THE USE OF MANURE 1 67 



On some soils stable manure cannot be used for 

 growing sugar-beets ; on other soils it does not seem to 

 exercise an injurious effect. Tobacco is injured as to 

 quality by manure. Crops, as flax, tobacco, sugar- 

 beets, and wheat, which do not admit of direct applica- 

 tions of stable manure all require the manuring of 

 preceding crops. When in doubt as to what crop to 

 apply the manure to, it is always safe to apply it to corn, 

 and then to follow with the crop which would have 

 been injured by its direct application. 



The fact that coarse, leached manure may cause 

 trouble in a dry season, and that well-rotted manure 

 may cause grain to lodge, are no substantial reasons 

 why manure should be wasted as it frequently is in 

 western farming by being burned, used for making 

 roads, thrown away in streams, or used for filling up 

 low places. 



204. Comparative Value of Manure and Crops. — 



The manure from a given amount of grain or fodder 

 always gives better results than if the food itself were 

 used directly as manure. The manure from a ton of 

 bran will give better returns than if the bran itself 

 were used. This is because so little of the fertilizing 

 elements is extracted in the process of digestion and 

 the action of the digestive fluids upon the food makes 

 the manure more readily available as a fertilizer than 

 the food which has not passed through any of the 

 stages of fermentation. It is better economy to use 



