Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-01

Applying Manure.
How barnyard manure should be applied to
land is a question much discussed among
farmers and those who assume to give scien-
tifc directions in such matters. Some say
that it is always best to plough it under as
soon as it is spread upon the land others go
to the other extreme, and argue that it should
be left on the surface in all cases, and that no
one but an old fogy would bury it in the soil.
OF late. surface manuring is widely practced
among certain class of farmers who assume
TO be progressive, few leading and the re-
mainder of the flock following the bel-wether
wherever he goes, be it over clay, sand, gravel,
through wet or dry climates regardless of
common sense. A system of manuring in Il
dry, leachy, hot soil is totally inapplicable to
a hard cool, moist one. and n farmer who
does not vary his systems to accord with CON
ditions is not far removed from an ignoramus.
Let advocates of top dressing meadows and
pastures with fresh barnyard manure visit the
great plains of the West, and note the effect
or non-etIect of the top dressing that has been
going on there for thousands of years with
buffalo, deer and antelope manure The drop
pings of these animals are scattered about in
abundance, and would no doubt, be a most
excellent top dressing for grass or other crops
in a moist climate, but under their present
y
vegetation; and, while they might have a
better effect if ploughed under, there can be
no question in regard to their lack of value
while remaining on the surface But il is not
necessary to visit the Western plains to learn
that top dressing grass lands with fresh stable
or barnyard manure, or the pure drOppings Of
animals, often fails to produce satisfactory or
even appreciable results, because there are
thousands of acres of farm lands in the East
IL,
ern, where fresh manure left upon the surface
for one month in summer would dry to chips
and become totally worthless as q fertilizer
On moist, compact soils one can readily See
| by the rank growth of grass where COW drop
! pings have been left uudistUrbed on the sur
! face of pastures or meadows the previous
season; but on a dry, loose, sandy one the
effect of such applications is frequently not
perceptible, and the droppings of one, two
and three years old may be found rs dry as
the buffalo chips on the plains, simply be-
cause the water has not remained long enough
| in contact with them on the surface TO dis
solve them or carry them down into the soil.
But if this lump Of manure had been covered
up with moist soil, or ploughed under, IT
would have dissolved and become pabulum
for the roots of plants very speedily.
Some of our modern chemists say that
! when barnyard manure is spread on the sur
face, it loses nothing by drying except the
water it contains. This may be true with
| very old and thoroughly decomposod manure.
! but practical experience proves that il is not
so with fresh manure. If there is an tffiuvi-
nm escaping which il manifest to the nasal
! organs, something besides pure air and water
! is being lost and while there may be a ques-
tion in regard to the value Of these volatile
| gases, the fact Of their escape into the atmos-
| phere is undcniablc. If We mix fresh caustic
! lime with stable manure hen droppings,
! guano, or any other similar fertilizer, We are
soon made aware by the fumes that ammonia
is set free, and the more volatile properties,
frequently the most valuable, escape. II
barnyard manure is placed in large heaps and
left to ferment and become heated it soon
dries; and if the fermentation continues
| long enough. there will be little left except
the bare mineral parts of the manure, the
| bulk reduced from wagon loads to bushels,
| the most OF 1t having passed off in the form
of volatile gases, which. under more favorR-
bic conditions, might have become the food
of plants In this case there has been great
waste, but no greater than if the manure had
been spread upon the surface of a hot, dry
soil, and left to be burned under a July or
August sun. Spreading coarse manures on
meadows in the fall where the rains Of win
ter will keep II wet and the juices can have
time to soak down into the soil before the
heat of the ensuing summer comes on, may
answer very well. and. in fact. it is the only
way of applying it without breaking up the
sod but on all land where ploughing is to
follow for crops cover manure as soon as
possible after it is spread, that nothing may
be lost by evaporation, or washing away by
heavy rains. In cool moist climates or where
the ground does not freeze during the winter,
there may be little waste by leaving manure
on the surface during winter but even then
il would be better two or three inches under
the surface than exposed to the air OF
course it is lot good policy to bury the ma
nure too deep, especially whore the land is to
be occupied with small grain, the roots Of
which remain near the surface: but the in
telligont farmer will vary his practice in ac-
cordance with the nature Of the soil climate
and kind of crop TO be grown. In what are
termed light, leachy soils it is often asserted
that the manure will 60 down fast enough
without ploughing it under-all of which is
true but its soluble parts will not leach out
any sooner if mixed with the soil than when
left exposed on the surface. Besides the
volatile gases will be absorbed by the sur
rounding soil instead Of passing of into the
air. There has been far too much theory
and too little sense displayed of late years 10y
those who talk about surfnce manuring being
the most scientific and progressive method of
applying all kinds Of fertilizers and while
there may be good reasons in some instance
for departing from the old practice Of mixing
all kinds of fertilizers with the soil as appli-
ed, they may be considered as exceptions
rather than the rule for all to follow.-N y.
! Sun