Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-02-22
MANURES-HOW AND WHEN A
Piled.

A long established cusgom-a "rut that
the wheels Of every day practice have run in
for years, has something which entities it to
respect We would not switch of upon a
side track, or no track at all, just because we
fud ourselves running our practice in the old
ruts. These were formed probably for some
good reason, and should be departed from
only for a good reason. The interest in the
subjecJo Of manuring land is increasing over
the whole country, even on the rich prai-
rios, where the ideas advanced from time to
time by the 4grjcultrist have so often pro-
voked derision, manure is getting to have
recognized value everywhere else It is the
very life Of farming It is gratifying % hear
farmer say, Five years ago, do the best
could, I could not make over 20 loads of
good manure, but now J keep double the
stock did then, and make $40 loads of bet
ter qualify, Such a man can not leave the
accumulations Of the whole year aa.iI april
and May before he eetsi- outs bas thers must
be- system Of alrac5- e-z s-sz.g getting It to
the field, aud get.ins T. under ground. The
farmer whose remarks we quote, has, on an
average, Is oz-eart loads Of manure per
month to dispose Of
For some crops. corn for instance, manure
may be applied fresh ard pIowed in. For
others, as fax or wheat, such rank manure
would be fatal to a good crop. Applied in
the autumn, manure VIII generally become
so Incorporated with the soil before spring,
that its rank character viii be entirely lost,
and if examined it viii be found much Of the
consistency of manure that has lain months
or more in the yard.
For corn and root crops, il is best to have
the manure difused through the soil For
wheat and the other cereals the upper layer
Of the soil to the depth Of 4 inches, should
contain The manure applied, especially for
that crop. There are two ways Of securing
this surface enrichment, which, in the case
of the small grains, should never consist Of
rank unfermented manure One way is to
make compost and when Of a uniform con
sistency, apply it on the plowed surface and
harrow 1t IN, or work it in with cultivator
The other is to plow in a good dressing OF
manure spread evenly over the surface, turFs
ing it well under. If this be done in autumn
the spring ploglng and narrowing, if done
right, viii !;gingit again to the surface, well
incorporated with the soil, and making usu-
ally a nice seed bed. II it be done in the
spring, a crop Of corn or early potatoes may
be raised, or on some soils summer small
grain crop, and the mannre be brought to the
surface for the especial beueft Of a wheat
crop in August or September. There are
such great differences in soils, exposures and
the general adaptation of districts to certain
crops, that only general rules viii amply uni
yersally
Inquirer" who omits Ike State from his
address, says it is customary with farmers in
his neighborhood to manure in spring. on
csrn stubble for oats, and follow with wheat,
seeding to clover and timothy. This to be
followed by corn. Sometimes, 1t seems, The
oats grow rank and lodge, but usually the
crop is coed. The reason evidently is tlat
sometimes they plow the manure in so deep,
the oats get but little, and if the blowing is
700 shallow, they fall badly. When they