MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 119 



When used with other quick-acting fertilizers, manure 

 keeps land in good heart, moist, mellow and friable, and 

 in a condition admirably suited to the best develop- 

 ment of plant roots. In addition to these peculiarities, 

 the plant food which manure contains is of great conse- 

 quence, especially as this may come in at the last of the 

 season, when the more available plant food of the chem- 

 icals may have been consumed. The lasting quality of 

 manure, which makes it undesirable as an exclusive 

 dependence, becomes a matter of importance when used 

 with other quick-acting fertilizers. For these reasons it 

 is important to use a liberal dressing of manure. 



The Best Time to Apply Manure is in the fall, 

 plowing it under slightly, but not too deep. If preferred, 



FIG. 15 PLANT BED FKAME WITH CLOTH COVEK PARTLY RF.MOVED. 



the dressing can be applied after plowing, when it 

 should be well harrowed in. The rain, snows and frost 

 of fall, winter and spring diffuse the fertilizing elements 

 evenly through the soil, break down the coarse, woody 

 matter of the manure, reducing it to the condition of 

 vegetable mold so essential as an absorbent and for its 

 powers of fixation of other forms of plant food. From 

 eight to ten cords, thirty-five to forty loads, of manure 

 should be thus applied when other fertilizers are to fol- 

 low. If not done in the fall, it should be applied as 

 early as possible in the spring, that the mellowing 

 influence of air and moisture may transform it from a 

 crude, raw state to one congenial to the most favorable 

 plant growth. If coarse, rank manure is applied late in 



