146 



ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



FIG. 64. Spreading manure directly from 

 the wagon, a better method than that shown 

 by Figs. 62 and 63. 



wait till fall. It is sometimes feared that applications 

 when the ground is frozen or when there is snow on the 

 land may result in loss, but experiments have not shown 



this to be serious. The 

 smaller amount of farm 

 work during the winter 

 also makes this a desir- 

 able time to spread ma- 

 nure. 



The best method of 

 applying manure, when 

 large amounts are to be hauled, is to use a manure- 

 spreader (Fig. 65). These are too expensive to use on very 

 small farms. The chief advantages of a manure-spreader 

 are that it saves labor and will distribute the same amount 

 of manure over more land and spread it more evenly. If 

 a spreader is not used, the manure should be spread 

 from a wagon, and it may be desirable to go over it with a 

 brush-harrow or spike- 

 tooth harrow to secure 

 an even distribution. It 

 should certainly not be 

 thrown into small piles 

 in the field and then 

 spread, as this involves 

 handling it once more 

 than is necessary. 



In conclusion, it may 

 be said that the chief 

 means of maintaining the fertility of the land are the 

 rotation of crops, including grass and leguminous crops in 



FIG. 65. Spreading manure with a manure 

 spreader. This manure was pitched from the 

 stable to the spreader handled once only. 

 (See Fig. 63.) 



