THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



109 



be more valuably employed by the hands of 

 the plantation in collecting materials for pre- 

 paring manure than by ploughing and hoeing 

 the wet soil. Every planter knows well the 

 injury done to the land by working on it while 

 wet. The crop is not benefitted by work done 

 at such time, nor is the grass or weeds so likely 

 to be subdued. But the time may be most 

 valuably employed in preparing the materials 

 tor composing manure, and when the land is in 

 proper condition for work the cultivation of 

 the crop is resumed under the most favorable 

 circumstances. The great point gained is this : 

 the large amount of rich, productive manure, 

 Avhich being applied to the land, under judicious 

 culture, secures the production of the desired 

 crops on one-third the surface required on 

 the same land to grow it, without the manure. 

 After the preparation and planting, manured 

 land being just as easy to cultivate as that 

 unmanured, the time for preparing manure 

 while the land is wet after a recent fall of rain, 

 is most profitably employed. All decaying 

 vegetable matter, about the plantation, such as 

 weeds, grass, &c, that grow and collect in the 

 fence jams, in low, wet places, in the ditches, 

 &c, should be carefully raked up, and at a 

 convenient time hauled into the stock lots. 

 Muck also, where it may exist in ponds and 

 branches within or contiguous to the plantation, 

 should be hauled up in the summer while 

 dry and light, as nothing contributes more 

 valuably to the compost heap, nor is any 

 absorbent perhaps more retentive of the valua- 

 ble fluid portions of fat animal excrements. This 

 is the process by which I am enabled to pre- 

 pare the large quantities of rich, valuable, 

 compost manure per hand, which I apply to my 

 land annually. There is another important 

 item in the preparation of manure, which 

 should be mentioned here. It is the construc- 

 tion of the stock lots. This should be done 

 in such manner as to prevent any water from 

 running into them, that does not fall immediately 

 on them, nor should any water be allowed 

 to escape from them. Moisture is a component 

 part of compost manure. Too much water, 

 however, adds more to the expense of carriage 

 than to value in fertility. This teaches the 

 economy of housing and sheltering the compost 

 heap, that we may be spared the expense of 

 hauling to the field so much water, quite as 

 heavy as the manure itself and of no value. 

 Of course, every planter engaging in the 

 preparation and. saving of compost manure will 

 consult the conveniences of locality, &c, of his 

 plantation in the construction of his stock 

 nouses and lots, and other arrangements for 

 thelbusiness. 



I shall now give you my mode of applying 

 the manure to the land. Of course I esteem it 

 the proper mode. As I have stated elsewhere, 

 my land, though but little undulating, is all 

 laid off in rows as nearly level as instrumental 

 operations can accomplish. The manure is 

 hauled out on the land in carts, with tumbling 

 bodies, graduated, to hold an exact number 

 of bushels. In the commencement a row is 



selected 15 feet from the fence or beginning. 

 This is the heap row. Fifteen feet from the 

 end of this row the first heap, or half the load 

 is deposited, it is raked out by removing the 

 hind gate of the body. Thirty feet from this 

 on the same row, the second heap is made by 

 tumbling the body, when all the manure slips 

 out and the further trouble of unloading is 

 saved. The following simple diagram of a 

 single acre, shows the simplicity and perfection 

 of this mode of operation at a moment's time, 

 and a negro of ordinary intelligence is enabled 

 to do the work without any difficulty or incon- 

 venience : 



#" ' • # # . ' # v . ' * * 



* •* # * * * * 



* -* # * -* * * 



* * * * * * * 



* •* * * * * * 

 ******* 



* # * * * « * 



Explanation. — The stars represent the 

 heaps of manure, each containing ten bushels, 

 placed in the centre of squares of 900 square 

 superficial feet. — giving 49 to each acre. 



Thus it is seen with what perfect regularity 

 and uniformity the manure is hauled on the 

 land. This done, we proceed to spread it 

 out over the land, by first running off the rows 

 with a scooter plough in the old w T ater furrows 

 which is yet perfectly visible, though the land, 

 lay last year in fallow — then two hands are put 

 to each heap row of manure, with good shovels, 

 (Ames' long handles are best,) and they scatter 

 each heap for fifteen feet on all sides, which 

 gives ten bushels of good manure to the 

 surface of 900 square feet. All this is plain, 

 simple, efficacious and practical ; thus the 

 broad-casting continues until one suit of rows 

 is done, when the ploughs commence, by first 

 running around these rows with a scooter goop 

 and deep, and the balance is broken and 

 bedded out with good turning ploughs, by 

 running four times in each row, thus dividing 

 the soil equally and throwing up each row 

 uniformly. You thus see that the manure is 

 incorporated equally and uniformly throughout 

 all the soil. Whatever may be the opinion of 

 casuists to the contrary, this is the true 

 economy in the application of compost manure. 

 I have given you in this detail the plan of 

 operations that I pursue in the preparation and 

 application to the soil of compost manure. 



Dr. Cloud. 



