^6 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 2. 



Compost Heaps. 



The following most excellent remarks on the man. 

 ufacluro of compost, arc richly worth the perusal ot 

 every farmer, old or young, rich or poor. Most of 

 them have the merit of being as applicable to this 

 country as to England. Every sentence is full of 

 meaning, and wc &re tempted almost to print one 

 half of the article at least, in italics. Most of our 

 ftrmcrs have yet to lake the first step in the prop. 

 tr management of manures — a thing, which if well 

 understood and attended to, would, in a few years, 

 triple the pioducts of the country, and, to speak 

 Tery moderately indeed, be worth yearly to the coun- 

 try IIUNDRCO* OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. We think 



there will be no difficulty in proving this. If the 

 writer of the following remarks had mentioned lime 

 ax a component part of his compost heap, we think 

 it would have been better, as wc consider this ingre. 

 dicnt as indispcnsible. 



From the Jvurnal of the English Agricultural Society. 



XS ESSAY 



On making Compost heaps from liquids and other 

 suhstiinccs ; tcritlen on the eridcnce of many years 

 experience — To ichick the prize nj' ten sovereigns 

 was awarded — B^Jamks Dixu.v, Esq.y Secretary 

 to the Manchester Agriailtural Society. 

 The force and power of an agriculturist to pro. 

 duce good crops, mainly depends on the manures he 

 can command ; and how to derive the greatest possi. 

 ble benefits from his immediate resources, is one of 

 the most useful subjects that can engage his atten- 

 tion. The English Agricultural Society having of- 

 fered a premium for the best mode of making com. 

 post heaps, I venture to forward the eommiltee my 

 ideas on this most important branch of rural man- 

 agement; and in doing this I shall slate the course 

 I have pursued in this particular for many years, 

 and which every additional experience inclines me 

 not to make any systematic alteration. 



My farm is a strong, retentive soil, on a substra- 

 tum of ferruginous cLiy ; and being many times 

 disappointed in what 1 considered reasonable antici- 

 pations of good crops, I determined on a new sys. 

 tem of manuring. Though quite satisfied of the 

 expense which would necessarily be incurred by my 

 plan, I still determined on its adoption. At the on- 

 »et I etfectually drained a considerable part of my 

 farm. My next object was liow to improve its tex- 

 ture at the least cost— (perhaps I may be allowed to 

 stale that my holding has always been at rack-rent ;) 

 for this purpose we carled great quantities of fine 

 sawdust and peath earth or bog ; we had so far to go 

 for the latter, that two horses would fetch little more 

 than thrie tons in one day — '>ne horse would fetch 

 three cart-louds of sawdust in the same time. Ha- 

 ving brought great quantities of peat and sawdust 

 into my farm yard, I laid out for the bottom of a 

 compost heap, a space of considerable dimensions, 

 and about three feet in depth ; three. fourtli.s of this 

 bottom was peat, the rest sawdust ; on this we con- 

 veyed daily the dung from tiie cattle sheds, the 

 urine is also conducted through channels to wills for 

 its reception, (one on each >ide of tlie compost heap;) 

 common water is entirely prevented from mixing 

 with it. Every second day the urine so collected is 

 thrown over the whole mass with a scoop, and at the 

 •ame time we regulate the accumuUled dung. Ti is 

 being continued for a week, another layer, nine in- 

 ches or a foot thick, of peal and sawdust (and fre- 

 quently peat without sa.vdust) is wheeled on the ac. 

 cumulated heap. Tl.c.-c matters arc continually 

 added to each other during winter, and in addition 

 once in evciy week never less than 25 ewt., more 

 frequently 50 cwt., of night soil and urine ; the lat. 

 terare always laid next above the peat or bog earth, 

 as we think it acceler.-ite3 their decomposition. It 

 is perhaps proper here to state that the peat is dug 

 and exposed to the alternations of the weather for 

 ■everal months before it is brought to the heap for 

 admixture; by this it loses much of its moisture. — 

 In some c;ascs, peat contains acid or astringent mat. 

 ters, which are injurious to useful vegetation. On 

 this I have not tried any decided experiments, but 

 f^in led to the supposition by frequeniiysecingstonos, 

 fi^if)o in a partial state of deeoinposilion, others 

 who'-ly decomposed in bogs, and at 'he depth of se. 

 rvral foct IfQm the surface. Some years' experience 



has convinced me of the impropriety of using recent- 

 ly dug peal; proceeding in the manner 1 recom 

 mend, it is superior, and more convenient on every 

 account — much lighter to cart to the farm yard or 

 any other situation where it is wanted ; and so con- 

 vincjd am I of its utility in compcsls of every des 

 eriptinn of soil, except that of its own character, 

 that whtrcverit can be laid down on a farm at less 

 than 4s. per ton, I should recommend to every agri 

 culturist and horticulturist thai can command it, 

 even at the cost here stated, to give it a fair trial. 

 So retentive and attractive of moisture is peat, that 

 if liberally applied to any arid, sandy soil, that toil 

 does not burn in a dry season, and it so much iin- 

 piovcs llie texture and increases the produce of an 

 obdurate clay soil, if in other respects riglitly ruiti 

 vatcd, that actual experience alone can fairly deter. 

 mine its vnlue. 



For the conveyance of night soil and mine, wc 

 have the largest and strongest casks, such as oils are 

 imported in ; the top of which is provided with a 

 funnel to put the matters through, and the casks are 

 fixed on wheels like those of a common dung cart. 

 For the convenience of emptying this carriage, the 

 compost heaps are always lower at one end ; the 

 highest is where we discharge the conlcnts, in or- 

 der that they in some degree spread over the wiiolc 

 accumulation : the situation on which the wheels of 

 these can i.iges stand while being discharged is rais. 

 ed considerably ; this we iind convenient, as the 

 compost heap may be ^lopcd six or seven feet high : 

 low compost heaps, in my opinion, sliould be avoid, 

 ed. The plan here recommended, I have carried on 

 for some time. I find no difficulty in manuring my 

 farm over once in two years; by this repetition I 

 keep up the fertility of my land, and it never requires 

 more than a moderate apulicationof manure. 



I am fully aware that there are many localities 

 where neiiher peat nor night.soil can be readily ob- 

 tained ; but it is worth a farmer's wliile to go even 

 more than twenty miles for the latter substance, pro- 

 vided he can have it without deterioration : the orig- 

 inal cost is often trifling. On a farm where turnips 

 or mangold are cultivated to some extent, the sys. 

 tem here recommended will be almost incaleulabl, 

 advantageous ; a single home is sufficient for one 

 carriage — mine hold upwards of a ton each ; six 

 tons of tins manure in compost with peat, or, if that 

 is not convenient, any other matters, such as ditch 

 scourings, or high headlands which have been pro- 

 perly prepared and laid in a dry heap for some time, 

 would be amply sufficient for an acre of mangold 

 or turnips. This manure is by far the most invig. 

 orating of any I have ever yet tried ; bones in any 

 state will bear no comparison with it tor any crop; 

 but it must be remembered that I write on the sup. 

 position that it has not been reduced in stiingth be. 

 fore it is fetched. 



Convenience frequently suggests that com^'ost 

 heaps should be raised on different parts of a farm ; 

 but, unless in particular instances, it is well to have 

 them in the yard ; in it all the urine from the cattle 

 stalls may be employed with the greatest economy ; 

 and be it remembered that itie urine from animals, 

 in given weights, is more powerful than their solid 

 excrcincnts.* How important then must it bt- to the 

 farmer to make the most c.ireful use of this liquid. 

 It is sometimes carted on the land, but that practice 

 will not bear a comparison with making it into com. 

 posts in the manner here recommended. Great 

 waste is often made in putrescent manures after 

 tlicy are culled on the land ; instead of hein;r im- 

 mediately covered or incorporated with the soil, we 

 nolunfrcquently see them exposed for days together 

 in the hot rays of a scorching sun, or to the injuri. 

 ous influences of a dry W'ind. I have before slated 

 that compost heaps shoulj on many considerations 

 he raiscti in the (arm yard ; still, circumstances are 

 Ireqncntly such that it is more proper to make them 

 at some distance in the fields. If a headland be. 

 comes too high by frequent ploughings or working 

 of the land, in that case it should be ploughed at the 

 tinic when clover or mi.vcd grass seeds are sown 

 with a wl:ite crop, for instance, barley or oats, and 

 clover for the year following : a headland miglit 

 then be plougheil, and a number of cart loads of 

 some niiinure heaped from one end lo the othfr. Im- 

 mediately after this it should be trenched with the 

 spade (or what is sometimes called digging) and 



* This imiBl be Inltcn w<t)l some liinltiition^, for uriiu; eon- 

 lains lie to Il.» per rent, oi water; uiid uniinxcit diiiii,' coii- 

 laiiisiiil ilie salts of urine, besides mui.li mucus and other 

 »ut)»tftiice».— W.l*. Uham. 



ridged high, in order that an action should take 

 place between the soil and manure ; bv this means 

 the mass would soon be in a condition for turning 

 over, and any oitch scourings, or other matters which 

 had not in the first instance been used, might now 

 be added to the mixture. The heap should then be 

 allowed to remain closed for a few weeks, then turn- 

 ed over again ; at this turning, in all probability, the 

 mass would be much raducod ; if sufficiently redu- 

 ced, raise the ridge of compost well on both sides, 

 but, instead of its top being pointed, make a trench 

 or cavity on the top from one end of the heap to the 

 other. This cavity should be made tolerably retcn. 

 live of moisture, which may be effected by treading 

 with the feet ; carriages of night soil or urine from 

 the cattle stalls may then be emptied into the 

 trench, and the bulk of the heap would determine 

 how many were required ; this being done, a little 

 earth should be thrown into the trench, and the 

 heap allowed to remain in that state until the mid. 

 die or latter end of autumn ; it will then be ready for 

 another turning ; but at this time care must be la. 

 ken to have the heap well made up at the sides and 

 pointed at the top ; in this situation rain will be 

 thrown off, and the compost preserved dry until win- 

 ter presents some favorable opportunity fur laying it 

 on the young clover, wheat, or for making any oth- 

 er use of it which may be required. 



The beneficial effects of top dressing young clo- 

 vers or mixed grass seeds is scarcely ever regarded 

 with due attention. By this help, crops are not only 

 much increased, even 30 or 50 per cent., but ihey 

 are also ready for cutting much sooner, which in a 

 backward -spring gives the slock farmer inestimable 

 advantages for sorting his cattle, and thereby raising 

 manure at his pleasure. The full effects of this 

 practice 1 first experienced in the dry season of 1S26: 

 I had some clovers which had been manured the 

 previous winter; my land was soon covered with 

 crop, and that so vigorous a one, that the hot wea- 

 ther did not overpower it. My cows that summer 

 were tied up during the day-time, and in the night 

 they were turned out into the pastures ; most of the 

 slock in my district were much distressed from over- 

 heal as well as from being short of food for some 

 weeks; milk yielded little butter, scarcely any for a 

 time was oflered in our large market town : — no 

 doubt that year will be remembered by many gentle, 

 men on the Agricultural Society's committee. I, 

 however, was under no difficulties on account of 

 the season: my clovers produced plenty of food for 

 my cattle, and in return they yielded as much milk 

 and butter as I ever recollect from the same num- 

 ber. I am persuaded that the same satisfactory re- 

 sults would have followed if the same system had 

 tieen adopted for feeding; it was that year my at- 

 tention was first directed to raising compost heaps 

 from urine. This 1 now do frequently without the 

 help of any dung fiom the cattle stalls; the same 

 occasion called my mind to another matter well 

 worthy every farmer's attention. — I allude lo the 

 great superiority of the manure raised in summer 

 soiling to that produced in the stalls during winlcr- 

 l very believe the difference is fifty per cent., unless 

 stock are fed in a great measure during winter with 

 artificial food. 



In an arrangement for making compost heaps 

 from urine, I would recommend a receptacle to be 

 made at the back of the cattle stalls just outside the 

 building ; this should hold about twenty cartloads 

 of mould, or any oilier matters to be employed ; if its 

 situation were a little lower than the cattle sheds, 

 all the urine would pass into it, and there remain 

 until the mass is completely saturated, which will 

 be sufficient ; when the earthy matters are covered 

 over with it, the compost may then be thrown out 

 and Ihe proceeding again renewed. In order to 

 show part of the benefits of this practice, I beg heie 

 to observe that the most foul or weedy mould may 

 be used ; the action of ihe urine, if not reduced by 

 waler, is so powerful, that wire worms, black slug, 

 many other destroying insects, and all vegetables, 

 weeds, ^c., when in contact with the urine for a 

 time, are deprived of their living functions. The 

 situation for raising this compost should be protected 

 from the weather by a covering similar lo a cart 

 shed ; indeed the deteriorating influences of rain, sun, 

 and arid winds, on all putrescent matters or com 

 post, are so serious, that, in my humble judgment, 

 it would be worth while to have places under cover 

 where these are nsiia ly laid down. 



I beg lo conclude liiis essay with some observa- 

 tions made on a former occasion : No amelioration 



I 



