The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1841-07-28
AGRICULTURAL.
OUGHT MANURE TO BE PLOUGHED uN.
DER WITH AS LITTLE EXPOSURE AS
POSSIBLE?

OUGHT MANURE ~ DE-
DER WITH AS LITTLE EXPOSURE AS
POSSIBLE!
We find in the American Farmer on article on
this subject by Mr.. ]. NJ. Garnet of Virginia from
which we extract the following paragraphs:
began pcnning my cattle late in the spring. and
continued it until frost, in pens Of the same sIze'
moved a, regular intevals of time, and containing
the same number of cattle during the whole PERIOD
These pens were alternately poughed' and lett un-
plouphcd, until the following spring, when all were
nlantcd in corn Immediately followed by WHEAT
The superiority of both crops of all the pens which
had remained unpoughed for so many months after
the cattle had manurcd them, was just as distinctly
marked as if the dividing fences had continued stand
ing. il was too plain 10 admit even Of the slightest
doubt. near ncighbor, young fariner' mad
made the same experiment, on a somewhat dliferent
soil, the year before, but with results precisely the
same Similar trials I myself have made and seen
made by others with dry straw, alternately ploughed
in as soon as spread, and left on tho surface until
the next spring. In every case the last method
proved best, as far as the following crop would
prove it. Tie same experiment has been made by
myself and others of my acquaintance, with ma
nure from the horse stables and winter farm pens,
consisting of much unrotted corn ofal; and without
solitary exception, either seen by me- or heard Of
the surface application, ate: the corn was planted,
produced most manifesty, the best crop, Upon
these numerous, concurrent, and undeniabe facts,
nv opiriou has been founded, that it is best to op-
plv manures on the surface of lands; and IL guess"
lus brother Jonathan would say) that it is not likely
TO change unless indeed, should hear still greater
number equally we'll authenticated on the opposite
side; although must say, that up to the present
time, have not heard solitary one. True 1t ls'
that have read many Ingenious fine spun argu-
Inents in opposition to the opinion which hold IN
common with numolous other ugrlculturlsts, but no
proofs whatevcr have accompanied them, and there.
fore must remain an infdcl, unit, they are sustain
ed and corroboratcd, by such facts, as should al
WAYS be deemed indispensable to establish any prac
s tice whatever in any of the various branches OF
husbandry. All these results undcniaby prove, that
the surface application was best; although the kinds
of manure differed considerably And what have
we in opposition, any facts whatever? Not one;
and only the conjecture, that the evaporation from
6'~~S-
or and best portion of the food Of plants therein
contained But that such evaporation cannot thus
act, seems to me to be unqucst'onably proved by
every fact have mentioned: for, If ii did, then
the lard of summer COW w-pens ploughed up as
as removed, would, in every case have produced
better crops, than that Of the unploughcd, instead
of doing it in none. Similar results too must have
followed in the other cases have stated, although
have never seen or heard of their doing it in any.
In connection with these facts we state tho fol-
lowing: Two brothers held different opinions on
this subject; the one supposing that manure is inur
ed by exposure to the sun, the othor that it is
not The latter in manuring field for oatA in
1910, spread the manure from the wagons as it was
hauled out Two or three weeks after this part of
the work was commenced another set Of hands
was employed in sowing the oats and ploughing
them in with the manure. These overlook the
hands engaged in spreading the manure before that
operation had been finished. OF course the part Of
the manure carried out last was ploughed in imme-
diatey after it was spread, whilst that first carried
out Law two or three weeks exposed to sun and wind
beforsi. was pIoughed under. The poorest of the
land was that sown and ploughed last. Late in the
spring the two brothers were crossing the field to.
gether, when the owner perceiving the youngest
oats and in the poorest land to be the largest and
most ourishing expressed his surprze at the fact.
The other reminded him of the manner in which
his manure had been managed, remnrking that hc
observed it at the time, and thought it might test the
cocrrcctness of their respective opinions. The oat
feld of course was watched with interest by the
brothers through its progress to maturity, and the
part on the poorest llnd, where the manure was
turned in as soon as spread, continued to gain upon
the other. These facts were related to US by the
owner of the field, who is determined hcnceforth to
expose his manure to the sun and air as little pos
sible.
But how is the result of this experiment to bo re-
eonciled with the result Of :hose made by Mr.. Gar
nett and his neighbors7 The reader must Judge fo
himself Nature is not inconsistent. Her law.
and operations are always the same in the same