APPLICATION OF MANUEES. 197 



vegetable matter, the sweepings of streets, the mud 

 of canals, burnt bones, lime, and, what is not a little 

 singular, the short stumpy hair shaven from millions 

 of heads, every few days is industriously gathered, 

 and sold for manure throughout the empire." 



There are undoubtedly some lands, in the western 

 portion of our country, where it would be injurious 

 to manure for an orchard, because it would cause 

 so free a growth as to induce blight ; -^ but these a,re 

 exceptional cases, for the majority of the soils of 

 the world require the addition of manure; and 

 twenty failures are made in this country, from want 

 of sufficient fertility, to one where it too much 

 abounds. 



IV. APPLICATION OF MANURES. 



The best time for applying manure is the fall, 

 that its fertility may be washed into the soil by the 

 rains and thaws of winter. If it is well decomposed, 

 it can be applied just before ploughing. The con- 

 dition desirable for manure, when applied, depends 

 upon the mode of its application. Fresh manure 

 should be placed on the surface, because its juices 

 are absorbed by the soil before fermentation takes 

 place ; and this occurring in the soil, its volatile 

 qualities are retained. But, for incorporation with 

 the soil, decomposed manure is preferable, because 

 it has already undergone that decomposition in 



1 See Chapter on Diseases. 



17* 



