348 TALKS ON MANURS8. 



Guano, as a fertilizer, phosphate of bone and blood arc very good; they 

 act as a stimulant on plants and vegetation, and are highly beneficial to 

 some vegetation— more valuable on poor soil than elsewhere, except to 

 produce a thrifty growth in plants, and to insure a large crop. 



By giving you these few items they vary considerably on different 

 parts of the Island ; judgment must be used in all cases and all busi- 

 ness. Hoping these few lines may be of some avail to Mr. Harris and 

 yourself, I remain, yours, etc., John E. Backus. 



MANURE IN PHILADELPHIA. 



LETTEK FROM JOSEPH HEACOCK. 



Jenkintown, Montgomery Co., Pa., April 18th, 1876. 



My Dear Friend Harris. — Stable-manure in Philadelphia, costs by 

 the single four-horsc-load, about §9 or $10. Mostly, the farmers who 

 haul much of it, have it engaged b)' the year, and then it can be had for 

 from §7 to $8 per load. Mostly, four horses are used, though we fre- 

 quently see two aTid three-horse teams, aud occasionally, five or six 

 horses are used. I have never seen any kind of dung hauled but that of 

 horses. Cow-manure would be thought too heavy to haul so long a dis- 

 tance. Sugar-house waste, spent hops, glue waste, etc, are hauled to a 

 email extent. We live about 9 miles from the center of the city, and the 

 road is very hilly, though otherwise a good one, being made of stone. 



The loads vary from 2i to 3i or 4 tons for four horses, according to 

 the dryness of the manure. The wagons are made very strong, and weigh 

 from 1,600 lbs. to 2,800 or 2,400 lbs., according to the number of horses 

 that are to be used to them. I cannot say how many cords there are in 

 an average load, but probably not less than two cords to four horses. 

 One of my neighbors has a stable engaged by the year. He pays $2.50 

 per ton, and averages about three tons per load, and the distance from 

 the stable in the city to his place, can not be less than 12 miles. His 

 team goes empty one way and of course can not haul more than a load 

 a day. In fact, can not average that, as it would be too hard on his 

 horses. The horses used for the purpose are large and strong. Fifteen 

 or twenty years ago, there was kept on most farms of 75 to 100 acres, a 

 team purposely for hauling manure from the city. But it is ditferent 

 now, many of the farmers using artificial manures, as it costs so much 

 less ; and others are keeping more stock, and so making their own 

 manure. Still, there is a great deal hauled yet. And some of it to a 

 distance of 20 miles. Though when hauled to this distance, the teams 

 are loaded both ways. For instance, they will start to the city with a 

 load of hay (35 to 50 cwt.), on Monday afternoon (Tuesday is the day of 

 the Hay Market) ; and when tliey have their load of hay off on Tuesday, 

 they load their manure and drive out five or six miles and put up for the 

 niglit. Next morning they start about 3 o'clock, arriving home before 

 noon, having been away two days. On Thursday afternoon, they start 

 again. You can see that manuring in this way is very expensive. But 

 farmers about here well know that if they do not manure well they raise 



