ON THE ADVANTAGE OF PLOUGHING ]N MANURE. 41 



ON THE ADVANTAGE OF PLOUGHING IN MANURE AT ONCE 

 ON BEING SPREAD, OR LEAVING IT SPREAD FOR A TIME. 



By John Ainslie, Junior, Hillend, Loanhead. 



[Premium — The Medium Gold Medal.] 



In these days, when land and wages are so liigh, and opposition 

 so great by foreign consignments and otherwise, farmers must tiy 

 as far as possible to lessen their expenses and raise larger crops on 

 the same breadth of land, by applying large quantities of farm- 

 yard and other manures, in such ways as they find may prove 

 best adapted to their different climates and soils. Keeping this 

 in view, I may state the system practised on this farm for a great 

 number of years back under the above heading, which is to allow 

 as large a proportion as possible of land intended for potatoes or 

 turnips, to lie for six or eight weeks, or even more, as circum- 

 stances would permit, with the manure spread on the surface 

 before ploughing in. The first time this was specially recognised 

 was about nine or ten years ago, when part of a large field lay 

 spread with manure from the end of November till the beginning 

 of February, when the other part of the field was manured, and 

 all ploughed in at once. The part with the manure lying spread 

 on the surface so long looked much better to the eye during the 

 summer, and lifted a much heavier crop of potatoes. Unfortu- 

 nately, however, for that season, there was no comparison made. 

 Ever since then it has been done on this farm more or less. 



I have never weighed the turnips, as they are always partly ate 

 on the ground with sheep, but the parts which lay longest with 

 the manure spread without being ploughed in look much better 

 to the eye. The barley also shows a marked difference, but has 

 never been compared. 



Tlie land thus referred to consists of a medium light soil, stands 

 about 500 feet above the level of the sea, and four miles south- 

 west from Edinburgh. 



In the autumn or winter of 1875, I began, however, to make 

 an experiment; I then thoroughly compared the two different 

 systems of ploughing in the manure. On a field of 12 acres 

 intended for potatoes in 1876, I put 25 tons of good horse and 

 cow manure, thoroughly mixed, to each imperial acre in the first 

 week of December, spread it all at once and ploughed in 6 acres 

 on the following week ; the other 6 got a good week's storm of 

 frost and snow, plenty of rain and wind during the time it lay 

 spread on the stubble. It was exposed to the weather for about 

 seven weeks, being the first week of February before it was 

 ploughed in. The potatoes were planted in the second week of 

 April, getting all the same chance otherwise, and when lifted in 

 October were pitted separately, till disposed of during the winter 



