Scientific Agriculture, 



552 



[Junk 1908. 



quickly growing green-crop (leguminous 

 for choice). We will discuss these separ- 

 ately. 



Farmyard Manure. 

 Except in some dairies or such farms 

 on which tiie animals are stall-fed, the 

 material known as farmyard manure is 

 nothing more than the solid excrements 

 of animals, and does not contain either 

 the urine or the vegetable matter used 

 as bedding which is the characteristic of 

 farmyard manure made and used in 

 Europe and colder countries. 



Owing to the absence of vegetable 

 matter, such manure has very little value 

 in the formation of humus, aud it is 

 probably most economically used in the 

 compost heap. 



The Compost Heap. 

 The compost heap is a most valuable 

 adjunct to the farm, and it is a very 

 great pity that it is not frequently to 

 be found. 



A heap or pit can be made very econ- 

 omically, and it is of special value in that 

 it utilizes all sorts of vegetable and 

 animal refuse, which would otherwise 

 be wasted, and converts it into a valu- 

 able manure, rich in vegetable matter 

 and eminently suited for soils low in 

 humus or subject to droughty condi- 

 tions. 



The principle of the compost heap is 

 the fermentation of easily decomposed 

 vegetable material in the presence of 

 earth and lime. It is not only substances 

 like peat and straw, which form the 

 usual basis of compost heaps that are 

 thus decomposable, out almost every kind 

 of organic substance, both of vegetable 

 and animal origin, can be thus compost- 

 ed. Dead leaves, bush scraping, saw 

 dust, weeds, tops and stalks of vegetables, 

 as well as bone and animal refuse, can 

 be treated in this manner. In the case 

 of animal refuse the operation is much 

 slower, and substances like bones should 

 be tirsc crushed. It is also important to 

 be sure that animal refuse so treated is 

 not derived from a diseased source. 



The best way of making and maintain- 

 ing the compost heap will depend largely 

 upon local surroundings. 



As ageneral method of procedure the fol- 

 lowing will be found satisfactory: — Make 

 a heap with alternate layers of earth, 

 refuse, and lime. Under the term refuse 

 is included all the refuse material of 

 animal or vegetable material mentioned 

 above. Cover the whole with a layer of 

 earth. When a sufficient quantity is 

 again collected, place it on top of the 

 heap and cover with a layer of Unie, and 



lastly of earth, until the heap is 3 to 4 

 feet high. Ths heap should be kept 

 moist, and for this purpose all refuse 

 water from the house, slops, urine, &c, 

 should be added. The heap may be 

 conveniently watered by making a hole 

 into the interior and pouring the liquid 

 in. The covering with earth has the 

 object of absorbing any ammonia which 

 is evolved in the process* of fermentation 

 and by the action of the lime. 



When the heap has been prepared it 

 must be left to itself to ferment for a 

 greater or less time. Probably a few 

 mouths will be sufficient unless very 

 refractory substances, such as bones, 

 &c, are present. In a few months' time 

 it should be well forked over and an- 

 other layer of lime and finally of earth 

 should be added. In the course of 

 another month or two it should be ready 

 for use, and you will have provided 

 yourself at a very slight cost an excel- 

 lent manure rich in humus, and will 

 have utilized for the purpose a great 

 amount of refuse material which would 

 otherwise be lost or burnt. When 

 refuse material is burnt, the ashes, 

 though still possessing manurial value 

 on account of the lime and potash 

 and phosphates they contain, are 

 of incomparably less value than the 

 original substances out of which they 

 are derived, owing to the absence of 

 humus material and of nitrogen, which 

 have been lost iu the process of burning. 



Instead of a heap the compost may be 

 conveniently prepared in a pit. In 

 either case the bottom should be cement- 

 ed, or so drained that the liquid escap- 

 ing from the mass can be collected and 

 returned to the compost. 



It will be found first advantageous to 

 prepare a second heap while the first 

 one is ripening and being used. It will 

 also be found that if it is desired to use 

 more concentrated fertilizers, such as 

 superphosphate, potash, and ammonium 

 salts, these can be mixed with advantage 

 with the compost manure, before being 

 applied to the laud. Used in this way 

 they will be in less danger of leaching 

 away, and will be of greater benefit 

 than if applied directly to the land. 



l Green Manuring. 

 Amongst the most effective methods 

 of supplying humus to the soil and in- 

 creasing its fertility is the practice of 

 green-manuring— that is, the ploughing 

 under of a green crop. The beneficial 

 action of this operation is a two-fold 

 one : it enriches the soil, in the first 

 place, by supplying it with a consider- 

 able proportion of readily-available 

 plantoood ; and in the second place, by 



