St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-05-26
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Applying Manures.

We advocate fall manurinc where Il
is to lie served to the land by broad.
casting. ii over a firm sub-soil. but
not uii IN the spring If on gravclly or
sandy soils. or sub-soils of this nature.
Ncilher is it waste 10 manure thus
or in excess Of Tn, crops. unless on
open or sandy soils. But it is not
usually the best economy 10 make
hcavy applications. except 10 bring up
WORKOUT lands. i'm excess of the cron
demand. For with the farmer rs with
INC merchant. he wants quick returns
on MS Investments; therefore, he should
apply jus. what he thinks the crop
needs. and this over as much ground
as can be well cultivated. II
too much ferti i,y is gained by
excessive manuring. and the season is
moist and favoring large growth.
grain crors may lie injured By this
overwhelming the plant There ID
forced an extra growth of vine. stalk
and straw. which usually falls down,
and the seed is thus prevented from
properly filling AMI maturing. We
once sowcd to wheat piece of ground
that hal been the feeding place for
stock of various kinds for years. their
droppings rotting and ming,ing with
the soil. and which had never been
cultivated till prepared for this wheat
crop; the result was an extraordin airy
crop OF straw-thc stalks in many
places grew 10 a height of seven feet
and not over twelve bushels of me.
dunn fine Wheat to the acre. The
field was taxed. following that with
two successive crops of tobacco. then
again sowcd 10 wheat, without addi-
tional manuring. save a little put i'm
the hill of the last crop. The wheat
turned out FIR better than the first
yielding nearly twenty bushels per
acre.
IN exccs>ivc quantity Of manure
put il. the hill. for instance. say peck
Of hen-manure in the hill for melons.
and. if 4 moist season follow. an OK
cess of zines, with little or no fruit.
will be the result. But inc. rporatc the
same manure with the soil some weeks
previously. then spoonful or two of
the manure in the hill. and there will
be not only thrifty vines but an
abundance Of fruit 10 well.
As manurcs made on the farm arc
Of very unequal values. they should be
thoroughly mixcl together before APP
plying to the land or to the crops; that |
IL. in other words. The manures should |
er comp ostcd together. Some ma
nurcs are very rich in one clement
md some in others. and for the |
most part the richer the elements |
contained the less bulky they are. as
for instance. hen manure; and. on the
contrary. The more bulky the less
value in fertility. And it is difficult |
TO apply the less bulky rich manures
economically 10 land; hence it is ad-
visablc 10 compost them with the more
bulky. such IS barnyarl manures.
The rich clements will soon leavel the
entire heap ard thus the richer ma
nurc can be evenly distributed ever
largcr surface than it could be if in
smaller bulk; otherwise. too. the poor
est manure might be cast upon the
poorest land, where the richest is
II cedcl.
As TO applying manure in the hill.
this method, We think agreeable to
our own experience. is not safe rs n
general rule. 1t is better that the
manure used on all crops should be
mixcl with the soil rather
than in the hill. especially if in guam.
liiy or i'm Jumps. for it soon dries out
when the rains stop: then it injuries
rather than benefits the crop And.
besides some manures are too strong
for young plants. They do not need
so much nourishmcnt ut the start; but
when they have attained considera bic
size, and have sent out rootlets all
through the soil. then plant-food is
demanded in abundance. and. if it
has been thoroughly Incorporated with
tho soil. it vii! be found and taken up.
Cor. Southern Cutira.or