Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and FuelJohnson, Samuel W. (Samuel William)
Science
Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel
Johnson, Samuel W. (Samuel William)
Fertilizers; Fuel; Peat
A number of years ago, I saw a large pile of compost in the farm-yard of
Mr. Pond, of Milford, Conn., and witnessed its effect as applied by that
gentleman to a field of sixteen acres of fine gravelly or coarse sandy
soil. The soil, from having a light color and excessive porosity, had
become dark, unctuous, and retentive of moisture, so that during the
drouth of 1856, the crops on this field were good and continued to
flourish, while on the contiguous land they were dried up and nearly
ruined. This compost was made from a light muck, that contained but
three _per cent._ of ash (more than half of which was sand), and but 1.2
_per cent._ of nitrogen, in the air-dry state--(twenty _per cent._ of
water). Three loads of this muck were used to one of stable manure.
Here follow some estimates of the value of this compost by practical
men. They are given to show that older statements, to the same effect,
cannot be regarded as exaggerated.
Mr. J. H. Stanwood, of Colebrook, Conn., says:--"Experiments made by
myself, have confirmed me in the opinion that a compost of equal parts
of muck and stable manure is equal to the same quantity of stable
manure."
Mr. Daniel Buck, Jr., of Poquonock, Conn., remarks:--"8 loads of muck
and 4 of manure in compost, when properly forked over, are equal to 12
loads of barn-yard manure on sandy soil."
Rev. Wm. Clift, of Stonington, Conn., writes:--"I consider a compost
made of one load of stable manure and three of muck, equal in value to
four loads of yard manure."
Mr. N. Hart, Jr., of West Cornwall, Conn., observes of a peat sent by
him for analysis:--"We formerly composted it in the yard with stable
manure, but have remodeled our stables, and now use it as an absorbent
and to increase the bulk of manure to double its original quantity. We
consider the mixture more valuable than the same quantity of stable
manure." Again, "so successful has been the use of it, that we could
hardly carry on our farming operations without it."
Mr. Adams White, of Brooklyn, Conn., states:--"The compost of equal
bulks of muck and stable manure, has been used for corn (with plaster in
the hill,) on dry sandy soil to great advantage. I consider the compost
worth more per cord than the barn-yard manure."
_Night Soil_ is a substance which possesses, when fresh, the most
valuable fertilizing qualities, in a very concentrated form. It is also
one which is liable to rapid and almost complete deterioration, as I
have demonstrated by analyses. The only methods of getting the full
effect of this material are, either to use it fresh, as is done by the
Chinese and Japanese on a most extensive and offensive scale; or to
compost it before it can decompose. The former method, will, it is to be
hoped, never find acceptance among us. The latter plan has nearly all
the advantages of the former, without its unpleasant features.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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