1847. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



217 



How to use Straw as ]\Ianure. 



Mr. Editok : — I wish to inquire of tlie wheat ^rjvving 

 readers of the Genesee Parmer what, in their opinion, is the 

 best and most econuniical mode of convening straw into 

 maniire. ^\'hcn we iiave large quantities of straw, I con- 

 c'eve it to be quite an object to tl e wheat grower to en- 

 deavor to return it agiiii to the soil in the shortest possible 

 lime, and in that way in which it will be likely to be most 

 beneticial to the growing crops. 1 have observed that some 

 farmers allow their straw to remain for years, in slacks or 

 heaps about the barn, or other place when it was threshed, 

 allowing their cattle to run to it at pleasure. Others per- 

 haps will draw it out early in the spring, and throw it in 

 heaps upon the ground which they intend for a f illow, let- 

 ting it lay until they are about to break up the ground, and 

 then spread the straw. Others again, as soon as the ground 

 is sufficiently settled in the spring, draw their straw on to 

 their fallow ground, and spread it as even as possible over 

 the surface in order that the clover and other grass may 

 sprout up through it, and before time for breaking up it will 

 probably be so far roiled that it will not interfere with the 

 plow. And again, there have been others so anxious to 

 dispose of their straw in a summary manner, that -lliey have 

 even applied the torch to it ; but 1 trust that in this day of 

 agricultural improvemcBt there are few farmers but what 

 know how to make a better use of it. 



I will here state the mode I have practiced for the last 

 two or three years, not because I conceive it to be the best 

 that may be adopted, but because I hope by so doing to get 

 the experience of others through the Genesee Farmer, as I 

 am comparatively a new beginner. At the time of thresh- 

 ing I make a pen sufficiently large to contain my straw, and 

 keep the fence up until the straw is all taken out, as 1 con- 

 sider this to be a much better plan than to let the cattle run 

 to it at pleasure, as in that case perhaps not more than two 

 or three jf the most able ones will get any or but little if 

 any ; besides there have been instances of cattle having 

 bsen killed in that way, by having pulled out so mich from 

 one side as to cause it to fall upon them. As soon as win- 

 ter sets in, I commence cutting down my straw stack and 

 throw it out profuse ly into the yard, once or twice each day. 

 My object is two-fold— tirst,' to let the cattle and sheep pick 

 out of it what ihey choose, which is no inconsiderable item 

 towards wintering them ; and secondly, while so doing they 

 are trampling the straw to pieces and manufacturing it into 

 manure. J3iit, by the way, for the past winter I have sta- 

 bled my cattle every night, giving them plenty of straw for 

 litter, and I would just say to any who are not satislied that 

 the superior condition of their cattle in the spring will pay 

 for the extra trouble of stabling them — why, then, try it, 

 that 's all. 



But to return. By the time winter is fairly through my 

 straw is pretty much all under foot in the yard, and havin; 

 become thorouglily saturated with tke rain and snow, is in 

 process of decomposition. There I let it remain until after 

 breaking up ray fallow, and just before cross plowing I haul 

 out all my barn yard manure, including straw ; spread it as 

 even as possible, and plow it in. Now I should like to know 

 if, after the straw is in the condition described above, it will 

 pay the extra expense of money and labor to purchase lime 

 and leached ashes in order to make it into compost heaps — 

 lime to cost ten cents per bushel, and leached ashes twenty- 

 live cents per load ; the ashes to be hauled one mile, the 

 lime four or five miles. 



By giving the above an insertion in the Genesee Farmer, 

 you will much oblige. Yours, «5cc.. 



WebsUr, April, 1847. A. Rkynolds. 



Our correspondent's views in relation to the 

 best methods of returning straw back to the land 

 as manure, are generally correct. All that the 

 barn-yard and stables will carry, should be thus 

 used. Top dressing pasture and meadow lands 

 in the fall with an evenly distributed and not too 

 heavy a coating, is also one of the best methods 

 of disposing of the over plus ; and a top dressing 

 to wheat immediately after sowing, and especial- 

 ly knolls, that are liable ta blow bare of snow, 

 and low places liable to winter-killing, are won- 

 derfully protected and benefitted. Such a pro- 



cess will in all cases add one-quarter to the crop. 

 So important is it considered in England that the 

 process is dignitied by the appelation of " Gur- 

 neyism," (fee Colman's Tour.) Its distribution 

 on meadows is objectionable when performed in 

 the spring, as it will not become sufficiently 

 packed and rotlen but what it will rake up with 

 the hay. Burning is decidedly injudicious and 

 wasteful. * 



Gates. — Every fiold on the farm should be 

 entered by a good self shutting and self-fastening 

 gate. How long does it require to take down and 

 put up a set of bars 1 At least two minutes, 

 which, if repeated three times a day for a year, 

 amounts to thirty hours, or three days of working 

 time — which would nearly pay for a good gate. 

 Or, examii.e it in another point of view— three 

 times a day is eighteen hundred times a year ; 

 now is there any man between Halifax and Cal- 

 ifornia who w^ould take down and replace a set 

 of bars eighteen hundred times in succession in 

 payment for a farm gate 1 Hardly — yet this is 

 the price yearly paid by those who use bars thai 

 are constantly passed and the gate is not obtained 

 by it. Agaiii — how much better is a well hung 

 gate, than one half hung ?— or one with a good 

 self-fastening latcli, than one with a pin crowded 

 into an auger hole 1 Try it by dragging a badly 

 hung gate over the ground, eighteen hundred 

 tirraes in succession, securing at each time with a 

 pin, and see if you do not think tiiis labor would 

 pay for good hinges and latch. 



To PREVENT Oxen hauling apart. — -Some 

 oxen have a very vexatious trick of hauling apart 

 when in the yoke. Mr. Francis Wingate, an 

 experienced farmer at Hallowell, informs us that 

 he prevented this in a yoke of oxen, by placing 

 a small rope or line, a cod line for instance, 

 across fronn the horn of one ox to the horn of the 

 other, thus bringing their heads in some degree 

 together. The line should be tied round the 

 tips, which, if they have balls on, may be kept 

 there very easily, and should be proportioned in 

 length to the length of the yoke. 



If this simple remedy will obviate the troiable 

 in all oxen addicted to this trick, it is worth know- 

 ing. If the rope be tied around the tips instead 

 of around the roots of the horns, they will have 

 less purchase upon it, and smaller cord will an- 

 swer the purpose. — Me. Farmer. 



Recipe for making Black Ink. — '^Two 

 quarts of rain water, one half lb. nutgalls, three 

 ounces gum Senegal (arable,) three ounces sul- 

 phate of iron; soak the nutgalls in three quarters 

 I of the water; the gum arabic in one half of fihe 

 j remaining water, warmed ; the sulphate of iron 

 1 in the other half; let them stand in the several 

 j vessels 48 hours, the*n mix them, and the ink is 

 I made. This recipe was received from Dr. \^'eb- 

 [ster, Prof, of Chemistry in Harvard Ufiiversity." 



