Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-02-12
Drawing and Spreading Manure in
Winter.


nure to accumulate in piles in winter, I'm
less the object is to convert it into com
post the following spring ana summer. |
intended for blowing under for spring
crops, it should be hauled out and spread
as soon as possible. If hauled when the
ground is covered with snow, so much
the better, especially if it is to be applied
to meadow or pasture, since then all
grinding of the crowns of the plants is
avoided. In either case the worry and
shaking of the team is avoided, while
drawing the wagon over rough ground.
There are a number of valid reasons
why manure should never be hauled in
the spring. The principal ones are the
muddy state of the roads, the poaching of
the soil, the multiplicity of other work TO
be done. and the consequent surety that
other important work will be left undone
Many field of young grass that, on
account of the drought, failed to get a
good start, may be saved by spreading
crude, long or strawy manure, or even a
mulch of straw itself, over the surface of
the ground after it is frozen. This will
prevent freezing and thawing, and, eonse-
quently, heaving-out in the spring, and
give good crop either for moving or
pasture the next season. If intended for
moving, however, it will be necessary to
gather together the long portions with a
horse-rake after the ground has settled in
the spring, to be drawn away for compost
ing or applying to land for blowing un-
der.
The Western RurGJ has heretofore
shown the value of new clean straw and
corn stalks plOwed under, as a mechani-
cal means of improving some of our
firm and stiff soils in the West. If they
have been previously trodden by stock
and partially saturated with the urine
and mixed with the droppings, so much
the better. We have also shown that the
manure made on the farm costs only the
moving from the yard to the fields, since
1t must be eventually carted somewhere
to get rid of the accumulation when a
large portion of its most valuable con-
stituentS have been dissipated 1t is,
therefore, money in the pocket of every
farmer to haul it at his earliest convent
ence, that its value may be conserved.
One of the principal reasons against
the hauling of manure in winter is the
the opinion, not thoroughly well-founded,
that the rains of the winter and spring
will wash the more soluble parts entirely
away. The observing farmer, however,
probably will have noticed that, when
placed in piles and allowed to remain
during the summer months, the increased
vegetation will show but short distance
about the piles. The fact is that, except
on very tenacious soils or steep hill-sides,
the effect is observable but for a short
distance. Calculations must be made
not to spread next the bottom of declivi-
ties where the inclination is steep. For
tunately, there are but few situations in
the West where it is necessary to Guilt
vate such lands.
When manure is hauled on meadows or
pastures, it should be spread as evenly as
possible directly from the wagon or sled,
and the frozen chunks broken up and
evenly distributed as soon as thawed
thereafter. We advise the application of
manure to grass whenever possible, in
preference to other crops; for plenty of
grass and hay and plenty of stock makes
rich farmers in any country. When the
meadow is broken for succeeding crops,
the good results are always seen.
In the application of manure we should
not advise heavy spreading on meadows
unless the supply were ample. A light
covering will be sufficient toprevent serious
alternate freezing and thawing, and this
is what does the mischief either to young
meadows or young wheat. Better cover
all lightly than a portion heavily and the
balance not at all. If there is not ma
nure enough for all, however, cover the
weaker places and leave the stronger pOr-
tons to take care of themselves
There is one consideration in hauling
and spreading manure in winter which it
is perhaps unnecessary to mention Man
ures should not be placed in swales and
low places where water runs The fer
tilizing properties of the portion so placed
may be washed away; bnt, here again, not
to so great a degree as is often supposed.
Unless the current be strong and confined
to narrow channel, the fertilizing pro-
pertie' of the manure will be gradually
given up to the soil and grass over which
it extends. These facts are well-known
to those conversant with the processes of
irrigation, but are not so well understood
by the general farmer who has not had
experience in these matters.
When the water falls on the surface as
rain, and does not flow over the surface,
the soluble manure, taken up by the drops
as they fall, is Immediately given up again
to the soil through which it percolates or
saturateS as it slowly runs along; for,
though water is the universal solvent it
gives up the constituents again as freely
as it has received them. Hence, the ex-
traOrdinary fertilizing properties of water
in irrigation, which water, to the ordin-
airy sense, seems perfectly pure Western
RIraL