THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



700 



freezing, forbids other more profitable team 

 labors, all the hauling force is put to bringing 

 leaves from the small piles in the woods to the 

 designed cow-pen. The loads are dropped as 

 close to each other as may be — and equalized 

 by some fork-work when required. If con- 

 venient to continue so long at this work, the 

 covering of leaves is made four or five feet 

 thick, by the carts. The cattle (about 50 

 in number) are brought on in April, when 

 taken from their winter j en and dry food, and 

 are kept in the summer pen every night, and 

 some hours of the day, at morning and even- 

 ing. Their treading brings the litter to*, com- 

 pact bedding of twelve or fifteen inches thick. 

 This bedding absorbs the urine, and while re- 

 taining it and securing it from loss, resists 

 speedy decomposition from the rich and very 

 putrescent admixture. This very valuable 

 material is almost all lost, by rapid decompo- 

 sition, in other ordinary and as rude modes of 

 accumulating summer manure, whether with 

 straw as litter, or in naked pens. .The semi- 

 fluid and the more solid excrements are soon 

 dried, on this very open and dry surface of 

 leaves — (although moist lower in the mass) — 

 and in a few days more, the dried material is 

 scattered and well mixed, by the treading of 

 the cattle, with the upper leaves, which also 

 are cut up fine, by the same treading. The 

 surface is a dry and firm bed, except immed.i- 

 ately after considerable rain, when the upper 

 and reduced layer only, may become soft. As 

 such wet spells usually permit other farm 

 work; they offer convenient times for removal 

 of the so far prepared manure. At any rate, 

 such removals should be made once or twice 

 during the time of penning the cattle, and at 

 the close. The upper layer of leaves, of a few 

 inches deep, reduced both by the treading of 

 the cattle, and by the partial decomposition, 

 and holding intermixed nearly all the solid 

 animal excrements, is easily separated from the 

 unrotted lower mass, and presents a rich ma- 

 nure; in the best state of reduction for use and 

 speedy action. This should be applied imme- 

 diately to any growing crop, the most con- 

 venient in locality, or the most suitable in its 

 state of growth or culture — and making the 

 application, as much as circumstances permit, 

 in accordance with the principles stated and 

 maintained in the preceding pages. Each suc- 

 cessive removal of this upper and well reduced 

 layer of manure, exposes a new surface of the 

 unrotted and firm bed of leaves remaining wet 

 below, on which the cattle then find a clean 

 and comfortable bed; and the same process 

 goes on of converting another layer of the bed- 

 ding to prepared manure, and next applying 

 it. A whole season will probably not serve 

 to get to the bottom of the still firm and un- 

 rotted leaves. Any remnant, so left, will make 

 so much of the supply of litter for the next 

 summer's penning, in the same enclosure. 

 Besides the advantages of this plan already 



stated, another was found, and which was as 

 much unlooked for, as it is important to the 

 object. Where the layer of pine leaves is as 

 thick as it ought to be, say not less than six 

 inches when well compacted by threading, the 

 dung is not touched by the beetles, which so 

 quickly attack and so nearly remove or con- 

 sume all that is dropped on the earth in sum- 

 mer. They cannot bore through the bed of 

 leaves, to bury the clung in which their eggs 

 are enclosed. And perhaps their instinct di- 

 rects these insects not to go for feeding, where 

 they cannot at the same time deposit their eggs. 



What is the cost of this plan of accumula- 

 ting summer-made manure, it is impossible for 

 me to estimate. But the labor is mostly done 

 when little else could be done of profitable 

 farm operations. What is the measure of fer- 

 tilizing effects, I know as little of as yet, hav- 

 ing had no full opportunity for observing, and 

 estimating the separate results. But of this I 

 am perfectly assured — that the poor vegetable 

 material is as cheaply and better prepared for 

 use, and the rich animal matters are better pre- 

 served from waste, than in any other known 

 modes of using them. Therefore, as the labors 

 are cheaply and conveniently supplied, if the 

 vegetable material has any manuring value, it 

 is unquestionable that the thus putting to use 

 so much of otherwise useless vegetable mat- 

 ter, and the saving from waste of so much 

 highly putrescent and rich animal matter, must 

 be not only an improving, but a highly profita- 

 ble operation.* 



* On my farm, Marl bourne, of 6 fields, about 

 1213 acres each, (besides some SO acres of other 

 and poor land recently brought in,) tire manure 

 carried out latterly has been as follows: 



1853, prepared manure, 1910 loads, (of two- 

 mule carts,) estimated at 24 bushels (heaped) to 

 the load. A large quantity of straw also carried 

 out from the stacks, not counted in the above. 



1854, 1887 loads to October 1st, (there will be 

 some 100 more by end of year.) of which only 

 315 were from the summer cow-pen, littered with 

 pine leaves. Much more summer manure had 

 been made in 1853, on pen so littered, and more 

 abundantly, and the cattle kept there longer. 

 No woods' litter used elsewhere, and no other 

 except the corn-stalks, &c, (leaving lower part,) 

 and wheat-straw, &c. All the straw of 1853 

 used for litter for this year's manuring. 



As stated above, the cattle kept latterly, are 

 about 60 of all kinds. Horses and mules, IS for 

 last year. The sheep add nothing to the pre- 

 pared manure, and the hogs (few in number) 

 only while fattening for slaughter. Then accord- 

 ing to the slight and partial use made (as recom- 

 mended above) of collected stalks and straw, (or 

 parts of corn and wheat offal only,) these years 1 

 manuring, (at a half load for each 11 yards 

 square, or 20 loads to the acre,) covered— for 

 1853, at 12 bushels, llXll yards, 95 acres— 1854, 

 to October 1st, 94 acres. The offal of stalks, 

 straw, &c., is obtained from about 125 acres of 

 I land yielding (now) 35 to 38 bushels of corn — 



