Talks on Manures Part 59

MANURE STATISTICS OF LONG ISLAND.

The Manure Trade of Long Island--Letter from J. H. Rushmore.

OLD WESTBURY, Long Island, April 6, 1876.

_Joseph Harris, Esq._:

DEAR SIR--The great number of dealers in manure in New York precludes accuracy, yet Mr. Skidmore (who has been testifying voluminously before the New York Board of Health in relation to manure and street dirt), a.s.sures me that the accompanying figures are nearly correct. I enclose statement, from two roads, taken from their books, and the amount s.h.i.+pped over the other road I obtained verbally from the General Freight Agent, and embody it in the sheet of statistics.

The Ash report I _know_ is correct, as I had access to the books showing the business, for over ten years. I have made numerous applications, verbally, and by letter, to our largest market gardeners, but there seems to exist a general and strong disinclination to communicate anything worth knowing. I enclose the best of the replies received.

Speaking for some of our largest gardeners, I may say that they cultivate over one hundred acres, and use land sufficiently near to the city to enable them to dispense with railroad transportation in bringing manure to their places and marketing crops. I have noticed that one of the shrewdest gardeners invariably composts horn-shavings and bone-meal with horse-manure several months before expecting to use it. A safe average of manure used per acre by gardeners, may be stated at ninety (90) tubs, and from two hundred to twenty hundred pounds of fertilizer in addition, according to its strength, and the kind of crop.

The following railroad manure statistics will give a generally correct idea of the age of manure, when used:

Statement of Manure Sent from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1875.

_Over F.N.S.&C.R.R._ _Over Southern R.R._ January 1,531 tubs. 5,815 tubs.

February 4,357 "

March 740 " 12,217 "

April 12,122 " 7,055 "

May 7,383 " 3,049 "

June 5,725 " 1,365 "

July 6,473 " 685 "

August 6,370 " 2,911 "

September 3,197 " 14,702 "

October 880 " 660 "

November 512 " 840 "

December 1,406 " 4,923 "

-------------- ------------ 46,340 tubs. 57,679 tubs.

A tub is equal to 14 bushels.

Hobson, Hurtado & Co. report the amount of Peruvian guano sold in this country last year at thirty thousand tons.

Estimated number of horses in New York city, 100,000.

Estimated product of manure per horse. Four cords.

Estimated proportion of straw to pure excrement. One-half.

Amount s.h.i.+pped direct from stables. Nearly all.

Amount s.h.i.+pped on vessels. One-half.

Length of time the uns.h.i.+pped manure remains in heaps. From three to four months.

Average cost per horse, annually. $3.

Greatest distance of s.h.i.+pment. Virginia.

Average amount s.h.i.+pped via L.I.R.R. 60,000 tubs.

Price of manure per tub delivered on cars or vessel. 80 cents.

Average amount put on car. 40 tubs.

Statistics of Ash Trade.--Time when ashes are delivered. From middle of June to middle of October.

Places from which they are mostly s.h.i.+pped. Montreal, Belleville, and Toronto (Canada).

Method of transportation. Ca.n.a.l boats.

Average load per boat. About 8,000 bushels.

Average amount annually sold. 360,000 bushels.

Average cost delivered to farmers. 20 cents per bushel.

_Per Acre, about._ Amount used by farmers for potatoes 60 tubs.

" " " " " cabbage (late) 50 "

" " " " " corn 12 "

Amount of guano used on Long Island, as represented by the books of Chapman & Vanwyck, and their estimate of sales by other firms, 5,000 tons.

The fertilizers used on the Island are bought almost exclusively by market gardeners or farmers, who do a little market gardening, as it is the general conviction that ordinary farm-crops will not give a compensating return for their application. Most market gardeners keep so little stock that the manure made on the place is very inconsiderable.

Our dairy farmers either compost home-made manures with that from the city, spread it on the land for corn in the spring, or rot it separate, to use in the fall for wheat, on land that has been cropped with oats the same year. The manure put on for potatoes is generally estimated to enrich the land sufficient for it to produce one crop of winter grain, and from five to seven crops of gra.s.s, when it is again plowed and cultivated in rotation with, first, corn, second, potatoes or oats, and is reseeded in autumn of the same year.

Fish and fish guano are largely used on land bordering the water, and adjacent to the oil-works. The average price for guano in bulk at oil-works is $12 per ton. The average price for fish on wharf is $1.50 per thousand, and it is estimated that, as a general average, 6,000 fish make a ton of guano. The fish, when applied to corn, are placed two at each hill, and plowed under at any time after the corn is large enough to cultivate. Seaweed is highly prized by all who use it, and it will produce a good crop of corn when spread thickly on the land previous to plowing.

Very respectfully,

J. H. RUSHMORE.

Letter from John E. Backus.

NEWTOWN, Long Island, N.Y., March 2nd, 1876.

_Mr. G. H. Rushmore_:

DEAR SIR.--Some farmers and market-gardeners use more, and some less, manure, according to crops to be raised. I use about 30 good two-horse wagon-loads to the acre, to be applied in rows or broad-casted, as best for certain crops. I prefer old horse-dung for most all purposes. Guano, as a fertilizer, phosphate of bone and blood are very good; they act as a stimulant on plants and vegetation, and are highly beneficial to some vegetation--more valuable on poor soil than elsewhere, except to produce a thrifty growth in plants, and to insure a large crop.

By giving you these few items they vary considerably on different parts of the Island; judgment must be used in all cases and all business.

Hoping these few lines may be of some avail to Mr. Harris and yourself,

I remain, yours, etc.,

JOHN E. BACKUS.