Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-02-18
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Spreading and Pulyerizing Manure.

STABLE manure ana coarse barn yaru
manure is sometimas dropped in heaps,
which are not spread over half the ground
the manure was designed to cover. Such
a practice is erroneous, as u portion of the
land will receive a heavy application of
manure, while none at all will be applied
to more than half of the ground 1t is a
common practice TO spread manure in
Jumps, or in unbroken masses of fibrous
material, and in this condition to plow it
into the soil. 1t requires but moments
reflection to perceive that such large
Jumps of manure and of large clods of
earth will constitute seed bed quite unfit
for the fine, delicate, thread like tibers and
rootlets of plants. But let these crude
materials be both ground together to fine
powder and properly moistened, and they
will at once promote luXuriant growth.
The pile OF large clcds can do nothing to-
ward re aiming moisture, but finely pull
veriZed they will become at once as a
sponge Practical farmers have often re-
marked that the application of manure has
served to increase the dryness of the soil
in times OF drought, and sometimes even
to lessen the amount of the crop. This
would not be the case if thorough inter-
mixture had been effected. On the con-
trary, the manure would increase the
growth of the crop, both by the additional
nour1shment afforded and by the increased
retention and supply of moisture. In
cases when it is necessary to apply coarse
manure at once much may be done in
lessening the evils of coarseness by
artiticially grinding it into the soil.
The instrument called the drag
roller, which is like a common roller
set stiff so as not to revolve, has been used
to great advantage for this purpose by
passing it over the surface in connection
with the harrow. We have known this
treatment to effect thorough intermix-
ture and to more than double the crop OBJ
tained by common management with
coarse manure. But when the manure
can be shaken to atoms by the use of a
manure fork, the punches should be forked
about and separated until they have been
reduced to uniform tineness. The i'm
portance, therefore, of finely breaking all
the manure applied to the soil and inter
mixing it well by repeated harrowings
cannot be too strongly impressed on the
mind of every cultivator. Various means
may be adopted to reduce manure to fine
condition. If coarse or composed largely
of straw it must be rotted by placing it in
large heaps to remain several months,
cutting down the Outsides with a hay
knife after the lapse of few weeks and
throwing the trimmings on the top. II
there is not enough straw to retain the
volatile portions then thin layers of loan,
turf, muck or peat must be placed with
the manure-thus forming an excellent
compost heap-the amount of loan or
other absorbent to be regulated by the
quantity of straw which the manure may
already contain. When straw is largely
used it would obviously require much
less rotting down ii the straw could be
run through a straw-cutter and chopped
short before being used as litter. Corn
stalks are especially troublesome when
mixed with manure. The straw-cuttcr,
therefore, becomes particularly useful in
chOpping them up before they are spread
over the yard
We have in mind successful gardener
who is accustomed to keep one of his
many hands constantly employ ed in mix
ing and working down fine cOmposts.
To save labor farmers should make their
manure piles in the form OF long and low
parallelograms, on which yoke of oxen
may be used for several days in plowing,
narrowing and cOmmingling all the parts
until the coarse manure is Rne. After the
manure is spread upon the soil and before
plOwing in, great benefit is derived by
thorough narrowing with the top soil and
mixing them we'll together. Another way
for the perfect diffusion of the manure
among the particles of earth is to spread it
in autumn so that the rains may dissolve
tie soluble portions and carry them down
among the particles, where they will be
absorbed and retained for the growing
crop.
In experiments which we have wit
messed, where the manure for crop OF
Indian corn was thus applied in autumn
the land afforded yield of about seventy
bushels per acre, when ground, to which
the same amount was applied in spring,
gave only nifty bushels, A thin coating
of manure applied to winter wheat at the
time Of sowing, and well narrowed in,
has increased the crop flOm seven to ten
bushels per acre. In addition to this, by
the stronger growth it has caused, as well
as by the protection it has afforded to the
surface, manure has not unirequently
saved the crop from partial or total win
ter killing.-N. T. Herald.