Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Colonial Farming Fertilizers-1610-1775

George Washington was the first to build a dung repository in America.  Of course we know, now that manure is great for the grass, but Washington's repository is the first place that kept dung for a period of time to let it ferment until it was ready to spread on the fields.  I would like to know how they spread it and how many acres (I will have to look into that).   Not only that, Washington was the first in America to fence off his pasture land to keep his livestock in and fatten them off.

It is also believed that Washington used creek mud on his fields.  The creek mud is high in nutrients and minerals and organic content.  (Visit Fertrells website for some info on similar organic products for your homestead, then drop me a line.  We are a Fertrell dealer in southern Missouri.)

For added fertilization, they used fish heads (I know, now I have that song stuck in my head too).  As they decomposed, they added nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

How does this info apply to your farm/homestead?

1 comment:

Peggy said...

When I was a child we lived on a lake in Michigan that had a lot of "trash fish", carp. When they spawned we raked (yes, with garden rakes)them up on shore, killed them and planted them around the trees as fertilizer (the whole fish, as they were inedible). Thanks for helping me revive an old childhood memory.