76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the case of manure applied late in the fall ; and I think there 

 can be no question that it is a wasteful procedure to apply 

 manure, or any fertilizing agent, quite late in the fall. Two 

 years ago I applied some manure to a field about ten rods 

 abo\e the road, to which the descent was very gentle. I 

 found, that, after every copious rain, there were puddles of 

 water in this road, which led me to secure some of that for 

 chemical examination. I was astonished to find the amount 

 of soluble salts which had been taken up and carried away, 

 together, in this case, with some of the carbonaceous mat- 

 ter connected with the manure. I do really think that we 

 must use good judgment in the distribution of manures ; and 

 I think there can be no question about the impropriety of 

 spreading them late in the fall upon fields that have a grad- 

 ual or a precipitous descent. 



Mr. Paul. I wish to ask the doctor one question. I have 

 practised for many years applying my stable-manure in the 

 fall to land that is to be used for hoed crops the succeeding 

 year, and ploughing it in very shallow, say some three inches 

 or thereabouts. What would you say to that practice on 

 comparatively level land ? 



Dr. Nichols. It is a very good practice indeed. You 

 are enabled to do in the autumn work which you have not 

 really time to do in the spring. 



JNlr. Paul. That is why I have done it. 



Question. Is there not a loss of fertilizing material ? 



Dr. Nichols. I should not say so under those circum- 

 stances. 



Mr. Paul. I would say that I again plough in the spring 

 five or six inches deep. 



Dr. Nichols. The condition in which these fertilizing 

 elements exist in the manure is a very interesting one. I 

 did not feel that I could introduce it in my address, because 

 it would require too much time to discuss it. We frequently 

 meet with disappointment in the application of barnyard- 

 dung, and we are greatly puzzled to know why we meet 

 with these disappointments. I would sa}^ in general, that 

 barnyard-manure, as it exists in the heaps connected with 

 our farm-buildings, is generally very far from being in the 

 right condition to be applied to the best advantage. You 

 must allow your manures time to undergo a process of fer- 



