52 



NEWfENGLAND FARMER 



AUG. 16, 1S43. 



From Transactions of the N. Y. State Agiicultural Society. 



PRIZE ESSAY ON THE PREPARATION 

 AND USE OF MANURES. 



BY WILLIS BAYLOKI). 



Salt and Lime. — Salt and lime, artificially mix- 

 ed as a manure, proniisps to be a valuable aid to 

 the farmer in those positions where the soil abounds 

 in insoluble silicates or gcine, and where other 

 manures necessary to produce decomposition or 

 fermentation are not at hand. Prof. Johnston re- 

 commends a mixture of two parts of lime and 

 one part of salt, the mixture to remain incorpora- 

 ted in a shady place, or covered with sods two or 

 three mouths before usinp. Salt and lime should 

 not be used immediately after mixing, as bad re- 

 sults are apt to ensue ; but after being well mixed 

 in a dry state and lying as directed, it may be ap- 

 plied at the rate of from thirty to sixty bushels per 

 acre, either before or at the time of sowing. Mix- 

 ed with soot, salt acta with great power on roots. 

 Mr Sinclair mixed six and a half bushels of soot 

 with the same quantity of salt, and used the mix- 

 ture on lands sowed to carrots. The result was, 

 that unmanured land gave twentythree tons of 

 roots per acre, and the manured yielded forty tons 

 per acre ; and Mr Cartwright found that wliere 

 unmanured soil gave 157 bushels of potatoes per 

 acre, 30 bushels of soot and six of salt, made it 

 produce 2-10 bushels per acre. Dr. Dana furnishes 

 80 beautiful an explanation of the manner in which 

 this manure acts, that it deserves a place entire. 

 " By mixing quicklime with common salt, its soda 

 is let loose, the acid combines with the lime, form- 

 ing a soluble salt of lime, and so long as the soda 

 remains caustic, it has no effect on the muriate of 

 lime, but as soon as the soda becomes mild or car- 

 bonated, decomposition of the muriate of lime is 

 produced, and the common salt regenerated. Com- 

 mencing then with quicklime and salt, we pass to 

 a soluble salt of lime and caustic soda, and from 

 that to mild soda, and to carbonate of lime and 

 tlie original salt. If these various changes take 

 place in the midst of peat or geine, it is evident 

 that the caustic soda acts upon the geine, and also 

 evolves ammonia from that substance ; secondly, 

 that the muriate of lime, in its finely soluble state, 

 insinuates itself among the particles of the geine ; 

 that the soda is also equally dilTused, and that 

 when ihe soda becomes carbonated, it produces 

 an almost impalpable carbonate of lime throughout 

 the whole mass, which, by its equal diffusion 

 through the soil with the geine, acts upon the sili- 

 cates, as has been heretofore explained." To pro- 

 duce those effects, Dr. D. directs to take one bush- 

 el of salt and two bushels of lime ; to make the 

 Bait into strong brine, and with it slack the lime. 

 Mix both well together, and let them remain ten 

 days ; then let therp be well mixed with three 

 cords of peat, shoveled well over for about six 

 weeks, wlien it may be used. A quantity of salt 

 sufficient to destroy all vegetation, may be applied 

 to a soil with safety, when a few months are to 

 elnpse before the crop is to be put on ; as the 

 chemical changes which take place, partially neu- 

 tralize Its cftect during this lime. A small quan- 

 tity mixed with the soil in each hill of corn, has 

 been found to protect it from the wire worm and 

 the cut worm ; indeed there is no substance that 

 insects of nil kinds more dread than salt. It is 

 probable, therefore, that further experiments will 

 ahow that not the least value of salt is to be found 



in its preventive properties against these depreda- 

 tors. 



Preparation and Use of Stable Manures. — As 

 the common farmer must always rely on stable or 

 farmyard manure, as his principal means of fertili- 

 zation and renovation of his soils, it is to these, to 

 their preparation and use, that his attention must 

 be principally directed. It is an important ques- 

 tion for him to decide, whether he should apply 

 his manure in a long state, that is, fresh from his 

 stables and yards before undergoing decomposi- 

 tion, or let it remain until the litter and straw have 

 fermented and become rotten, before using it. It 

 has been said that rotted manure contains more 

 geine or humus, weight for weight, than unrotted 

 or fresh manure. This is probable ; but to make 

 this test decisive, equal weights of dung should be 

 taken while fresh, one analyzed at the time, and 

 the other when fermented and rotted. This cours'-, 

 it is believed, would show a result in favor of the 

 unrotted. There can be no doubt, however, that 

 straw, stable litter, &.c. should be partially fer- 

 mented before using, and the moisture necessary 

 for the process should, if possible, be the urine of 

 the animals or the drainings of the yards. Straw 

 in dung intended for a particular crop, is of little 

 use unless the fermentation has far progressed ; 

 and a distinguished German farmer has asserted 

 that he ccmsidered straw as of no consequence in 

 manure, except as acting the part of a sponge to 

 retain the fluid parts of the animal manures. 

 Where the unfermented dung of the yard or sta- 

 ble is applied to the soil, it should be covered at 

 once by the plow, that the gas liberated in fermen- 

 tation may not be lost, and that the moisture neces- 

 sary for fermentation may be secured. When rot- 

 ted or fermented, the covering is not of so much 

 consequence, and it may without loss, be scattered 

 on the surface and mixed with it. If used without 

 fermenting, it should be applied to hoed or summer 

 crops, such as corn or roots, as these are in that 

 state while the manure is at the height of its 

 fermentation, when forcing manures are the most 

 useful; but if applied to the smaller grains, they 

 are most active when matter for the perfection of 

 the seed, not the enlargement of the straw, is most 

 needed, and the last is increased at the expense 

 of the first. Taking all these circumstances into 

 consideration, there can be little question that the 

 most economical way of making and using ma- 

 nures, is to convert the stable and barnyard ma- 

 nure into compost, by the addition of peat, swamp 

 muck, cleansing of ditches, wash of roads, leached 

 ashes, or even common loam or earth, taking care, 

 when the manure is wanted for heavy soils, that 

 the earth used in the compost should be as light 

 or sandy as may be ; and where the soil is light, 

 that the compost earth should be marly clay. 



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 necessary to 

 secure the moisture required for fermentation, 

 wliile the fermented or decomposed 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 

 under with Ihe plow. The surface is then rolle 

 to press the sod close upon the manure, and afte 

 wards harrowed, to loosen the earth for the rece| 

 tion of the seed. Into each hill, a small portic 

 of fully rotted manure or compost is put at plan 

 ing. This promotes germination, gives the your 

 plant a vigorous start, and by the tune the rooi 

 have penetrated beyond this, active fermentati( 

 has commenced in the long manure, and thus fo 

 tilizing matters are furnished in the greatest abu; 

 dance when most wanted by the plant. 



Sn!t and the Cut ff'orm.—F. J. Belts, Esq., 

 the Albany Cultivator, says: "A good deal h 

 been said in the acrricullural papers about the e 

 feet of common salt as a manure, and also as a rii 

 medy for the cut worm. I used it last year, as yi 

 will probably remember, sown broadcast, at t 

 rate of two bushels per acre, and my field escapi 

 the ravages of the worm entirely, although my ii 

 mediate neighbors were all complaining of its b 

 ing uncommonly destructive. Last fall, I w 

 planting fruit trees in the field which I have tl 

 year appropriated to Indian corn, and I found ti 

 soil literally filled with the cut worm. I aga 

 sowed salt in the same quantity as last year, ii 

 mediately before plowing the ground this sprin 

 and I have not lost a single plant from its ravagi- 

 and I believe, therefore, that there is no doubt ih 

 salt is a certain remedy for that pest of the ag 

 cukurist." 



Spoken For. — Decidedly the best thing we ha 

 seen the present season in the way of illustratic 

 is a cut accompanying a communication in t 

 June No. of the P^armer's and Mechanic's Journ 

 published at Chagrin Falls, Ohio. It is not t 

 beauty of the engraving that strikes one, but t 

 truth, we had almost said sad truthfulness of t 

 cut, that will fix the attention of all farmers w 

 may meet with it. The man who drew that, h 

 an eye for nature, and the past season furnish 

 but too many similar subjects for the pencil of 

 amateur. The cut represents a sheep — she loo 

 as though she might be the last of a flock — e 

 deavoring to shelter herself behind a broken a 

 dilapidated fence, from the piercing blasts of Mart 

 Her wool has fallen off in large patches on h 

 rump, sides, back and neck; her shrunken fo 

 speaks of lack of hay and want of turnips; a 

 every thing indicates a sheep that had seen betl 

 days, but had now reached Ihe lowest depth of pe 

 erty. Two or three crows are seated on the fen 

 near her, apparently deliberating whether th 

 should commence picking her ribs now, or wail 

 few hours longer for the scanty meal she wot 

 furnish ; while others are seen on the wing, haste 

 ing to join the consultation or the feast. — Jilb. Cu 



To Housewives. — If some common salt be f 

 into the water, when washing cabbages or greei 

 preparatory to cooking them, the snails, sluj 

 worms, &c. will come out and sink to the botto 

 so that they need not be boiled with the vege. 

 bles. It is impossible to wash them out, exce 

 the cabbages be taken to pieces, and people ger 

 rally like to have the vegetable served up who 

 — Selected. 



Do n't neglect to let your stock have frequf 

 access to salt. 



