OCR Text |
Show Spreading the Manure. From Farmers' Review: The usual plan is to spread the manure direct from the stall to the dbrn land. Since corn is a ravenous feeder, it can doubtless handle the manure first hand as well as any crop. Every dry season clearly demonstrates the importance im-portance of having the manure thoroughly thor-oughly incorporated in the soil. When not well rotted, a drouth prevents decomposition de-composition and the spread material acts as a foreign body to prevent free capillary action of moisture from below, be-low, and giving nothing to the crop in ihe form of plant food. In fact, its presence in the soil is a positive Injury In-jury reducing the quality and yield of grain and fodder. Every farmer is familiar with corn firing on the rank growth of stalks in the richest part of the field. The greatest danger from firing comes from the late snreading of manure. That scattered just before be-fore breaking is most likely to cause the greatest loss through firing. Where the land is quite rolling and well exposed to the south sun and prevailing pre-vailing winds, a drouth of a comparatively compara-tively few days will turn blades brown where fresh manure has recently been plowed under. To prevent any danger dan-ger of firing from the spreading of manure from the stables it should not be taken to the high parts of the field later than January. The rain and snow from January until crop time will so decompose the strawy material that soon after it is plowed under it becomes humus and unites with the soil. As the spring approaches approach-es the manure may be hauled to the more level portions of the field. Saggy Sag-gy parts of the field may be made dry and productive by hauling coarse material ma-terial as straw and stalks upon them just before breaking. It is certainly an unwise policy to continue manuring manur-ing sharp, yellow points and cliffs late in the season when a short dry spell is almost sure to greatly injure the future crop. It is only when abundant abund-ant rains fall to suit the growing crop that such postponed spreading of manure man-ure will fertilize the crop. The question naturally arises, what will we do with the stable and shed accumulations of March and April. The stock cannot go to pasture until the grass is large enough to support them. For convenieuce they are kept in the shelter and fed in their winter quarters. The accumulation of manure man-ure goes on and if left in the sheds until fall it not only represents so much idle capital invested, but it is likely to waste and get awa' through the summer. To leavo to m',"'ire ! in -thfe lots until fall induces weed growth, is very untidy, harbors disease, dis-ease, and is indeed in many ways objectionable. ob-jectionable. Instead of hauling this late manure to the corn field, why not tak? it to the newly sown pasture land? Here the exposed parts need not only a surface mulch to prevent evaporation, but need plant food to support the young plant. There is no risk in scattering scat-tering late upon the grass field. Whether wet or dry it is sure to get in its valuable work. The stiav y portions por-tions protect from the wind and sun; it is a top covering and does cot cut off capillary action from below. The ! permanent blue grass pasture is I usually hard pressed in summer. A top dressing of manure after it is too late to spread on the corn field would force the old sod to do its best efforts ef-forts in affording more pasture than ever before. As farmers, we must study our work and endeavor to. free ourselves as much as possible from losses due to unfavorable weather conditions. con-ditions. W.B. Anderson. . |