462 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 8 



more worth, also believe that pine leaves are rich- 

 er, than those of the other usual forest growth, 

 whether comparing weight of litter, or the spaces 

 of uround furnishing tlie difi'erent kinds of leaves. 



The next greatest error in leaf- manuring upon 

 a large scale, is passing more of the leaves through 

 the farm-yard, or stable, than are needed for plen- 

 tiful litter to the animals, and as a vegetable ma- 

 terial to absorb and mix with the richer animal 

 matters. When so poor and so slowly putrescent a 

 substance as new or dry leaves are used as litter, 

 and in very great quantities compared to the rich- 

 er ingredients of the whole mass, the manure will 

 not be fit to use profitably for corn, or other spring 

 crops, without its being heaped, and more or less 

 fermented and reduced. This labor, and this source 

 of loss, would be a serious matter, besides the having 

 double handling and hauling of the leaves, before 

 applying them to the land. 



If, to avoid the heavy cost of twice loading and 

 twice carting of many hundreds of loads of leaves, 

 they are taken at once to the field, and spread and 

 ploughed under, unmixed and unrolled, then ano- 

 ther great loss will be sustained, in the trouble of 

 ploughing under, and afterwards among, such a 

 cover of unrotted litter, and the early unfitness of 

 the leaves to nourish or help the growing crop, 

 even if it does it no positive harm (as v/ould seem 

 very likely) in a dry summer. If left to choose be- 

 tween these several modes of application, it would 

 be difficult to decide in favor of either ; and it may 

 well be doubted whether either, on a large scale, 

 and requiring much of the rcirular labor of a 

 (arm, would be of much profit. But judging from 

 reason, more than from my yet but small experi- 

 rience, it still seems manifest that all farmers who 

 can easily obtain leaves, in great quantity, and 

 will put them on soils fit to receive improvement, 

 and on a ditl'erent method from any of those above 

 described, may thereby improve their land and 

 their profits, greatly and cheaply. My proposed 

 plan is the following: 



1st. To make and heap as much leaf-litter, in 

 the woods, as the demand for other farm labors 

 may permit, early in the winter ; and the balance 

 afterwards, as soon as convenient, and at leisure 

 times. The leaves to be heaped when moist, in 

 preference, and the heaps to be kept safe from wind, 

 by having thrown on them a few sods of huckle- 

 berry roots, or a few hoefuls of earth. 



2d. To use as litter for stock no more than is re- 

 quired ; and to cart, as convenient, up to the time 

 of next harvest, the leaves on the land, to be im- 

 mediately spread, as top-dressing. The principal 

 application, through winter, especially of the lit- 

 ter composed wholly or mostly of pine leaves, to 

 be on the growing wheat ; and in the spring and 

 early part of summer, on young clover sown the 

 season previous. When not convenient on either, 

 the leaves might be spread on any land in natural 

 grass, or weeds, and not intended to be ploughed 

 until the next year, and not to be grazed. 



It will be obvious at once, that whether much 

 or little improvement is found from this mode of 

 application, that it will be at but little cost of labor. 

 There is no double loading and carting — no labor 

 or loss in heaping and fermenting — no ploughing 

 under or among the leaves while unrotted — and 

 no possible injury to a growing crop. And if it is 

 beneficial to top-dress young wheat with other 

 vegetable manures, and young clover and other 



grass with dry and unrotted straw, as well as farm- 

 yard manure, (both of which I highly approve, 

 and have practised as largely as convenient for 

 several years,) then there can be no ground to 

 question the soundness of my conclusion, that 

 whatever value there may be contained in the 

 leaves will be given in this manner most complete- 

 ly, as well as by far the most cheaply. 



My earliest trial of top-dressing young wheat 

 with fresh and dry leaves was in the beginning of 

 the winter of '33-4, and was made soon after the 

 wheat had come up. If it could be done at so 

 busy a time, it would be much better before the 

 coming up of the wheat ; as it would be less trou- 

 blesome, and less liable to injure plants by the 

 carting. Pine leaves were used, as others would, 

 have been blown off by the dry March winds ; and 

 they were necessarily put thinly, to avoid smother- 

 ing the wheat. The quantity to the acre is not 

 known more accurately. As was expected, the 

 slight cover of leaves served evidently to protect 

 the young plants from the severity of the cold 

 weather in winter; and from this mere mechanical 

 effect, (which is independent of and distinct from 

 any alimentary or enriching matter furnished by 

 the leaves,) there was a very perceptible, though 

 but slight benefit exhibited by the top-dressed 

 wheat, before any could have been supposed to be 

 produced by the leaves as manure. A slight su- 

 periority continued plainly to be seen until the 

 growth was well advanced, which was as late aa 

 it was observed. 



It is admitted that this improvement of the crop 

 was but small ; but the cost of the dressing was also 

 very small ; and the mechanical part of the bene- 

 fit, (which was probably all that was derived by 

 that first crop,) must be certain in every winter, 

 and might sometimes save a crop that would 

 otherwise be killed by the severity of ihe cold. If 

 clover is sown on the wheat, that also would have 

 the same mechanical protection, both from late 

 cold spells, and li'om the heat of the following 

 summer. My later practice of this year, as will 

 be stated below, has shown this particular and 

 very important benefit in a striking manner. 



The slower fertilizing action of unrotted leaves 

 applied as top-dressing to clover, or other crops, 

 will be less evident or perceptible than the me- 

 chanical. Upon my own recent and only judi- 

 cious applications, there has not yet been enough 

 lapse of time for the best effects to show. I do 

 not pretend, therefore, to estimate what may be 

 the full benefit derived fi'om a certain amount of 

 leaves laid upon a certain space of ground, nor to 

 aflirm whether much, or but little increase of fer- 

 tility will be thereby produced. Bat having full 

 confidence in the propriety of losing dry straw and 

 other more putrescent manure as top-dressing, in 

 preference to ploughing under, and on young clo- 

 ver, in preference to grain crops, I have equal con- 

 fidence in that mode of applying leaves, to profit 

 by their full value, whatever that value may be. 

 " It was not until last winter that the state of my 

 farm, in other respects, made it convenient for me 

 to resume collecting and applying leaves, to any 

 considerable extent, and entirely upon the surface 

 — the former modes being deemed of no certain 

 advantage, above the value of the labor employ- 

 ed. The want of sufficient spare team-labor 

 still caused the quantity applied to be much less 

 than will be applied annually hereafter, if there is 



