The Republican journal., 1873-08-28
VOLUME A.
Drawing Manure in Winter.

r., South Cortland, n Y, writes: Il
have made it practice for the last eight
or ten years to haul out my stable manure
in the Winter season. | do this for vari-
Gus reasons. The first is that, at that sea-
son OF the year, we, as farmers, are not
driven with teamwork, and it is better for
us and our teams to have a little employ
ment, and when our Spring work comes
on,w shall not regret to know that the ma
nure, or the most of 1t, has been drawn
from the stables and spread upon the farm.
1t would be very unpleasant for me, and
presume it is so to most farmers, to be
hauling out manure when | ought to be
sowing my grain or planting my corn and
potatoes, or let it lie by the barn and
waste, for the reason that | am backward
with my Spring work, and have not time
to draw it out We frequently hear this
complaint. and see it demonstrated, and
generally under the above circumstances.
You will also hear grumblings OF com
plants of poor crops, &c By hauling il
in the Winter season or early Spring, the
most Of this trouble is ohviated and time
saved. Many dairymen have their stables
SO constructed that they can drive their
horses and sled in, and draw the manure
every day, and spread it upon their fields
BV MANAGING in this way they save hand
ling it over several times, and there is less
waste Otherwise, if your stables are not
50 constructed, 1T is bat little more labor
| to draw it from the piles OF heaps at leisure
! intervals during Winter and Spring. Some
prefer the last method, while others pre-
fen the former
II | wish to apply it to the field that
am to plant the coming season, pillow it
| in the Fail of the year, and draw and
| spread it on the surface during the Winter
| and then during the Spring, before it be
comes hard and dry, 90 over the ground
with a harrow, and it becomes thoroughly
mixed with the soil and will be evenly
distributed Otherwise, if | should put oil
applying the manure until planting time,
il would become so hard and dry by lying
exposed to the sun that it would be al
most impossible to thoroughly mix it with
the soil.
think the manure from the horse stable
pays best to apply il as a top-dressng to
grass land, especially newly seeded, al
though that from the cow-bam is good al
SO The coarse straw from the ban-yard
applied to meadow or pasture, pays well.
Some, perhaps, might object to applying
it in the Winter. thinking that it could not
be evenly spread. for there would be some
frozen chunks. &c. SO far rs that is an
objection, that is very easily got along
with | take two by four scantling,
eight to twelve feet long, and put two
inch holes through it about one foot apart
cut some saddles or brush Of good length
and tasten the butt of them in the holes in
the scantling; attach a horse to it by a
chain and whilfletree, and by driving over
your grass ground where your manure is
scattered, after heavy rain, it will pull
vcrize it thoroughly. 1t will also pulver
ize the droppings of the cattle that were
lett there in the Fall | then SOW my
grass ground with gypsum, or plaster, as
it is called, and that has 4 tendency to
keep the top-dressing moist, and am sat
isfed that it pays well.