The Question Box. 125 



Question. — What will keep smut from sweet corn in the 

 garden ? 



Mr. Witter. — There is no preventive known. It is not inju- 

 rious to live-stock, as was formerly supposed. 



Question. — How can you compute the quantity of hay in a 

 stack ? 



Mr. Witter. — The ordinary rate is 512 cubic feet for one ton. 

 It will depend on the fineness of the hay. 



Question. — How shall we mix oats and peas for sowing? 



Mr. Witter. — One bushel of peas with two and one-half of oats. 



BARN MANURE AND SOME OTHER FERTILIZERS. 



Question. — How can we get best results from farm manure? 



Mr. Johnson. — My practice is to haul it from the stable every 

 day and spread it, either on new seeding or on land I am going 

 to crop. I prefer to plow in the fall ; draw out the manure, spread 

 it and in the spring harrow or cultivate it in. 



Mr. Bentley. — I get good results from plowing manure under 

 for corn, and I am going to plow as much of mine under as I 

 possibly can. 



Mr. Smith. — Mr. Gould, when he comes, will tell you that is 

 the ideal way to grow corn. 



Mr. Bentley. — Is Mr. Gould a good farmer? 



Mr. Smith. — Yes, sir, he is ; a very good farmer indeed. But 

 I want to say right here, that unless one has vegetable matter in 

 his soil to hold moisture, he will not be able to grow good crops, 

 no matter how much fertility there is in it. Corn stalks, straw, 

 clover or other such crops are valuable for that purpose. As a 

 rule, sandy or gravelly soils are most destitute of humus. This 

 is why moisture leaks out of them, and we find so little response 

 from fertilizers applied to them. I recall a farm that a few years 

 ago, was called a " run out " one. A young man bought it at a 

 reduced price and began sowing clover and applying straw, both 

 turned under; to-day it is one of the most productive farms in 

 that section. 



Question. — Will there be any loss of fertility in manure spread 

 on land in winter? 



Mr. Smith. — Unless the manure is washed away or fermenta- 

 tion sets in, there will be no loss in that way. The mineral ele- 

 ments ■ — potash and phosphoric acid — might possibly be washed 

 out on a very steep hillside; but there would be no loss of nitro- 



