CAMBRIDGE FARMERS CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 821, 20 September 1877, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE FARMERS CLUB.

MANURES. The following valuable essay was read by Mr G E Clark at the meeting of the Club oh, Tuesday evening-. Owing to the indisposition of our Cambridge correspondent, the report of the meeting is not yet to hand : — . t auMraES. . la introducing this very important eu.t'j'Ct Jbr. the oonsider < tion of themembers of. the Clu'?, I hare one. primary ot.j icfc m view ; uauaely, to v.d ice one and all to give a mora careful conaiiera tion to the judicious usa of mauures, wtiioh I- c msider the mainspring to the advauo meut of agriculture. lam fatly cunvinotd that a m>re grateful ail thau we have, could not be found, an i alao, that, with the liberal usa of manure, almost every farm iv this di-trict might be made to produce fifty pur cent mo> c than its present; productions. I auall first touch ou farmyard manure, as I am a believer m home productions, as far as practicable, and may here remark that, m my opinion, many so called farmers m thisciuuiry have nit tue v^ry slightest conception of the value of this manure ; how to m ike it ; or what cousfai.'Ub«s its valna. fc'roua personal observation, I c*n ariive at one conclusion only, that the general idea of making farmyard manure is to throw a quantity of straw, into a pool of water, or m some low portion of the stockyard, to be trodden by cattle, subject to alternate floods and drought., the fljod* carrying off all the goodness that can be washed away, the gun oaua» ing further loss by evaporation; Ttiia process is continued, namely, three day-* washing aud ten duys drying, until the <-tr>iw is reducHd to something as short as mould, when it is probibly t irown up m a heap, heated, - and then reguded as firwt-ciasi m inure. I fai' 1 to see any groat vaiue i» suuh manure. £ think you •will agree with in* m at, if you fee I a beast upon straw, and n> treads upon straw, all that he will leavs will be st-aw m a noli'l con litum. It if wha r we -e_e I upon the straw ti a . gives he manure i.B value. Th« fol'owiog extract is f rono the ' Furmers Ma^azin ' :— " n hi manage mmt of » lai'm, as* m n< by » al 1 com m^rchl mufe s, ait-niio i to what ac

tirafesigiU jßeemvgfflW ts too ofteu loVe BlpfytffJ*Outfahd uoc the lea*t importanb of rhese; is tha preservation aud the return to the i*nd of all hqui i excreta of the animals on th* farm as far as practicable. Fr-.ua a bar'ejul' analysis of. cow urine, it is s'i'jwii .that ixu^ fermented urine c -ntans 2ill 61 a'nmoui^ tfn'H fermented 10 2. ThU id%*in*tt(B^ well wo>th your consideration.; 'From tt^ similar scource, you will .obaeifVe; tbitj unf.rmeuted oow-dimg cimcaiiiS 2 480 yti amm-mia, while furmented contains 3 710, so that two loads of properly fenueutea. .o* T dung are the swne value as thre« ,!oa.,is tane.n yut of. your »heds.. From all, that science baas revealed, or experience taugbt, it is evident ihar, m proportion as ; we are careful to return Co. the soil tbe excreta of- the animals- that feed j><i tiie crops it pro iucts, iv the same'pioportio'u' d> we suicuin its c«.p»b>iitiea .for pr «duo iug fresh crops, their beiog »o doubt tuat the solid attd liquid- excreta of sub 1 liuimiils" h*ve" thttxyery 'hi^heit value* a< manure for the itß on which antmaiS' 1 cod. Thus, the excrement of a ptg ted on' peas' aud pbta'Oes have, the tiJgh.9C value aa a baauure for these plants; aud, so .iv all otber cases. • Oxdn fed, on turnip tops and straw, yi<-ld a manure wor,tu tittle more than the . valu i of half the weight ot that from oxen fed on oil cake aiid grain, alo>ig .witn turnips. -The latter is far richer m nitrogen, which, 1 , by theprocess of putreeeuoe,' becomes am<uonia, so largely entering int « the food of m.ist platits. In fact; one of tne priucipal circumstances which gives weil prepared farmyard manure its great v<tlu^, is the large proportion of amtuouical oompjuuds which it is capable.of oupplying." . . .'■ I i>ive you another «xtr*ot from the •'American AgricuHur/ilisc' of .No?aoi« Her:— "There ia no question mote troqueuily orseriously c^uatdered by the farmer, than how be suall gfet, k-.e^*, and -pend an adequate aunply of manure, nor is there auyttuug about the farm w .ion i* of greater imp 'rtano-^ to its succeostui minagemenc th*n tha manure heapi I'ttere ate few farmers now leit who pre . cud to ignore ti is. fob If <r the lan I, and tew 1 >cahtic3i even m the ne *er Western at tea, where manure vow is thought! to be a nuiaftaje." . . It is n»t every fa-mfcr who ban procure all tbe' nuuure be ue ds, but very many can save what they, have with fa' sjr»- ater eio'ibuiy ban they now do, and this, al ho it tuay seem a question second '". try to tn at of getting manure is fealty, of premary impbrtauo«, for ' . .by . miog wha one has to better purpose,, he J oi>eiißa way to increase' his supply. ; We have found this to be vthe 'base m our owu txp rie cc, and by strict attdiition to saving and preserven^ ey.^ry v particle ot manuie iv' its beat <o idition. we have sucoe ded' m «o eniar^i'lg our s ip'ply of -fodder, tbat^the liumtur of »ti>ck that could be f"d was largely, ince*sed each year, andjvery Bonn |it was" n icssury to go oor.u r . a-id buy auimels to.. con>u<n* the surplus. To briug a^fartn into improved uomli ion ttiere is no r cheaper or more effective method than this.' ; ;""' The ordinary management of manure >n open yards, where it is wasted by raius, dried by the suns sjorohinu heat, and wasted by every wind that bows, is the worst thit is possible. In this way half or more of the vala3 of ,th> mauure i« lose.- By figuring up wh»t it would c st to purohaee a quantity, ol tnauure equal to that ' which' is thus lost the costil ness of this comm »n meihiid 'would be discovered, and the question, how much could be afforded to take care of the manure^ would be settled. . ; I)r Thomas Anderson,. Rß,SV Chemist to the Highland A priculrural Society <»f .^ootlarid,., speaks of f »r,m yard dv .(>. m, > : he%.termß i-^-^'lt UJ rf typical manure "antl m pr vportion as. otber miteriaN ai> . pr»ach it m ci'unpbiitipo and properties is thnr va'ue far general purposes on the | farm." Again, we. Bnd Dr Voeloker, C(iemißt to;the Roysl Agriviulturai Sooiety of England, espr^ssinglhis- opinion; m these or is :-4" F »rm yard manu c is perf act mahnra, b cause experience as well as chemical analysis show' that the fertilizing constituents ara present i» ducg m states' of comb nation, which appears to be i espesialy favourable to ti« luxuriant growih of our orop.^. Iv the p eaent condition of our koovvlelge it is impoaible to produce a manure which could supersede home-mad^ dung-." : . Prof«Bsor M. George WUile,. writ'tf: — " Farm yarn dung is a manure par excell -uce, wh eh practice has re* Hied a collection pt\.all..".th9-/r«aidagf i ,pf eh« harvest a true caput murtuuniVQf alri-' cultural operations. ■'] The q'uaoti^ ,aud quality of dung may be said to depend namely on the the following cohiitions': Ist, from the kind of animiil from whicn it bas ' been obtained ; 2ud, 'oa thquanity and quality of the straw use I a« litter ; third, ou the nature of the fool with which the animal has been suppli ; 4tli, to prevent the escape of the liquid manure, or of Che ammonia 'produced by decompoaition. I would hew remain that suffl ieut care is not generally taltn n of straw that is intended for manure, one great consideration is tha«i it sh m d b kept dry. so that when mcd for bedding it may be capable of absorbing all tne liquid. pwsing f torn the animal put upo • i . If half rotten or soddea from «x posure to wet, it Biniply acts as a conductor to convey the most valuable portion of the mmure to the lowest part of the shed to soik into tha earth and wash away." .1 .could give you results of/ my own experience m reference to farm yard manure m the old country, whar^ I have proved to my own $atiß action its value as a fertiliz i.»r, but coxsiler the opinions of such emin-tnt Agricultural Ohembts to carry much more weight than auyohinr [ could .say, as thsre appears to be no da vision of opinion on the subject amongst, them. ■ 1 must trouble you with one other extract. Lord Kennaird writes: —"l have published more than ones the particulars of a c ireful exprtrimiut I made at Milluill m 1850 and 1851, for which my auntagar got fch* premm - fromjthe High^ land Association. The experiment was made m. a field of 20 acres, one half dunged from oovere 1 courts the other from op«n court*, all aoimils having been f.-d 'Jike. Tha produce the first ye;ir of thi covered courts duu< was at the rate of 11 tons 17 ewe potatoes per acre against 7 tons 18 cwbs. pjr acre^ from the open ■ courta duug. The ' second year 55 bushels wheat weighing 61lbi and :220 stones of straw agaius 42 bushels, weighing 61i lbs and 160 stones, straw. " In giving this lengthy account of farm yard mauure it is not my desire to induce you to go ia for "the expensive methods of obtaining dung resorted to m Brition, bub m bringia»» the subject clearly before you to induce every tanner to make the be3t use of such munures he may make, and to take goo.t care of the straw for its manufacture. Peruvian guano, all our a^icultural chemista agree as ranking next iv value to farmyard m inure. Mr Atclvor m his recent lectures m Australia, remarks on Peruvian guano : "It contains but little potash, but, it ia rich m pho<pnates ana ammouia,' subßt*nces of great importance to ceieals jspecialty. It is uotapjtato manure, bub may m s >rae casos given lair return. VVben applied 10 cereals a' the r.ite 01 about 3c\vt per acre, it gives a highly remunerative remit ; but when used tor a smies of years op the same

*nd it* will ciuie exhaustion of the >otash of the' soil. 1 ' 'By miihurin..' land with dang for roots nK^hen with- Peruvian guino reduced ia icrejifth by admix: ure with sup r.>ho»jhaxaiof lime j tor -wheat, or o her cr al jr.^| the farmer^ c*n prevent fai-m---ixh^jtyition. M/ own exp*rienc> with juaffims limited ;wh'r« 1 hiva triel it L ha^je been aatufiet with the r<*sul a, it is j 4uvck ' m action, whioh mikea it especially adapted t/» our lands. > The following extraot is from a led are by Air Charles Q- ty Roberts • •• There is- no. doubt tbat tiie typical orn jrv.iure ia Peruvian guauo onttriniii* ,s it does a large supply >i amm.ni* to force on the earl} s^age . of grow.th and pro I ic* a vigorous le*f and stem. vitU a iUißci-t.ioy of ph.Mphate of lime to assist the l»rma« l.l«m add hasten the ripening of the g am. lc is a-peciaiiy needful to sift out and crush all: t<»e ainaii lumps foun I ia Peru* viaii guano, for those oouuin the mo« viable . constituents. If there is any tiffioulty m reducn^ them, the addition of a little sharp Bund will urevHutthern caking together. To ensure thoh* evan distribution, guano, nitrate of sola, an! other oohcenira'ed tn*nures eh mid be .mixed with two or three times their weight of road-tcraping, coal ashes, or < try earth,. Soinetiinea guano so dilute I may b j found too dry ; it i<s then udviaable to add about a bushel per a.-.re of common salt, w uoh, by i..s moUture, will prevent the fina guaa j-dust being blown away by the wind m sowing. Brtai i has imported guino for many years to the value ot £2,500,000." fi.meduai and superphosphate of lime. ar>) manures chat would be of great valW to many m thia district. VVo <tll grawr more or lens cattle, and so ne go the length of dairying and rearing cuttle. To suchi' it will-be absolutely ueceasiry to use bouedust to retain the properties tor pro* duoing cheese or the rearing young cai.tle. I take the following extriot trjoi Mr -jJdvor'a leotures: ** Bo.ies are to be piete.red to other more active p losphitic manures m all o<tses where a gentle bub too continuous supply of phosphates and and ammonia ia desirable. Tue effec ■ <.if oouea exiouu over several years, au>( are regulated by the state of diviuun of the uiauure from their slow action, bones are well- adt»pt*t tor application to p vm <.n<mt pastures. Pasture exuaused through the gracing of - cows wh )8e mil* baa been sold offthef*rin, or cju verted iutu ohee<e, and ;iu this fo>m exported, oao be greatly imp oved by. tue Use of b »ne dust. We fiud milk to OJUtaiu, on au average, about hali-a-pjuud of boue eirta m every tea gallous. . It wilt, therefore, become obvious that phosphates are rapiily re« moved from tne soil, iv the production of -dairy prod uoa. As siou as cause o:»m---pouadtt have became greatly reduced ia quautity, only suub grasjea as r.-qure ,nttle puo puate will grow on the Und. •By intking up wuat uaa been reaiovod iv the milk, Ac, by manuring tue laid wtihuoue uus., new aud healctty grasps : ep ing up, wuioft coataU much phos,;h<**e, and tuese, wheu oi>u«u<nei by the cow, produce uiilk m greater aouuiiauoe, and rijlier iv cueeoe. The employment of bma duao has enur<ly altered tue ouara tors of grains iv mmy pastures ia fiu^land. For tne - renova.ion or <ll txuaudted pwture lands generally, boues prove to oe an exjeltent applioabi.m. Pittcures where growiug oaUie aud -sh )»p ate f d, curougE tim<i, lose choir plM>p m et, tha youutt iioimais requiting the e oinpoauls 0 build up tuoi' boay atiujimro. Iv urderthat such laud may bo improved, au applioatiou of bone dudt is uecosd^ry. bones : aut very beneti i*ay on ol jv r. As » uiauure for ur-ip*, boues uAi n> very nigh posiciun wheu C:>ai,jareil with uiAuurea. Is muat vot e ojno v ted from •tuis, that tu«y are no c uaptbledi ouferlug any beuetio ou suou crop 3 dale, as a manure, I have us d with .good results tor mtngoMs, uarr»t-<, &c, aud think that both our grasses m>l u^tue «v<iutd be improved m h.aich, if silt were 01 >rti lib -rally used on ur UuU. Wj are a oouuid«r<*ble disiauce from t ie #m level, n^uoe we. derive' uo iieuedii fro a ca<»t n>uroe Our iand is g iicralty 114 ie and p irous. S»lc being o.pio.e of abs r iu-j .vater from tie air, woul > have a oeudeuoy to keap Cti > laid in » Bb m drought ay times. I reneta ter n ttuing, B<m^ three years siuoe, .m aooia laud I had sown salt, th»t duri ig an xoessive drougnt, after the le.v *as off m tha morning tin re wera Urge moist patches un th»drib, f>r ie W4B oh a crop o 4 ' mangold*, di.-ti-ictl7 diaceru ble where the silt hvl dr.nvn blie mjidfcure. I htfetu doubteitb.erth.it usiag salt with bouedu-*t. is the cause »( lie latter being mv h qu'eker m ac.ioo than when sown alone. ■ I was told a-) lie three years since that a crjp of roots I was tnen with bonedust and salt would de iva ay 1 enefit from th» boi.et'ust. Tht i^ent! man who (,oiil ma this was a pructioai ma.i, mid I - t.tiou,ht he mtgh& b< corrocj ; so the :iexl yeir I puo no b>uedu.s , md I uad no crop I rake t.xe folliw ng extract rim a lectur: on salt, b.v Mf vie Ivor: '•Ooeof the principle properties of salt i 1 aJtMuulture is Us pa.ver of drawing J-imp md keeping the soilsorr,. Tits is, iv f ict, :ia muu use as a fertilizer. ' The 1 oturer here strongly advooxte I th* ne. cossity of an artificial supply CD sheep .md cattle m places where the soil vr is ■le.void of it, and qu >c I Vlr ilachi as au authority on this point. In up olding that fcieabse.ee of salt wa< p-olucbive 01 disease iv stoik, ha mentioiel a la<*ge farm m the Neihulaids wlvre salt is stored up m large qu intities for lh.< sbenp ■*ud' cattle to lick, t> k<ep aiviy rot, aad <«pjke also of the imjorttnoj and bjuefita arising fron diiry cattla bein^ supplied with ie, not from any virtue of itself, but that ie gives a 1 appetite and h*lps to lay on firth. It has also the po^er of improving tne quality of hay ty sprinkling with it while sUositig ; a<td h) o> iolu led on tuis head by. saying that if ou>* scociowners paid- more atten iou to it, we should hear less of sheep aui oittla diseases. It is more or less pre-ieit ia all crop.. Turnips buiG&tn it to a hi\,e extent; so do manj >lds. Its power of ansorbtng wat-r fron the air nukes it a valuaoie rmnu c, and m solution it disso.ve* phoiphitaa, whiou are a very important stitnutant iv vegetation. It acr.s as a ohe<*k on too great a gr.nvth of straw. Iv tuiug it as a minuiv, he advises mixing it wich guano, is ie makes the phjsph ites ojutained m go.* xo more - soi.uble, aui the farmer gets hi beaefit at ouca. There is ona consideration m the use of salt as a manure, that it oauuot ba used m equal quantities on wsb or dry lands with gojd raaults. My own laud, .is very light and dry, aud I should not fear to uaa sriw6 par acre, whereas h*lf th »t quantity, I s lould aonsiiler, ample for ueavy damp laud. A writer m the ' dydney Mail ' s iya : "In Europe, and also ia the Eastern otatjs of America, salt is sown m large quautities upon land, and tiie eff j3c uhs been pro>ed very beneficul, pa t>cu arly on land that has been mauu<ed, aud which, for the first year or two, produce* a rank growth of straw unable to dus'aiu it.i own weighr. This is one of thegt-eic objections urged against thi use of barn* yard manure on whe.it 1> n 1, that it grows 100 mucu straw. Salt is njt m itioif a t'eniiizar, but, like limi, ir acts a* a disaolvetit,.and sets free oao inert con litious ol the soil and brings tneui into use." diuclaic gars iv a i'eoeub yapor tba^tU

some po-tfot'* of H inland lb« yield of B i acre his been doubled by the free use o'i B alt. Crops of op.ts m Amercia bavt shown tliounun' good resu'ts. , It is snid that lands wliere salt was used via* exempt f om rust and smut, while the adjoining fields were rjpt exempt. If thii be true, as rcirntific farmers affirm, here may be n vnluab'e and Cheap remedy foi mat. on the low lands, where the Jstalki grow rank an* weak. r ,Qn^vegetables, it thn New J- tfey gardens, aspttratus cabbage, and especially melons^ sm]( wa er is freely used with a spr'nklor. No precise rule can be given, but the quantity should not' exbeed m bulk the amount of grain sown, cay 4 Olbs 6f salt to 100 bs of seed* The qaeui inn asked mtny iv the present oay wii be, can ] afford to manure the land ? For my part, I take the opposite vie s w, and say, oan 1 »&Vrd to farm without manure! Bearing m mind that land m this district is increasing considerably m value wi h the increased capital looked 'up m thr land, are we not entitled I o an increased return from, capital invested.' for I ,main« tain that whether we farm our own lands, or whether we leaoe tbem, we are entitled to an equal rate of interest for our money, and if the UinaV viillnot produce it over and above working ex- enses, why not save the toil and anxiety— sell the placrt and I«t-1 he money. . What docs this increased value of land point to? Whht does the British tenant farmer do when • he hai» intimation that his rent Will be" raised? D.»ea he say he must aWe thin from his expenditure -in f,rtprlijferß ? I think not, but l>e sets ab/<ut at once to see how he can increasfl the fertility of the eoirta produce the extra rent This is the only coime open to us if we wish our lands to continue increasing m value/ If this i* mattir of indiff' repce to the -present' owners of- 1 the^roil,'* and! ,npt worthy of consideration,- should' a; purchaser be required, ha would make the oaloulatibn bef*/r« making the purqhsse, whe'ber the capabilitieß of the soil' were m accordance with ♦he price required for the land It Ms a well known fact that it ib far cheaper to retain the fertility of our lands than to restore them when exhaust erl, aud it has been proved, by experiments made by members of this club, that the cost rf manure is more, than doubly s red iv the fir.<<t crop, bf sides saving . the land from the a»me amount of exf-austion that would tnk- place were a similar crop grown without manure. Mr Buociman m his ' account of experiments with potatoes showed that fo an ©ntliy of two "pounds per arre he obtained two tons of potatoes m excei- s of those with no manure. One of my own trials last Beason with mangolds was surprising to me, a single drill was left m the middle ol the field without manure, the result war about fosr tons to the acre oonf n worthless mangolds* while on eattrer side with manure, were crops of 25 and 30 tons per acre. The manure used tor the thirty ton crop was; 3 cwt bones annV 3c« t of -salt j for 26 tons, S cwt sal','l cwt. Peruvian giiaiio. Gen; lemen wuy tell ,<Jf growing fine cr ps, eqiiil to this at an; rate, without monure I should not contradict' it, but at the the same time I must state I ' that it if exceptional. 1 think' in a country where labour is costly we, do well to grow the largest poamble crops off the smallest area, There is -o much plonghirg, hoeing &c. saved, * Beleving this, I purpose trying to gr w the same waigot of mangolds und carrots on 10 ac es this year tb»t I had on 16 acres last year, to produce this 1 shall give ' 'a dressing of Peruvian guano, 1 ewt bone dust, 3 cwt coarse sait 3cwtV. 1 he 'results I shall make known, should mv lil« be spared to

tee the <rop matured, "Although tbe crops above mentioned are m favour of ""the. bonedusfc I- would' strongly ; reco-n---meud n little Peruvian guano or other . quick acting, manure; to give .thet young ptints an early start ..that they may get out. of the way of grubs; I can give another experiment tnadelaat season m tuinipa, m the case of • a ipadd->ck of 10

acres, two acres of which were manured with faim yard .man«. re, the balance no manure The weight of turnips on the two acres was equyl to the Weight of turnips on the remaining c ghf acres. I feel, Genteifie»i tl.atl am trespassing largtly upon your time. I have to slow one or two instances m which mannre has amply pull for the outlay. 1 will go further and state that it is ingracUcible to sus'ain the fertility of our imU without ar liberal surply of 'manure m some form Ii does not follow thi tii mnet be furm yard manure or Yeniv on guano or bonu pu>t. It may be obtained, by the prowtb of tunips fefdin^ the same on the land. Many sn.* Under theimpre<sion that g azing contiriuallv : must enrich the land. I take the following extract from Mr M elvers lectures:—" Tb»* common be'ief was that 1 stork benifit ted land. He oid not deny that they might cause temporary improvement, but only temporary,' bone and musscle, and so on, of animals did-not come from the four winds of Heaven. Th^y must come from the soil. A fat ox, of' MXMM&b weight took 28 lbs of nitrogen .Irom the soil. E^ery ICOO lbs .of wool repreeents tbe re> inovul of 40 ibs of potnsh fn.m the soil, and the fact won d account for the exhaustion of many of . the poor pasture lands." , ; ■■......!..•,