642 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



trescent manures as stated — that is, their of the before compact mass, so as to j)er- 

 beinsT wholly fit for the food of plants, | mit the entrance and supply of air. 



and as wholly subject to waste 

 used. 



Fermentation is the process, or means, 

 by which putrescent matters become ac- 1 

 tive manures or fit for the nourishment of | 

 plants, and if they be not so used, when | 

 ready, fermentation proceeds to the utter 

 destruction and waste of the manures. 

 Fermentation may be either violent, as 

 often is seen in heated stable manure, and 

 rapidly producing the greatest possible 

 waste — or as slow and gradual as in the 

 natural flecay and rottina: of the leaves oi- 



if not so I Again: If air and heat be furnished 

 I under the most favourable conditions, and 

 yet moisture be entirely wanting, there 

 can be no fermentation, and no waste of 

 manure. And this latter state is nearly 

 approached when manure has been spread 

 thinly on the unshaded surface of plowed 

 or otherwise naked and clean land, and 

 remains thus exposed in warm and dry 

 weather. And, therefore, in this state of 

 entire exposure to sun and air, which is 

 deemed by most persons to be the most 

 wasteful for manure, there is, in truth, as 



grass fallen on the soils where they grew.j'^^t'e ^aste of solid parts .as can possibly 

 But fermentation cannot begin, or, if al-i^^^"^' ^oXong^s hot and dry weather con- 

 ready begun, cannot proceed, without the j ^ ^'^'^ ^ f ^^"^^^^ 



'volatile parts only, under these circum- 

 stances. 



Concurrence of three conditions. These 

 are — 1st, moisture ; 2d, temperature above 



forty-eight degrees Fahrenheit;* and 3d, 1 ^^^'^ been presented on many 



the access of atmospheric air. All these , ^^'"'^^ practical proof of the truth of 



this 



conditions are necessary, and if either one , ^.^^^^^P^'^'^-' summer cow-pen 

 be wantino, there can be no fermentation ' ^he nch and highly putrescent manure ex- 

 posed on the otherwise naked surface ot 

 the ground. This was formerly the gen- 

 eral practice of Eastern Virginia ; induced 



left with 



or progress towards decomposition, and, 

 of course, no waste or loss of fertilizing 



principles. These positions are among - • , , , 



the established and received doctrines ofj^^* ^"'/^"^^ reasoning,_ but by the gen 



chemical science, and therefore need no 

 proofs here. From them it is an obvious 

 deduction, that if manure, or any putres- 

 cent matter, be supplied with sufficient 

 moisture and air, but the temperature be 

 kept below forty-eight degrees, (or what- 

 ever is the minimum,) then there can be 

 no fermentation, and consequent!}'' no 

 waste of manure. Or if air could be en- 

 tirely excluded, the most favourable con- 

 ditions as to moisture and heat could not 



eral carelessness and indolence of the 

 cultivators. Our first distinguished agri- 

 cultural author, John Taylor, maintained 

 the propriety and high importance of plow- 

 ing these temporary pens as quickly as 

 the cattle are moved to a new one. He 

 suppose d " evaporation" to be the great 

 agent of the waste and destruction of ma- 

 nure ; and its beinjr left exposed on the 



surface as the 

 these results. 



sure means of producing 

 But this was one of the 



induce fermentation or decay. The total I P^''"ts on which this enlightened agricul- 

 exclusion of air, however, (though it may 



be obtained for chemical 

 impossible in agricultural 

 every farmer must have 

 much the commencement 



experiment,) is 

 practice. But 

 observed how 

 or progress of 



fermentation in a body of manure, is re 

 tarded by the mass being closely compress- 

 ed, and its state thus approaching to 

 of exclusion of air ; and how l apidly fer 



turist was entirely mistaken. Most of his 

 many zealous disciples proceeded to obey 

 his instructions, which seemed so reason- 

 able. But the most judicious of those 

 who adopted this new practice, as well as 

 many other merely practical and ignorant 

 farmers, observed that, on the cow-pens 

 i thus plowed in summer, the manure was 

 much less effective and lasting than on 

 similar pens not plowed until winter. This 



mentation is excited, or lenewed, (thei^ , - . , ^ 



other necessaiv conditions being favouia- h'^^" ^ seemed so strange, and so contrary 



ble,) by the mere loosening or le-heaping 



* This is the minimum stated by the hite work 

 of Bouist^ingaiilt. Some earlier writers have 

 placed it as low as the freezing point. 



to all sound reasoning, as well as to the 

 highest authority, that many farmers could 

 not believe the alleged facts; and eve,n to 

 this time, some continue to be incredu- 

 lous, no matter how strong the testimony 

 of such facts. But if tested by the chem- 



