Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-02-12
farmer $ 1epartmeut.
Mannring In the Hill.

The secret Of success, with the farmer, is to
know how TO procure and apply manure. On
the fertile prairies of the Mississippi Valley,
the. planter need not trouble himself to supply
food for his plants. Bat in New England it
Is far otherwise Without manure nothing
good can be effected We may plow and SOW
hut cannot reap Hence the Importance of
this subject, in all its bearings, to the cuti-
rator
Ofdpplying manures, there are various modes.
Farmer OldSchool says Ire wants the manure
directly underneath the plant +; therefore, in
planting corn and potatoes, he q dungs i'll the
hole"
The theory and practice of the new school
goes against this mode 1t advocates an equal
distribution, over the whole surface, Of oil the
nutriment intended for the crops.
We had supposed this question virtually set
lied that all "book farmers" at least, ad-
mitted the correctness Of the distribution the
ory. But we find it otherwise. In the Con
necticut valley, many, and we believe large
majority of the farmers, will continue in the
old practice, and these men are ready to give
q reason for the faith that is in them.
Having but little manure, they must
economise in the use of it. They cannot afford
10 spade it over the whole ground, they must
manure for the crop, and not for the land.
2 The plant n .eds artificial stimulus in the
early part of the season. BY placing the ma
nnre in the hill, an impulse is given, which will
last through the whole course.
Not being convinced by these conaidera-
tons, we will give our views of the matter
In the growth of the plant, the roots keep pace
With the stalk When the latter is mature
not an inch of ground, within distance equa
70 the height of the stalk, will be void of roots
or fbres, sent out in pursuit Of nourishment for
the plant If there is nourishment within this
range, it will be taken up and appropriated
and all the purposes of the plant served as well
certainly. as if the whole were concentrated at
point, answering exactly to the nadir Of the
tassel
When the seed FIRST sends outs its radice,
It's 6bres absorb moisture from the substances
with which they come in contact IT 1t Is
shovelful Of manure, they will rcvel in that, for
time. But soon these porous tibres, these
rootets, become roots and take on woody
structure, which fits them to sustain the stalk
with its burden
These roots or this portion Of the roots no
longer contain absorbent vessels /; and mot-
turc and nouriShment mus be obtained, II
at oil, from abroad A Shanghai rooster
would be somewhat disconnected by having his
feed placed directly under his feet. Not less
- won d the plant be, which has not, like tie
fowl. the power of locomotion. Then to con-
centrate all the Dutriment designed for the de,
>elopment of the plant about the roots, in its
infancy, seems to me much like the giving TO a
horse in the morning all the grain intended
for the day Better let it be administered as
needed.
MANFRED in the hill the plant is unduly
stimulated, during the first Of the season. Con
scquently it lays out more work than it can
perform When rearing time comes, the strength
Of the plant is exhausted, or what is equiva-
lent to it, The absorbents have wandered il.
TO O region where there is no nutrmeht, con-
seauently stalks are abundant, but ears are
few Furthermore in manuring, regard should
he had to the land, to the future crops. Ma
nuring for the crops alone is ruinous policy, i'm
poverishng alike to the soil and the tiller.
The teamster, who administers stimulating
drinks and goad to his horse, ma, secure
more labor for few hours, but many days of
rest and good feeding will be required to make
good what he has lost
On piece of land that has recently come
into my possession, which was in rye last sea-
son. and corn the year before, the place of the
hill may be pointed ont, as easily asif the corn
we're now standing. Where the hills were is
grass, elsewhere none Is that good farming?
Much like the policy of him. who fed his pig
one day, and tasted him the next because he
liked a streak of fat and streak of lean"
In the use of mineral fertilizers, it may be
advisable, in some cases, to make application
directly to the roots of the plants, but animal
and vegetable manures and all composts, !
&hink, should be distributed over the whole
ground, and every farmer who once makes a
fair trial of the spading process. will never
again engage in dunging in the hole his
corn any more than his fence posts.--Nu
Eagl4ni Farmer.