Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-02-04
SUPPLEMENT-.
WHAT EVERY FARMER NEEDS

/ manure Spf'a'ler OF IOfly-huSiltl ca
pacity, and my pa.s,'nt one has Il
tifty-hushrl capacity. Their extend
cl use cunvincrs me that they can
cut in half the cost OF removing and
distributing farm manure, hard
wood ashes, floats and tIat class OF
fertilizers, and double their value.
"To explain more fully some OF
my reasons for arriving at the above
conclusion, | may say that the only
labor done 10y the man is in loading
the sprradrr. This is dome II little
NOR" rapidly than when ne must al
so spread the load 10y hand, for he is
not exhausted hy the extremely hard
work required hy that process. The
only time he needs to hurry is while
loading. At all other times he is
riding on IA spring seat and the team
is doing the hurrying. He also be-
comes more interested i'm the work
and takes ii prid" in it. for ! have
observed that hauling manure on Il
wag IN each man prefers to let the
others do the work, while with the
Sprralrr each one prefers to do it.
'"rhr time taken to drive to the
field with loaded sprradcr is little
| - than with the ordinary farm
wagon, for the reason that the high
mind wheels, wide tires and turned
aXlrS and bearing, make lighter
draft to the sprradrr.
''Thr sprradrr distributes fifty
bushcl load in from about three to
ten minutes, while to distribute the
same quantity by hand would require
about forty minutes. The convent
cnccs in loading, the condition of the
ground over which we haul, the dis
lance we are hauling and other things
may change the relative amounts
hauled, but conclude that IA fair
average is that with "A sprcadcr the
manure is removed and distributed
in less than one half the time rrquir-
rd when handled ON an ordinary farm
wagon and distributed by hand.
My experience is that from four
to six loads of manure to the acre
produce as good results when applied
with Spr,adcr as double that amount
when spread by hand on very similar
soil, and the benefit has been appar-
cnt during the second, third and
fourth years after applying. | ac-
count for this by the fact that the
bratcr of the sprcadcr revolving rap
idly resembles somewhat the cylinder
of "A thrashing machine, and makes
even the coarsrst manure very fine.
Not only this, but it distributes the
manure 50 uniformally that practi-
cally every square inch of the soil
receives its share of the fertility in
condition to be more surely and read
ily available for the food of the plants
than it can possibly be when left in
Jumps, as when spread by hand.
The prime benefit to be derived from
fine pulvcrizing of either soil or
manure is that the roots of plants
can more easily secure the plant food.
The favorite argument which
farmers advance to defend the prac-
tise of spreading manure by hand,
and applying from two to five times
as much as the sprcader does, and
leaving it coarse and lumpy, is: The
fertility is there and it will do good
some time. The same argu nent is
equally good to defend the practise
of leaving the soil in clods and Jumps.
But most of us farmers spread the
manure, till the soil and plant the
seed to get crop at the next harvest
instead of years hence.
In no way is the benefit of finely
pulvcrizing and evenly distributing
the manure more apparent than in
top dressing newly seeded fields or
meadows. The fertilizer acts more
quickly and gives the grasses and
clovers an early start, which is very
important. The stalks, straw and
Jumps are torn into fine pieces, SO
that they are not raked up with the
hay, to it's great damage. In fact,
many kinds of manure which could
not be used at all for top dressing be-
cause of its coarscness would be pull
verified by the spreader and made
valuable.
Another great benefit to be de
rived from the use of the spreader is
that practically each square yard of
land has the same amount of manure
distributed upon it, while Ivy hand