The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-09
Application OF Manure.

The next thing in Importance to making
and preserving manure is the judicious APP
plication of it to the soil. There has been a
great deal of labor and expense incurred in
protecting and preserving manure from the
SHOWS and drenching rains, by making barn
cellars and building manure sheds, which is
money well invested by the farmer and no
progressive agriculturist can afford to let his
manure remain out of doors exposed to the
burning suns of summer or the bleaching
SHOWS and rains of winter. because his pres
en-. and future success as farmer, (espec-
TALLY in this latitude), depends largely upon
the amount of manure which is available
With plenty of manure he can do everything
and without it he can do nothing, compare
lively speaking.
There has been a great deal said and writ
ten upon the subject of applying manure to
the soil so as TO make it the most available
for plant food, and still there are great
many intelligent, progressive farmers re-
naming in doubt IN regard to blowing ma
nure under. One farmer of large experience
when asked what he thought of blowing
manure under, replied, ''That he plowed
some under once and never saw nor heard
from it afterward." Another said, HE
should as soon cart his manure and dump it
into the river, as to plow it under thinking,
ever, to receive any benefit from it.'
While many discard the idea of blowing
manure under as futile one, l must beg to
differ from them, basing my opinion upon
more than forty years. experience as farm
or in the town of Carroll. l speak now more
particularly in regard to raising potatoes.
As I.promised some time ago to relate my
experience in this department l will now
MAKE an effort in that direction NY land
being rather moist and somewhat late in
wet spring, rendering it a little difficult to
work the land in season so the crop would
mature in the fall before the early frost
might overtake it, and after mourning quite
an expense in undertaking, concluded to
build manure sheds to my barns and let my
manure lay over until after haying when it
could be moved without injury to the field;
and when the ground became sufficiently
wet would spread the small heaps evenly
upon the sward and plow it under from five
10 six inches deep, say just deep enough to
( make it work nice and easy the next spring.
Then, as soon as the ground was dry enough
to work light and friable, put on an OK cul-
tivator, or spring tooth harrow, and when
completely pulverized marked it off three
rows at time with horse
Cut the seed, one eye to piece and drop
the pieces from twelve to fourteen inches
apart covering with hand hoe. This year
applied one-half spoonful of superphos-
plate TO each piece, hoed them once by
hand, got S45 bushels on less than 24 acres !;
the QuAuLlty Anu 5lZ0 W0T0 eACelltnl.
My choice would always be a piece of
smooth, sward land, however badly run out !;
spread on liberal portion of manure in the
fall and turn it under at once, blowing it
not over five or six inches deep. According
to my experience many farmers seed their
potatoes TOO heavy. The less eyes ON piece
the less stalks to hill and the less stalks,
the less the number and the larger the pota-
toes; we should, especially if we raise for
market, always have an eye to size. Plant
as early as the ground and other circum-
stances will permit. By so doing you will
secure the best quality and guard the most
efectually against the rust and rot.
Now, know of no way to prove my posi-
ton to be tenable and my theory to be cor
rect in regard to blowing manure under for
potatoes, except to state that | have never
failed to raise crop of potatoes when others
did. Some of my neighbors practice the
same course with equal success; | would
also pillow under for corn, but have it as near
the surface as possible for all kinds of grain.
Any one examining the roots of the pota-
toes when digging can not fail to discover
that they penetrate the soil very deeply far
below the manure. By blowing under in
the fall you leave the incest, clean hoeing of
any process | know of, thus burying all seeds
in the manure so deep as to prevent germi-
nation. This is not all. It gives the ma
nure ample time during the rains of the fall
and spzing to soak out into the ground thus
preparing it for plant food, when, if not ap-
piled until spring, especially if the season be
dry, the crop cannot receive the benefit from
the manure which it needs. Lest my letter
be unreasenably long, l will close for the
present.-Corr. Dirigo Rural.