CEREAL CULTIVATION WESTERN AREA 381 



the latter with the lower moisture layers, which may ac- 

 count for the objection sometimes made to manures on 

 western farms. Manures should be plowed under during 

 or just before a wet period, if practicable, and the plow- 

 ing may often be advantageously followed with the 

 packer. Sometimes local conditions may make the ap- 

 plication of barnyard manure difficult or impracticable 

 (see King, 1895, pp. 288-291). 



A system of farming which involves keeping live-stock 

 and enables the farmer to return as much of the crop as 



FIG. 119. Manure-spreader at work. 



possible to the soil in the form of manure cannot be too 

 strongly recommended. No more important farm imple- 

 ment has been made than the manure-spreader (Fig. 119). 

 410. Preservation of manure. The special need and 

 scarcity of manure in this area, together with the extreme 

 dryness of the atmosphere, affecting its value, make it 

 desirable to mention the means of preserving manure 

 under semi-arid or arid conditions. In a dry climate, 



