Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-06
A9titnltmral.
[From the Country Gentleman and Cultivatorl.
SURFACE MANURING.

Respecting surface manuring, | have
this to say, that where the manure lies
closely to the soil(a good common soiDbut
little strength escapes. fiHd it especial
" beneficial where the soil is compact, yet
mellow, thus forming more concentrated
source Of attraction. | think | have seen
the best success on soil where clay largely
preponderates Clay it is now known,
presume, beyond dispute, has an affinity for
the principal fertilizing gases.
have never known manure benefit land
sufficient to pay expense of carriage and
spreading where it is put on late in the
spring, and in Jumps, as | have often seen
it practiced. Many farmers cart out their
manure, especially from the constable, af-
ter their springs work is done, and then
roll the dry Jumps over the meadow. These
alocays complain of the inefficiency of sur
face manuring and after few trials,
abandon it.
Drawing ont in the early winter, ere the
snow is on the ground, is beneficial. My
neighbOr, Smith, covered the knoll in this
way; the snow packed it down, and when
the spring rains came, they held it down,
hugging the sod close-a timothy sod of
two years standing. The result was that
the crop was remarkable. The line was
drawn wherever the manure extended, as
though a rope had been drawn to mark the
difference. There were coarser stalks, and
they were from ten to twelve inches taller
and the heads the largest and plumpest
ever saw. This was two years ago when
the season was very moist.
| have seen manure thrown in heaps in
winter, and left there till spring. 1t proved
damage to the crop. The manure was
spread as soon as the frost was out of it
Weeds in this case seemed to possess the
soil.
A very fine effect-fne always, so far as
| have seen it practiced--is the application
rather early in the fall so that the manure
catches the rains and some of the warmth,
and the grass gets a start, SO as to possess
itself, so to speak, of the manure, making
it so much surface soil
But here is the point. We sometimes
apply too thick, so that the upper part of the
manure goes, much Of it. into the atmos-
phere the lower the ground gets Our
friend Wieting, III order to remedy this Che
had poor yellow knoll-drlt Think ap-
piled thin coat one year, close to the
ground and got good crop the next year
he applied another, with still greater effect
A mat was formed by the first coat, and but
little manure was visible. The second coat
seemed to impart all its strength, as did the
first. We must spread rather thin and close
or we have a chance to lose much of our
manure. When it is narrowed in or mixed
with soil, even if lightly, but thoroughly, a
heavy coat no doubt will dO-will do if the
ground is mixed with it to the depth Of the
plowed mellow soil. Ifnot mellow, we have
never had good luck. There must evident
ly be an attraction of the soil, or the air,
which has no attraction, will get its share
of the benefits of the manure
We have, however, never known a crop
to fail, when composed in good part of
ground or muck, as in the case when COM
posted. Here the application is soil itself
We think no farmer can object to the ex-
cellent effect of surface manuring, when the
soil is dense mellow, and the manure is
finely and closely applied, and in the fall or
early winter.