The Republican journal., 1898-05-26
manure, How l Use it, and Whv.

FOR forty years have used all nv dress
ing except for small garden, to top dress
NY grass land, with most satisfactory re-
sulls' steady gain in quantity ami quail
y Win grand saving of blowing. cult
Vauns ana seeding. Itkeeps the ground
warm winters, cool and moist summers
with great saving of the fine parts of the
SOIL from blowing and washing into waste
places. vase
All lie that lives through our cold win
,ers' the vegetable as well as the animal
klngdom, need both food and clothing.
therefore DO not turn your stock on to
lne moving land to rob the roots of their
| clothlng, or to tread the life ont of the
same. Many say that the grass binds ont
| never saw the like. 1t is starved ont
every time. The light, pale color of our
old grass fields speaks louder than words ::
II am hungry, feed me- You cannot
spin nne manure on the grass ground no
matter what the soil may be. without
turning that light, pale color to a dark
green, and make it hold up its head high
to thank and reward you for YOUR kind
ness and plant food
Many say they are afraid to top dress.
as their manure will dry up and wash
away. When one top dresses his grass
land it fills the ground with roots which
act like sponge to absorb all the moist
ure that falls from the heavens and dry
ing up only locks up the plant food and
holds 1t until again unlocked by moisture
The whole history of the guano islands
proves this to be true, where the manure
lies Tor unknown ages exposed to sun and
wind. Yet it brings in the market NINETY
dollars per ton.
Many say the scent of the manure when
spread on the ground is a loss, but Prof
Johnson says that which we smell is sui
| phureted hydrogen, which has no market
| value. Surprising it does have a small
value, 1t proves nothing.
Comstock in his philosophy in speaking
OF the divisiblity of matter says that sim
gle grain of musk, the four hundredth and
eightieth part of an ounce, will scent a
large room for years, yet the incest ad-
! justed scales fail to detect a loss. In
bringing it home to our senses the little
animal that creeps about our fields, called
polecat, will scent quite an extent of
country for days and weeks, yet the
amount of liquid mixed with the urine
which does the mischief is but a few
drops. That same force that would take
grain of dressing into the air would take
! your hat from your head, | would as
soon think of falling against the clouds as
grain of dressing going there. An laws
of gravity are the other way. Old Mother
Earth claims her own, no matter W hat the
Advents say about it.
| All manure spread on the ground either
Tor top dressing OF to pillow under should
be made fine before it dries. If it once
dries no ordinary amount OF rain will
soften it. When dry lump is plowed
under it is more likely to be narrowed up
on top than to mix with the soil. When
manure lying or the ground is dry enough
to fall apart when disturbed, then is the
time TO pulverze it, no matter what you
are doing. Small white birch trees fasten-
ed into header is about the cheapest and
best to do this work Vegetation has no
teeth to eat. Do not fail to make your
dressing fine.
| spread my manure with kemp's ma
nure spreader Immediately after haying,
before fall rains, when the ground is dry
and thirsty SO the grass and soil will
absorb all the liquid that teaches from the
manure. The same liquid that would
wash into the creeks and streams to feed
our fish and sea life when the manure is
spread on frozen ground 1t is estimated
by learned men that when fine manure is
thoroughly mixed with water and then
well drained the water will remove one
half of the plant food, the most soluble
half. The vegetable as we'll as animal
life receives all nourishment through the
liquids. Can the farmers afford to lose
the better half of their manure? Many
noted farmers build their barns without
storage room for manure. Spreading it
as made will do at some seasons of the
year but when the pores of the ground
are filed or locked mp with frozen water
it is all wrong. How can men leach and
ing it on the snow to be washed away and
leached when the snow melts and spring
rains come? Is it not as safe piled up by
the side of the barn?
Because ground bears a good crop after
the manure has been spread the winter
before, proves nothing. That argument
reminds me of the old lady goose that
ate all before and killed ali behind. Why
kill all behind? Simply because the dress
ing is too strong. Do farmers want weak
manure for their land because it will pro
duce two or three good crops? If so why
pay 800 per ton for grass or So for phos-
pilates? Old, weak, fine manure agrees
with vegetation but it soon loses its effect.
| would not expose man or beast to the
cold winter winds and storms for the sake
of having the manure where the better
part will wash down the Hill into the
brooks. Oftentimes the snow is so deep
for weeks and months that team cannot
haul load over the fields where wanted.
Again, in the fall and spring the ground
is too soft to drive a loaded team over,
and will cut up and destroy the fields and
also the roads if there are any. What
would one do with manure at such times as
this? In the barn cellar under the cattle
to receive the liquid and bedding as made
will do, | think. 1t makes the dressing
none too strong for me.
The man who works hard through the
long days of summer, markets his crop
and cares for his stock winters, Ices we'll
Is it not better for him to subscribe for
and read a good agricultural paper and
learn how to feed and care for his stock,
handle his milk asd market The same
than to toll the year around? Intelligent
labor is what pays and gives success to-
day. I'd. Dyer, Winterport, ia the Turf,
Farm and Home.