154 [Assembly 



REMARKS ON MANURES. 



BY ROSWELL L. COLT. 



I am fortunately situated for being supplied with manures. I get 

 the waste of a large flax and hemp mill, simply for the cost of cart- 

 age. I get 30 bushels of night soil at 75 cents. I get any quantity 

 of swamp mud for the digging. With the charcoal dust, night soil 

 and sifted ashes J wood and | anthracite, at 1| cents per bushel, I 

 made a compost with which I manure my corn lands, and for garden 

 vegetables, beets, carrots, &c. For my potatoes I prefer lime and 

 anthracite ashes, and last year though the yield was small, I had fine 

 potatoes, no rot. Last year (in November, '47,) I tried the planting 

 of potatoes ; a part I covered with salt hay, a part I left uncovered. 

 The yield was small, no rot. Some I manured with lime, some with 

 charcoal dust, no difference in yield or flavor. The same spring I 

 planted potatoes w^ith barnyard manure; the yield was greater, but 

 hollow-hearted and watery. I have come to the conclusion, for 

 quantity, you must have barnyard manure, for quality, no animal 

 manure. 



I have tried guano and think it valuable, but with the sources I 

 have of making a compost of night soil and marsh mud, and oyster 

 shells at 3^ cents per bushel, with brush to burn, cost, only cutting, 

 making the lime not 2^ cents a bushel, and the swamp mud, I can 

 enrich my grounds cheaper than to buy guano or your NewvYork 

 poudrette at the price asked. 



You have a source for manure in New-York, I only wonder no one 

 has thought of, that is the refuse of your slaughter-houses, where pigs 

 and cattle are killed. Let them buy from the charcoal yards the 

 dust, which can be purchased at 4 or 5 cents a bushel, mix this with 

 wood ashes and ground plaster of Paris and common copperas, sul- 

 phate of iron, and a manure can be made at \ the price of guano of 

 equal value, say for 



4 bushels of charcoal dust, 20 cents. 



1 bushel of ground plaster of Paris, 15 " 



2 pounds of sulphate of iron, 5 " 



40 " 



