Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-07-12

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all my experience / find that two loads $
applied on or near tho surface is worth
and will give as much benefit as at least
three loads plowed under" When have
very coarse manure which must he used |
pillow it under rather shallow About two
inches is my idea of the proper depth to
cover manure. Allo me in this COnnec-
ton to quote from Prof Nolcker. who in
an elaborate essay on barnyard manure
says, Even fermentcd, or in state oil
fermentation manure Is not liable to the
loss Of ammonia on exposure to the at
mosphere, the heterogeneous matter re-
mains unchanged in the manurc. Il Is /
not volatile, but when spread upon the ,
surface remains there until with the first T
rain 1t is absorbed into the soil. Again /
he says, There is but one volatile ele- /
ment in manure that cI9 escape, aud that
is ammonia which is seldom found uncom-
bined with an acid. OF the many possible
combinations only one is volatile. Car
Donate Of ammonia, sulphate of ammonia,
nitrate of ammonia, in fact, all combins.
tons except the one named above, cor
Donate of ammonia, are not volatile and
do not escape by evaporation. Evaporation
is simply bugbear."
Manure should be applied broadcast
always. The practice of manuring in the
hill is wrong and wasteful. To demon
strate this l will give a bit of experience
| During the past season | have plowed
| field which was MANFRED in the hill for
corn five years ago. A good portion of the
manure remains where applied only
partially decomposed.
| Here let me say a word in relation to
the common method of applying CONNER.
cial fertilizers. which is to put a small
handful into a heap where it can do but
comparatively little good. The roots OF
the plant do not find their principal food
and nourishment in it, but strike off away
from it in every direction to find support
in the surrounding soil; therefore it is not
so fully appropriated by the plant as when
sown broadcast upon the soil. In using
commercial fertilizers let them be spread
broadcast like other manures.
: Whether applied to the surface, or plow-
ed deep, manures should be evenly spread.
The ancient and time honored practice-a
practice which has absolutely no recon-
mendation except its antiguity--of carting
manure to the fields and dumping it in
small heaps, and then letting it remain
until much of its value has been dissolved
by the rains and carried into the soil i'm
mediately beneath, making that portion
very rich, while after time the heap is
unevenly spread over the surface and left
in clod, to be turned under by the pillow,
, cannot be too strongly condemned. AS q
, result of this practice we find that upon
: that portion OF the field where the heaps
!, stood the soil is so rich that grain will
J lodge, while in other portions there will
be only stuuted growth | am fully
persuaded from personal experience that
the most convenient and the most profit
| able season for drawing and spreading
J manure upon the fields is during late win
} ter or early spring when the snow is upon
b. them, there to be dsintegrated by the
e frost, and dissolved into the soil by the
melting snow and the spring rains. AL
C though this is not in accordance with the
general belief and custom; yet my owl
. experience has convinced me that it is tho
e best method. My practice is to pillow
greensward in the fall, and about eigh
] inches deep. Upon this field | sled ou
: the green manure from the heap in the
h basement, and from the sheep yards, ant
t spread it as drawn out upon the snow. Il
G will not evaporatc, neither will it run of
). except it be when the ground is frozen
y upon steep side hill, or, in case of ;
{ Hood The fertlizing elements of the ma
n nure as they are dissolved by the melting
o snow and rains are absorbed by the sol
S which has been put in that most profitable
1t condition by the agencies OF nature, which
e condition, man with all his ingenuity can
not duplicate or improve upon. Were
: to top dress my meadows should draw
e and spread the manure at the season be
l. fore named, and 90 over the field if neces
II sarv in the spring with Il brush made 70
e that purpose
:, have urged the Importance of protect
II inc manure at the barn aud have ais
2, advocated the method of shedding ont an
Is spreading manure upon the snow.
may be urged, in objection TO this las
d method, that if protection by means of at
sorbents and shelter is necessary ut tn
1t barn, it is not quite consistent to sprea
80 manure upon tue snow where all its valu
N able elements must he wushed out by tn
III water from the melting snow and rains
= This objection at first sight seems plau'
e lille, but let Us consider it for Il moment.
re Manure when evenly spread upon tn
III surface of the soil is exposed to the rar
1t and snow which fall upon that surface
&c and no more. This amount Of water wi
Ii be sufficient to dissolve the fertilizin9 ell
lncnts IF the manure, which must be dor
hh before those clements ave available
OF plant food and it thereby acquires create
| specific gravity, and sinks first of all TO II
NJ soil below which filters it OF nearly all
m took from tho manure Thc theory tn
~ manure washes now finds so few advocate
cs that the question seldom enters in The di
II cusson OF manures. sh vi not therefor
&c take your time or attention with any r
r- marks upon the matter
DIS Upon the question of the absorption
II; the elements of manure by the soil, allo
he me to quote from Prof. S. w. johnson
,nt Connecticut. He says, "If the spreadil
ny, is done in the cool of autumn and gent
rain shortly follows, all the elements
in manure that can suffer loss, the ammon
- the potash, ETC., dissolve and sink into
my soil. But they do not 60 far down, unlt
sed indeed we have MANFRED gravel bed
ills sand pit. On land fit for farmer
handle, whether a natural loan, or a sar
os- or clay subdued to a proper texture, t
the descent of fertilizing matters is arrested
mes the beautiful chemistry of soil absorptio
uld the slowly descending water is filtered
an the soil, and the real feeding qualities
is the topdressing are distributed and diff
san ed throughout the surface soil in way
be tillage can initiate. Loss is reduced to
I'M minimum. and the application is as peri
'rm in style as in cost"
.er. Stable manure is termed a cOmpl
est, manure, but the feed oil the stock ha
ers, great influence upon It's value. In con
ner q1ence of feed it may contain plant fl
be in abundance. or it may contain it il
ap much less degree. II the feed is clover
xed other grasses rich in nutriment, with
lent addition of grain feed, the manure will
rrel of much value, rich in all the elements
lor- plant fool. AS an illustration we ,
ard suppose farmer has lot of COWS or f
efll grown stock which he is feeding wit