78 Effective Farming 



wagon in an even coat over the field. In this way it is evenly 

 distributed and a more uniform crop growth can be expected. 

 Whenever possible a manure-spreader (Fig. 28) should be used ; 

 it means a saving of labor and evenness of distribution of the 

 manure. There are machines on the market that will spread 

 the manure in narrow piles where the crop rows will stand. 

 These are especially useful for crops like corn and vegetables. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What three plant-foods are sometimes lacking in soil? 



2. How can missing plant-food be supplied ? 



3. What causes soil to wear out? 



4. Why should rotation of crops be practiced ? 



5. What is meant by a green-manure crop ? 



6. Which legume in your region is most used for green-manure ? 



7. State the benefits of farm manure to the soil. 



8. Why is manure from a young animal less valuable than that 

 from an old animal? 



9. What are the advantages of hauling manure direct to the field 

 soon after it is voided ? 



10. What are the advantages of a concrete pit as a storage place 

 for manure? 



EXERCISES 



1. Crop rotation. Write to your experiment station for informa- 

 tion concerning the best rotations for the chief crops in your section. 

 On a plot on the school farm or on the farm of a neighbor follow one of 

 these rotations. On a similar plot follow a one-crop system. Com- 

 pare results. 



2. Green-manure. Visit a farm where a green crop has been 

 plowed under. Observe the organic matter in the soil. Watch the 

 crops that grow on this piece and compare them with crops on similar 

 soil where green-manuring is not practiced. 



3. Farm manure. Ask some live-stock farmer of your commu- 

 nity the average amount of manure made on his farm annually. Refer- 

 ring to Table II and considering nitrogen worth twenty cents a pound, 

 and phosphoric acid, and potash each six cents (normal prices), find 

 the money loss if manure is exposed for a year. 



REFERENCES 



Same as preceding chapter. 



