Edgefield Advertiser

Make Manure.

A correspondent of the New York "Rural" urges upon farmers to use every means to add to their manure heap. "A good many farmers waste about half of their manure or rather they do not make half as much as they might. It is just about as well to throw manure into the creek, as to throw it out of the stable in summer time, and let it lay and burn. It should be mixed with some material that will prevent its rapid fermentation and destruction. Common earth and swamp muck will do this. The farmer should think as much of his manure pile as he does of anything about his premises. I knew one farmer who really seemed to appreciate a manure heap. He would take his visitors to see his pile of compost with as much satisfaction as the lady would show them to the parlor, or exhibit her flower garden. No cart or wagon and team was idle on his farm. Some head lands needed cleaning up, or the ditches by the road-side were partially filled and overgrown with grass, and must be cleaned out, or a load of ashes or muck could be obtained somewhere—all of which he declared would make capital stuff.

"Now, be it understood that a farmer who is thus looking out for his manure pile, will make three times the quantity and better stuff, with the same land and stock, than the farmer who uses the manure he obtains without any efforts to increase the quantity, or any special regard to the quality. But it may be said that by putting two lots of manure together, or a quantity of mold with manure, we create nothing. That each will contain all the elements of fertility separate that they would united. This is true. The object of the union is to prevent the loss of valuable elements, and also to bring them to a condition to be conveniently used, and in a state fit for the food of plants."