New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 123 



tions of stable-manures fail to produce the results once secured. It 

 is, therefore, easily possible to exhaust a soil by long-continued,, 

 exclusive use of stable-manure ; and this is just what has occurred 

 on man}' farms in this state. 



Stable-Manure Supplemented by Commercial Fertilizers. — 

 In order to use our farm-produced manures to the best advantage on 

 the average soil as found at present in this State, we need to supple- 

 ment them with commercial fertilizers containing available phos- 

 phoric acid and potash. To give a roughly approximate idea, we- 

 might say that for every ton of stable manure applied, it would be 

 well to use with it from 50 to 100 pounds of acid phosphate and 

 from 25 to 50 pounds of high-grade muriate or sulphate of potash. 

 This is best accomplished in the manner described on page 81. 



Use of Fresh Manure. — The statements below apply to fresh 

 manure containing only small amounts of coarse litter. It appears 

 to be the prevailing belief both in theory and practice that best re- 

 sults are ordinarily secured by applying stable-manure to the soil in 

 as fresh condition as possible. Mixed with the soil, fresh manure 

 decomposes readily, having its own constituents made more available 

 as plant-food, and, morever, rendering available some of the insoluble 

 plant-food previously in the soil. In this way losses from destruc- 

 tive forms of fermentation, leaching, etc., are mainly prevented. 



Fresh manure gives better results than rotted manure on heavy 

 clay soils, when one desires to lighten the condition of the soil- 

 However, when one desires direct fertilizing action promptly, fresh 

 manure gives sufficiently quick returns on light soils, becoming 

 available as fast as the plant needs it, if the season is not too dry. 

 On heavy clay soils, manure decomposes slowly and the constituents 

 of fresh manure may not become available as fast as needed. On 

 this account, it may happen that on heavy soils little benefit is seen 

 from the application of fresh manure until the second season after 

 its application. 



In dry hot seasons an excessive application of fresh stable-manure 

 tends to " burn out " the soil, this tendency being more noticeable 

 in light than in heavy soils. 



Fresh manure has a tendency to favor rapid growth of foliage and 

 stems at the expense of fiiiit and grain. It is, therefore, more suit- 

 able for grasses, forage plants and leafy crops than for grains. 



Such crops as potatoes, sugar beets and tobacco appear to be in- 

 jured in quality by the direct application of stable manure. It is 



