Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-11-23
Manure for Soil Humus.

Twas greatly impressed by lecture
on fertilizers given by Prof. Hurd of NJ
A C last year. He made very plain the
fact that we so often overlook, namely,
that unless soil is sweet and in good
condition mechanically as to the supply
of humus, etc, it is of little use to ap-
ply commercial fertilizer. There is
nothing so valuable for land as barnyard
manure. | have yet to see anything
that will produce such tall, dark green
stalks of field corn as will hog manure
dropped in hills and the corn planted on
the manure. The next best method Of
fertilizing corn is heavy coat of COW
manure spread on the land in winter or
early spring. This, when plowed under,
with the addition of some 800 pounds
fertilizer per acre, will grow splendid
corn.
Where land is too heavy to cultivate
plow the sod ground in August, spread
grass seed at once, using one bushel
barley per acre as nurse crop; also 800
to 400 pounds high-grade fertilizer ap-
piled the spring following. This will
bring big crops of hay, provided the soil
is sweet, otherwise the crop of timothy
will be light. The biggest crop of
straw berries l ever saw was raised on
ground that was stuffed with manure.
l find that in order to get any decent
plant growth have to resort to manure
of some kind. Fertilizer alone will not
do the trick-except where land has
been previously filled with manure.
recall man in neighboring town who
had fine hay farm, and wishing to give
up dairying tried commercial fertilizer
alone. His grass soon run out and he
made failure of hay farming on fertiliz
er.
farm is meadow muck. l recall an old
friend from New Hampshire who used
to tell me of the great value of muck for
light soils. laughed at the idea then
but now know better. One piece Of
dry, light land belonging to a neighbor
was spread very heavily with muck; in
| fact, that piece was deluged with it,
This was done great many years ago
and still that ground produces large
crops of apples and good grass CROP
too. Little or no fertilizer has ever
been used on the piece, but plenty of
COW manure has been applied regularly.
Where meadow muck or rather peat
was applied to dry soil have found that
strawberry plants stand the drouth we'll
and bear splendid crops. In this case l
find hen manure plowed under and fer
tilizer applied on the surface or with
shallow cultivation makes the best of
plants and saves the trouble caused by
the May beetle where COW manure ia
| used.
One crop I have been able to raise
with commercial fertilizers and wood
ashes alone is peaches. 1t is now quite
few years since have used any ma
uure in my peach orchard. I will say,
however, that plow under a crop of
hairy vetch and weeds every spring to
furnish humus for the soil.
AS to plowing under green stuff have
not given 1t fair trial since the tempta-
tion to feed it to 12 hungry cows is too
great; moreover, l believe the manure
from cattle is vastly better fertilizer
than green fodder, except the legumes,
aud the latter are too expensive, with
the high prices of clover and vetch seed,
for one to lay down ground for one year
only aud shen plov uuder the fodder
Cor. New England Homestead.