Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1881-03-24
AGRICULTURAL.
Hints OH Top Dressing.

This. is very old subject, but it'
discussion may he Of some help, ifnot
to old, At least to young farmers. By
top dressing you not only make the
soil richer by the application OF ma
nurs or compost, but you accomplish
nearly as much good by shielding the
crops from the cold winds, and the
freezing and thawlng Of Winter, as
we'll az the intense heat Of Summer
80 you have a two-fola gain. But it
should be applied with sound jndg-
msnt; for instance, if the meadow is
nearly run out, or has heen trampled
hard by stock, not much good may be
looked for. The newly seeded mead
ow is the place to put it. In the Fall
or early Winter is the best season, but
now is a very COOL time, putting it on
early ia the morning before the
ground becomes too soft for the teams
The manure l u.s is principally
made up of butcher ofaI, leaves. sods
and manure from the cattle and hog
pens. thrown together in large piles,
allowed to ferment and then turned
and plaster added at the rate of 200
pounds to every four OF Eve cords
When manure is fine, and ground
suitable for hauling, take two teams
With three men to each, so whilst one
il loading the manure is being spread
right from the other wagon. Two
men spreading whilst one follows be-
hind and scatters any big Jumps 40 all
the ground may be equally covered.
BY this plan each set Of men is kept
busy at profitable work; the one at
the pile, the other in the field, the en-
tire time. spread about six three
horse wagon loads to the acre, a, !
find little spread all over Tie ground
and often, is Of moro benefit than
great quantity careless'y put on at
long intervals. And here | would say
l consider it great improvement to
spread right from the wagon. You
can see better how to apply it; yon
can get it on more evenly and you
avoid the great waste of having|
too much in some places and too little
in others, which little manure piles
are sure to cause.
In three or four weeks after spread
ing take a brush harrow and run
over the grass, first one way and then
cross it. ard the manure is all put
down among the grass roots, the place
for it. This | consider very impor
tant, By this plan. if the season is
moist, your crop will be very heavy,
if dry your crop will still be good.
have also for some years foIloNe !
this plan with the same success on my
wheat; the wheat being rut in tire
Fall with a good fertilizer, making
nlump wheat averaging from twenty
five to tbirty-two bushels per acre,
and giving fine set Of grass after
wards. 1t costs to farm tits way, but
you are working at profit all the
while.
II YOU are corn grower, put all
your manure on the sod you intend to
break up az far as tn" manure will 60
Let it remain till May, break it up.
plant your crop, and give it a thor
ough working, and see if you do not
realize more profit than BY planting
great ield by use Of fertilizers. If !
you are fruit grower, put some we'll
rottsd manure now on your strawber-
ny vines, work it well into the soil,
and see what a mass of fruit Won will
have. If you are a gardener, put
some well-rotted rich manure on your |
Fall plowed ground for onions, rub it
we'll into the surface soil. make it fire
and level, ard then drill in your seed
and You will be astonished at the
yield.
Instead Of buying fertilizers for corn,
wheat and grass, if the same money
was spent for millfeed and corn chop,
and fed to good stock, the manure
saved by using the leaves, of the for
est, the sods of the bitches and head
rows, and we'll mixed together, vast
pile Of compost would be available to
gladden. you with heavy crops and to
fill your pocket at the seasons close.
You would have more grass, more
stock, more manure, and, above all,