Milford chronicle., 1885-01-23
CROss-PLOwING IN THE SPRING.
Henry Stewart Gives the Results Of "A Few
Experiments.

Experiments
The management of manure in the
soil is always subject of interest to
farmers. There is much difference of
opinion in respect to the use Of manure
and its pratical bearing upon the yield
of the crops. For instance, one farmer
believes in surface manuring altogether;
another thinks manure should be plowed
in another would have it spread upon
the soil already plowed and thoroughly
mixed with It by narrowing or with the
cultivator others prefer to pillow in
manure in the fall and cross pillow it
back to the surface in the spring. All
these methods have their advocates, and
each one of them will profess to have
good proofs Of the value Of his way of
doing. il But while each way may be
good there are certainly some better
than others, and it is well to have such
questions discussed and try to find out
why one way is or ought to be better than
the others. From what is known Of the
action of the soil upon organic matter it
seems reasonable to suppose that the
best way of using the manure is to mix
it as evenly as possible through the soil.
The soil, when well plowed and broken
up being very porous, exerts a strong
oxidizing action, such as is known to be
common to all finely divided or exceed
i1fly o GUS substances. Familiar in
stances of this action are given by
spongy platinum, which will cause alco-
hol to slowly burn away without any
flame or heat being applied, and wooden
or cotton waste or rags which, when sat
urated with oil or turpentine, will gen.
crate sufficient heat to inflame and burn
by the absorption of oxygen. The same
is true, but to a less extent. with all vety
porous substances, and is true to a
marked extent with the soil. This
is shown by a well-known expert |
ment, VIZ, to bury in the soil a quantity 4
of flowers of sulphur and iron filings |
md leave them for "a hours, when, by
rapid process of oxidation, the mass be- |
comes III an active state of combustion, |
aud flames burst from the soil. A SINH
lar action takes place when organic mat
ter is buried in the soil, and manure
plowed in is acted upon in this manner ,
and becomes subject to an active fer
by which it is decomposed,
urnis hes material for the rapid produc-
ion of nitrates by means of living germs,
which increase with amazing rapidity,
md in doing this acts also as a solvent
or the mineral matter of the soil.
Thus the manure not only adds to the
oil its own contribution, but it exerts a
trong chemical effect upon it. To do
his with full effect the manure must he
,uried in the soil. II e IS only spread
por> chg 0ras iii partial action occurs
nU no more; the soil is aided to the ex-
snt of the addition of the manure, but
o active notification can occur, nor is
lere possible any solvent action upon
le mineral matter. This is the theo-
etical view of the case, it is true; but in
lis case the theory is certainly both an
zplanation Of and is explained by the
,tual practice and experience of farm
IS during scores Of years past. 1t may
g said that many farmers have found
lat manure spread upon the surface
reduces quite equal results with ma
IRE that has been plowed into the soil.
his is by no means a satisfactory argu- /
ent, because no one can know the ef-
ct Of the variations of soil, quality of
anure, and many other elements in the
se which would affect the result and
hich do affect results in the most sur
Using manner when such experiments {
e made side by side upon the same !
il.
In our own practice for many years D
2 have found that manure plOwed into
e soil in such a manner that it is not
Iried flat, and out of the way of the Ii
nefcial action of the atmosphere, but il
covered in between lap furrows laid n
edge at an angle of 45 degrees, so y
at the air has abundant access to the &
il, and through every part of it; that a.
lnures so plowed in, in the fall to be a
ore completely mixed by cross -plowing
by the culhvator or best still by such u
implement as the Acme pulverizing Z
rrow which mixes very intimately the "a
i and the manure, will always produce Ii
, very best results. By such a W
,thod Early Rose potatoes have g
,lded 450 bushels per acre; corn has
oduced rs to80 bushels; oats, 70 bush ov
; wheat, 35 bushels, and the succeed OF
grass and clover have produced % IN
IS per acre. An Ohio farmer, who is R 7l
,cial potato grower, produces 240 Ie
shells per acre by this manner of cul- re
alton. Many other farmers practice tn
with success. ma