The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1869-04-28
THE FIRM.
Farm Yard, Manure-What is the Best
sia Method of Applying it. 81

sF Method of Applying it.
Within the past few years new method
of applying manure for hoed crops mas been
frequently and strongly advocated IN the
columns of the Country Gentleman both py
its editors and correspondents. MS new
method recommends that the wlnter-made
manure be kept through the summer Till
some time in autumn, and then cartetl on
the green sward and evenly spread, there TO
remain upen the surface OF the land TILL
plowed in in the spring; and it has been
stated tl,atyone cord of manure so applied
will give as great a yield of corn as two or
three cords put npon the land Just before the
corn is planted. The practice of many
good farmers in different sections OF the
country goes far to substanfiate the correct
ness of the above statement.
The great mass of farmers are proyerblally
copseryatiye-slow to adopt any innovations
in the long-established farm practices-con'
tent in these matters "to let well enough
alone;" but, cautious as they are, when
satisfied OF the worth OF real improvement
in any branch of farm culture over the old
method, they have the good sense to adopt
the new one. I will give an Illustration OF
this: aiig5ittssil1s
There has been in successful operation at
Sandy Spring, Maryland, for twenty or more
wears. farmers club at which agricultural
questions are proposed and discussed, and
at the close of the discussion vote is
taken. IA record is kept of the doings. OF
their club meetings. In 1859 the question
was asked, (" What is the best way OF using
barn-yard manure 2' Answer: "Plow it
under this fall for next springs corn CROP
"Should it be left spread on the surface, or
plowed under directly p Club equally
divided. But in August of the next year,
the majority favored hauling out manure on
the sod now and leaving it spread to plow
under in the spring for corn. On this i'm
portant question the majority in favor OF
leaving barn-yard manure spread on the
surface increased from year to year, so that
in 1859 sixteen out of seventeen farmers
present preferred surface manuring.
Now it seems to me that the experience
of these Maryland farmers does much to-
wards settling this important question rela-
tive to the application OF manures for the
corn crop; and in my view there are many
other advantages connected with this sys-
TEN, and only one objection-that of plow-
ing in the spring.
Let the winter-made manure remain in
the harm cellar or under cover if possible,
and fhogs could be kept upon it the bet
ter The manure, straw, &C., in the yard
should he put in large heaps (and if covered
with muck or loan, all the better), to re-
main in the yard till carted on the newly
inverted sod in autumn, which should be
done soon after the land is plowed: The
manure should be evenly spread, and work
ed into the soil with the clltivatOr or har-
row. By such course there would .'e no
breaking up" of grass land in the spring,
no carting of heavy green manure over
muddy roads and deep-rutt,d fields in early
spring; there would be little or no loss of
manure by evaporation oi leaching; the
iertilizing qualities of the manure would be-
come pretty equally distributed through the
soil, so that every little root let would get
its share of ready prepared food. The
plants on such u prepared soil, from their
first appearance above it. exhibit wide,
dark green, rich looking leaves-the reverse
of the yellow, sickly-looking corn in an ad
joining field, where all the manure was
buried eight or ten inches beneath the sod.
By blowing and manuring for the corn
crop in the autumn, all that is necessary to
through cultivation with an implement (not
pikc-toothed harrow) that will penetrate
and pulyerize the soil from four to six inches
deep.
But here some may ask, "Will there not
be much loss by the leach.ng out of the
tertilizing ingredients of the manure from
October till May Z" If the soil contains
Iair proportion of fine loan, and small per
centage of clay, there would be no loss of
manure. This important fact has been
fully demonstrated by many carefully con-
Quoted experiments by Professors Way, Lie
hig, and many other scientific investigators.
To sum mp the matter in few words, it
was found that the clay or aluminous por-
tions of soils possess the power OF chemical
ly combining with not only the gaseous
compounds of decomposing animal matters,
but also with the alkales, ammonia, potash,
soda. niagDesia, &c. This said Professor
Way, is a very wonderful property of soil,
and appears to an express provision OF
nature. "A power" he remarks, s. is here
found to reside in soils by virtue of which
not only is rain unable to wash out of them
those soluble ingredients forming necessary
| condition of vegetation, but even these COM
pounds, when introduced artifcially by
manures, are laid hold of and fixed in the
soil to the absolute exclusion of any loss
either by rain or evaporation" That the
views thus expressed are substantially cor
rect. think we have the most abundant
proof. That bountiful provision or nature
Which treasures up in the soil, unwasted,
for unlimited periods of time, the fertilizing
ingredients so necessary to the growth and
maturity of vegetable life, marks unmis-
takably the wisdom and benifcence of the
Creator.-Leui Bartlett, IN the Country Gen.
tteman. b ea rt-ls gE
| GROWING GRAPEs-It is a noticeable fact
that those persons who have large, well kept
gardens, in favorable climates, and who are
in the habit of having their work we'll done,
rarely, if ever, fail to have certain and abun-
dant crops of grapes, if they have vines set
out. This is owing, in great measure, to
the way in which the vines are treated and
also to the high state of cultivation in which
these gardens are kept, rendering failure
next to impossible. ~ 4ia" :'.'as-t +H
| No one will meet with total failure in
! growing crop of grapes if he will bestow
suitable labor and care on the vines. The
vines should be carefully selected in the first
place, then they should be set out in ground
prepared expressly for the purpose. After
this is done, if they are trimmed to run on
trellies, and pruned on the renewal system,
! good crop can be expected. But it is too
often the case that, in garden culture, the
I vines are left to themselves, receiving no at
4 tention to pruning; the consequence Of
such neglect is, that as they are allowed to
! spread more and more each succeeding year
running over fences, and twining themselves
around the trunks Of adjacent trees, the
fruit becomes smaller in size, diminishes in