Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-04-26
agricultural.


With regard to the application OF fer
ti!ilcr-, of course there are almost ~
many opinions, ~ there are farmers in II
given :, elton. should say tltt the gen
el.al Iulr WAS this: Put your fertilizers in
the sol! at such depth that they will feel
the influence OF the atmosphere and not
feel the effects Of evaporation. Now YOU
may ask what I mean by that. mean To
say tina, he Who puts his manure entirely
on the surface Of the soil, makes mis-
take | cannot use my manure cconOml-
cally as topdrcs~ing to land. do not
hesitate for n moment to say that Tor
fact, and think it the most cNtravagant
Iisr in the world for lnanlIres that are fitted
to fcrliizc land. | would PIT ashes on
the surlncc it is true. But those tcrtili-
zrIs which would most ctfrctualiy stmu-
late tie land would not use rs a topdteSs-
iny 10 grass Land. but | would apply my
manure :or growing the grass. nto the
soil. in such Il way that it would be thor
ou4Iiv intcrmingled with the surface OF
the soil itself and 20 interminglrd that II
viii be enabled to preserve for itself lu>t
that moisture that the soil preserve, for
it-cii.
Manure should not he put 20 deep us to
dcpli it of the heat of the ;ttmo- pherc,
nor PIT in - shallow Il manner us To hc
subject To the usual corporations created
bv he sun and the wind. 1t should be
put into the soil in such place thai
the ~oil can hayc unlimited control of il
and Jut where the heat Of the atmo> her,
and tie rains Will reach it. Now You tau
put hat on in various ways For the
seeding down of grass lands and grain
lands, therefore, | would apply Il harrow
and harrow in the manure. For corn
land, | would apply the manure the day
before planted my corn-say the last OF
MAY plough in the manure, and turn
the sod over on to it. | would LAY that
the reason for this is that. if you put a
little fertilizer into the hill. when the
corn weather comes and the corn roots
are in search of their food. they will be
seeking i'll the furrows for that heated and
dccomposcd matcr1 that l.e> there. Tia
is the secret of the assertion that corn will
Grow better upon sod lands newly
plou@hed with the manure ploughed in
then in almost any other way. 1t Is be
clu>" the manure held there and not dis
tmhcd by atmosphere influence will be
heated and will begin to dccompo~e
Just when the corn most wants 1t. 1hai
i the way should apply it to Il corn crop
and the great root crops that we rli~c
| should apply itpreci>elv the way have
suggested. to prepare for the growing OF
grass and Of corn. because | am assured
from my own experience that the appllca-
ton of manure broadcast and narrowed
into ploughed land, together with Il little
fertilizer in the hill itself, will raise the
best crop of corn and potatoes. and the
best general crop that the farmer is en-
ea@cd in raising. think the law | have
l:td down with regard to the application
of manure is Il good one, and if Il farmer
will observe ii, he can escape AL discus
sion about how to plough it. The answer
is put the manure where the heat of til"
atmosphere. and the moisture can soonest
reach il and create the decomposition O.:
ii into thtt state in which the plant needs
to hav" it bcfor,- it can take hold of it -
Tnat j. i general law which every farmc,
can UNDERESTIMATE LOrulI