THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



447 



LAYING FARM-YARD DUNG ON CLAY EALLOWS FOR WHEAT. 



The preparation of clay lands for a succession of crops 

 by the process of summer fallowing, which pulverizes 

 the soil and removes all weeds and stones, reaches the 

 condition of receiving farm-yard dung for manure in 

 the end August or during the month of Septem- 

 ber. Early operations are the most effectual and 

 the best performances get the land ready in August 

 for the reception of lime and dung. The first 

 article in a pulverized condition is spread evenly over 

 the land, and harrowed into the ground by a double- 

 tine of the common-purpose harrows. The farm-yard 

 is laid in small heaps on the land, spread by the hand 

 forks evenly over the surface of the ground, and covered 

 by one furrow of the plough. The dung may be carried 

 in the fresh condition from the cattle-yards, being the 

 production of the latest store cattle, and from the soiling 

 beasts that consume the green food, or it may have been 

 placed in a heap on the field of land from the month of 

 March to the time of use, and will have reached a par- 

 tially, if not a half-rotten condition, when it is spread 

 over the ground in August. The lumps of dung will 

 often not be covered by the plough, and lie on the sur- 

 face, being pushed before the coulter, and not falling 

 into the bottom of the furrow. A lad or woman with 

 a hand fork follows the plough, and throws the pieces of 

 dung into the hollows, where they are covered imme- 

 diately by the next furrow of ploughing. This provision 

 is made against the loss by evaporation from exposure 

 of dung on the surface of the ground; but the theory of 

 loss from exposure does not yet hold a confirmed 

 dominion among undoubted facts. 



The common plough opens drills with one furrow at 

 convenient distances for green crops, and on light soils 

 the dung is well covered by one furrow of earth being 

 laid over it. Clay lands for wheat are drilled in the 

 same way by one furrow, the dung is spread along the 

 hollows, and covered by splitting the ridglets with the 

 plough. In this way the plough opens a drill in going 

 the length of the field, and in returning covers a drill of 

 dung by reversing the furrow. This mode covers the 

 dung very completely, and exhibits the field in the form 

 of drills ; not highly raised, or widely formed, as for 

 green crops, but flatly done, and executed for the sole 

 purpose of covering the dung from exposure. A cross 

 harrowing is required to level the ground when the land 

 is seed-furrowed in October. The two drillings of one 

 furrow are less labour than one ploughing, and cover 

 the dung much better. Even the harrowing that is re- 

 quired before the seed-furrow, does not raise the expence 

 to an equality with the ploughing of the dung into the 

 ground. 



The wet nature of most clay lands prevents the carting 

 of dung on the surface in October, and consequently 

 the manure must be applied at an earlier period, and the 

 land ploughed again for the sowing of seed. Cases 

 occur when the dung is applied in October ; but chiefly 



on the grattans of beans and peas, and on some few clay 

 lands of the driest nature. Few wheat soils admit the 

 ai)plication of dung in October, unless the modern 

 system of frequent draining has produced a dry condi- 

 tion to bear the necessary cartage. Consequently the 

 dung is covered by ploughing in August, or in early 

 September, and a seed-furrow is done for sowing the 

 seed in October. 



The hitherto refrigeration of our globe from a state of 

 expired combustion in a fiery mass, renders necessary 

 the use of decomposing bodies as manures, to afford by 

 decay the caloric to vegetables, and to raise the tern- 

 perature of the ground, and also to place bodies in 

 quantity together in the ultimate elements at insensible 

 distances, in order to produce the same results of caloric 

 and temperature, by the mutual action of fusion and 

 attrition. Hence there arises a most important, consi- 

 deration in what way, mode, or manner the articles of 

 manure are to be applied, in order to afford caloric to 

 the plants and temperature to the soil in the largest and 

 most effectual manner that is possible. Farm-yard dung 

 buried in the cold clay ground can excite little action 

 to raise the temperature of the soil — the quantity is too 

 small to overcome the opposing resistance of clay and 

 cold moisture, and the benefit is corresponding. Manure 

 laid on the surface of the ground afford caloric in two 

 ways : by sheltering from cold the vegetable growth, 

 and by the residual decomposition of the substances 

 sinking into and mixing with the surface of the ground, 

 and producing the usual effect of mixture and combina- 

 tion. Farm-yard dung will be best laid on young 

 wheats as a top-dressing in February and March, by 

 means of timber railways placed on the ground at re- 

 gular distances, and moved to the required positions. 

 On this railway there runs a light iron four-wheeled 

 waggon, which receives the dung from the carts at the 

 end of the field, conveys it along the railway, and the 

 dung is thrown from it on each side over the land in 

 the quantity allowed, and to the distance that is con- 

 venient to the strength of a farm. The dung is imme- 

 diately spread over the surface of the ground, and most 

 carefully broken into small pieces, in order to cover 

 every inch of ground for the purpose of a close pro- 

 tection. This performance must be very carefully 

 executed, as the effect mainly depends on its disposition. 

 The vicissitudes of the weather in suns, rains, winds, 

 frosts, and thaws will destroy the matters of the dung, 

 and exert a joint effect on the surface of the ground. 

 In the usual dry season of sowing grass-seeds, the land 

 is well-harrowed, in order to mix the light alluvium 

 with the remains of the dung, which will produce a 

 most choice bed for the grass seeds that are sown upon 

 it, and pressed into a covering by an iron roll of 

 not less than a ton in weight. The harrowing pro- 

 duces an alluvial top-dressing for the wheat that exerts a 

 most wonderful effect on its growth, and is regularly 



