Chapter I: Front Matter

* * * * *

TALKS ON MANURES.

A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks
Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor,
and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject
of Manures and Fertilizers.

by

JOSEPH HARRIS, M.S.

Author of “Walks and Talks on the Farm,”
“Harris on the Pig,” etc.

NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION,

Including a Chapter Specially Written for It
by Sir John Bennet Lawes, of Rothamsted, England.

New York:
Orange Judd Company,
1919

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, by the ORANGE JUDD COMPANY In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

Printed in U. S. A.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Farming as a Business.-- High Farming and Good Farming.--
Summer-fallowing and Plowing under Clover.-- We must raise
larger Crops per Acre.-- Destruction of Weeds.-- Farming is
Slow Work.-- It requires Personal Attention. 9

CHAPTER II.

What is Manure?-- The definitions given by the Deacon and the
Doctor. 19

CHAPTER III.

Something about Plant-food.-- All soils on which plants grow
contain it.-- The Season.-- Water, Shade, Light, and Mulch,
not Manures.-- Several Definitions of Manure. 21

CHAPTER IV.

Natural Manure.-- Accumulated Plant-food in the Soil.-- Exhaustion
of the Soil.-- Why our Crops are so Poor.-- How to get Larger
Crops.-- We must Drain, Cultivate thoroughly, and Make Richer
Manure. 23

CHAPTER V.

Swamp-muck and Peat as Manure.-- Draining Swamp-land.--
Composition of Peat and Muck. 29

CHAPTER VI.

What is Potential Ammonia. 31

CHAPTER VII.

Tillage is Manure.-- The Doctor’s Lecture on Manure. 32

CHAPTER VIII.

Summer-fallowing.-- Mr. Lawes’ crop every other year.-- Wheat
after Barley.-- For Larger Crops raise less frequently, and
Manure Higher; also keep better Stock, and Feed Higher. 34

CHAPTER IX.

How to Restore a Worn-out Farm.-- The Author’s Farm.-- Tillage
renders the Plant-food stored in the soil available.--
Cultivated Lands contain less Plant-food, but are more
productive.-- Grass alone will not make rich land. 37

CHAPTER X.

How to Make Manure.-- We must get it out of the Land. 41

CHAPTER XI.

The Value of the Manure depends upon the Food--not upon the
Animal. 43

CHAPTER XII.

Foods which Make Rich Manure.-- Table giving the composition of
31 kinds of Food and the value of the Manure they yield.--
Cotton-seed Cake.-- English and German Clover.-- Nitrogenous
matter in Rich and Poor Foods.-- Manure from Corn compared
with that from Straw. 45

CHAPTER XIII.

Horse-manure and Farm-yard Manure.-- Why the one is richer than
the other.-- Amount of Manure from a Horse.-- Composition of
Farm-yard Manure.-- We draw and spread a ton to get 33 lbs. of
Nitrogen, Phosphoric Acid, and Potash. 50

CHAPTER XIV.

Fermenting Manure.-- Composition of Manure when Fresh and in
its stages of Fermentation.-- Loss in Fermentation and from
Leaching.-- Tables showing the composition of Manure at
different stages.-- Fermenting makes Manure more Soluble. 52

CHAPTER XV.

Keeping Manure under Cover.-- Dr. Vœlcker’s Experiments.-- Manure
Fermented Outside and Under Cover.-- Loss from keeping Manure
spread in the Barn-yard.-- Keeping well-rotted Manure in a
Heap.-- Conclusions from Dr. Vœlcker’s Experiments. 59

CHAPTER XVI.

An English Plan of Keeping Manure.-- Box feeding of Cattle.--
Spreading Manure at once.-- Piling in Heaps in the Field.--
Old Sods and Ashes from Charred Sods. 69

CHAPTER XVII.

Soluble Phosphates in Farm-yard Manure.-- Fermented, the Manure
has the most.-- Over 40 per cent. of the Phosphoric Acid is
Soluble. 72

CHAPTER XVIII.

How the Deacon makes Manure.-- A good plan for making poor Manure. 74

CHAPTER XIX.

How John Johnston Manages His Manure. Summer-fallows for Wheat.--
Does not plow under Clover.-- Value of Manure from different
foods.-- Piling Manure.-- Applies Manure to Grass-land in Fall,
and Plows under in Spring for Corn.-- His success due to the
Effect of Manure on Grass.-- It brought in Red Clover. 76

CHAPTER XX.

The Author’s Plan of Managing Manure.-- Piles as fast as it is
Made.-- What it is Made of.-- Horse and Cow Manure Together.--
Horse Manure for Bedding Pigs.-- To Prevent Freezing.-- Liquid
Manure from Pigs.-- Bedding Sheep.-- Piling in the Field.--
Where the Piles should be Made.-- Manure in a Basin.-- Reasons
for Piling.-- What we Gain by Fermenting Manure. 83

CHAPTER XXI.

Management Continued.-- Why We Ferment Manure.-- Dr. Vœlcker’s
Experiments showing the Loss when Manure is spread in Yards.--
Fermenting adds Nothing to Manure, but makes it more
available.-- Mr. Lawes’ Experiments on Wheat and Barley.-- Dr.
Vœlcker’s Results.-- Ellwander & Barry’s Experience.-- Loss of
Ammonia by Fermenting.-- Waste from Leaching.-- How to Save the
Liquid Manure from Cows. 94

CHAPTER XXII.

Manure on Dairy Farms.-- Wheat removes much more Nitrogen than
Cheese.-- Manures for Dairy Farms.-- Letter from Hon. Harris
Lewis.-- How to make more and better Manure on Dairy Farms.--
How to save and apply it.-- Letter from T. L. Harison, Esq. 101

CHAPTER XXIII.

Management of Manures on Grain Farms.-- Letter from Hon. Geo.
Geddes.-- Grain on Dairy Farms.-- Sheep on Grain Farms.-- Visit
to John Johnston.-- Mr. Lawes’ Wheat-field.-- Mr. Geddes and
Clover.-- Gypsum and Clover as Manures. 111

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Cheapest Manure a Farmer can use.-- Clover vs. Tillage.-- As
Plant-Food.-- Constituents of a Crop of Clover, as compared with
one of Wheat.-- Making a Farm Rich by Growing Clover. 127

CHAPTER XXV.

Dr. Vœlcker’s Experiments on Clover.-- Lawes and Gilbert’s on
Wheat.-- Clover Roots per Acre.-- Manures for Wheat.-- Liebig’s
Manure Theory.-- Peruvian Guano on Wheat.-- Manures and the
Quality of Wheat.-- Ammonia.-- Over 50 Bushels of Wheat to the
Acre. 135

CHAPTER XXVI.

Experiments on Clover Soils from Burcott Lodge Farm, Leighton
Buzzard.-- Soil from Part of 11-acre Field twice Mown for Hay.--
Soil from do. once Mown for Hay and left for Seed.-- Amount of
Roots left in the Soil by different Crops.-- Manures for Wheat. 149

CHAPTER XXVII.

Lawes and Gilbert’s Experiments on Wheat.-- Most Valuable and
Instructive Tables now first made accessible to the American
Farmer.-- The growth of Wheat Year after Year on the same Land,
unmanured, with Farm-yard Manure, and with various Organic and
Inorganic Fertilizers. 170

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Lime as a Manure.-- Prof. Way’s Experiments.-- The uses of Lime in
the Soil.-- Lime in this Country.-- Composts with Lime. 215

CHAPTER XXIX.

Manures for Barley.-- Composition of Barley, grain and straw.--
Valuable Tables giving the Results of Lawes and Gilbert’s
Experiments on the growth of Barley, Year after Year, on the
same Land, without Manure, and with different kinds of Manure.--
Manure and Rotation of Crops. 227

CHAPTER XXX.

Manures for Oats.-- Experiments at Rothamsted.-- Experiments of
Mr. Bath of Virginia.-- At Moreton Farm. 252

CHAPTER XXXI.

Manures for Potatoes.-- Peruvian Guano for Potatoes.-- Manure from
different Foods.-- Experiments at Moreton Farm.-- Mr. Hunter’s
Experiments. 255

CHAPTER XXXII.

What Crops should Manure be Applied to?-- How, and When?-- John
J. Thomas’ manner of Applying Manure.-- Top Dressing.-- Doct.
Vœlcker’s Experiments. 265

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Manures on Permanent Meadows and Pastures.-- Experiments at
Rothamsted. 271

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Manures for Special Crops.-- Hops.-- Indian Corn.-- Turnips.--
Mangel-Wurzel or Sugar-Beets.-- Cabbages, Parsnips, Lettuce,
Onions, etc. 274

CHAPTER XXXV.

Manures for Gardens and Orchards.-- Market Gardens.-- Seed-growing
Farms.-- Private Gardens.-- Hot-beds.-- Manure for Nurserymen.--
Fruit Growers.-- Hen-Manure. 294

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Different Kinds of Manures.-- Cow Manure.-- Sheep Manure.-- Buying
Manure.-- Liquid Manure.-- Nightsoil and Sewage.-- Peruvian
Guano.-- Salts of Ammonia and Nitrate of Soda. 302

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Bone-Dust and Superphosphate of Lime.-- Bone furnishes Nitrogen
as well as Phosphate of Lime.-- Increasing the Availability of
Bone with Sulphuric Acid. 314

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Special Manures.-- Liebig’s Views.-- Special Manure for Wheat and
Turnips.-- Rothamsted Experiments. 320

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Value of Fertilizers.-- Cost per pound of the Essential
Constituents of Fertilizers.-- Value of Guanos.-- Potash as a
Manure. 324

CHAPTER XL.

Restoring Fertility to the Soil, a Chapter by Sir John Bennet
Lawes.-- The Treatment of a Poor Farm, to Restore it most
Profitably.-- Meat-making the Back-bone of the System.-- The
Use of Sheep to Manure the Soil.-- The Feeding of Cotton-seed
Cake.-- Artificial Manures not Profitable on Poor Land.--
The Loss of Nitrogen.-- The Formation of Nitric Acid. 342

APPENDIX.

Letter from Edward Jessop.-- From Dr. E. L. Sturtevant.-- From
M. C. Weld.-- From Peter Henderson.-- From J. B. M. anderson.--
Manure Statistics of Long Island.-- Letter from J. H. Rushmore.--
Letter from John E. Backus.-- Manure in Philadelphia.-- Various
other Letters. 352