farmers of Lancaster, Chester, 

 and the adjoining counties of Pennsylvania, 

 use lime more extensively than in any other 

 part of this country. Considerable discus- 

 sion has been had at diflerent times as to 

 the comparative value of limes that contain 

 magnesia, or such as are free from it; but 

 the value of lime as a dressing for soils, 

 seems to be everywhere conceded in those 

 districts where it has been used. It appears 

 as the result of experience, that lime pro- 

 duces the best effect on what are called stiff" 

 loams, or loams inclining to clay, and in 

 which a good proportion of decayed organic 

 matter is found. It is found, too, that it 

 operates more favourably on soils natural to 

 oak and its kindred trees, such as walnut, 

 poplar, &c., than on those where the beech, 

 elm and maple, constitute the principal tim- 

 ber. It is singular that the richest lime- 

 stone lands, as they are called from being 

 based on this rock, are frequently those on 

 which heavy dressings of lime operate like 

 a charm. If used as a top-dressing-, lime is 

 usually applied to the sod in the fall; but 

 the practice most approved, is to lime the 

 corn ground in the spring, on the inverted 

 sod. Manure is applied to the wheat crop 

 atler lime. The quantity of lime used va- 

 ries much. There is no doubt it has some- 

 times been used in excessive quantities; and 

 when used on soils nearly destitute of vege- 

 table matter, can produce no good effect. 

 On a medium soil, fifty bushels per acre, 

 may be considered an abundant dressing; 

 but three or four times that quantity is some- 

 times used. The best method of using lime, 

 is to take it from the kiln, unslacked, and 

 deposit it in heaps in the field where it is to 

 be used, not more than three or four bushels 

 in a place; and either slack it by pouring 

 water over it, or, which is better, by cover- 

 ing each pile with earth, and letting them 

 slack by the moisture thus furnished. AVhen 

 sufficiently fine, the earth and the lime are 

 mixed by shoveling over, and the mass is 

 then scattered over the land to be dressed. 

 The soil should be well harrowed after the 

 application of lime, to incorporate it more 

 completely with tlie surface earth. 



