APPLICATION OP MANURE. 207 



the manure lias, as I fancy, been applied too late in tlie 

 autumn, or just previous to the land receiving the seed 

 furrow ploug-hing'. By this mode, it appears to me that the 

 manure does not get sufficiently mixed with the soil, so as to 

 benefit the wheat crop to the extent it might have done. In 

 such a case, it seems that the plants at first seize hold of, 

 and luxuriate in, portions of the manure near the surface ; 

 but afterwards, when the roots strike down to a greater 

 depth, and spread to a greater breadth in the soil, then the 

 plants turn sickly on the roots coming in contact with the 

 soil, which is not intermixed or impregnated with the 

 manure, and at harvest it turns out a poor hght crop. Now, 

 I think it a better method to apply the manure to fallow 

 land for wheat as early as possible, say in the spring, or 

 early part of the summer, in order that it may get thoroughly 

 mixed with soil, and by this means the crop will receive a 

 regular supply from the manure all through its growth. By 

 adopting this method, I do not know but that farm-yard 

 manure may be as beneficially applied to the wheat crop as 

 in any other way. In applying farm-yard manure to grass 

 land, I conceive that it should be pretty well rotten ; but I 

 should rather apply the artificial or portable manures, which 

 would more easily get access to the roots of the grass. 



Mr. Pearson rather differed from Mr. W. as to the best 

 time for applying farm-yard manure to the fallow land ; for 

 he thought that the land should not have more than two 

 ploughings after the manure was applied, previous to sowing 

 the wheat ; but he was not quite sure that it was best to 

 apply it to the fallow for the wheat crop in every case ; for, 

 in some instances, it might answer better to apply it to the 

 clover lea, where it was to plough in for a crop of oats. On 

 a clay land farm, he thought it bad policy to use the farm- 

 yard manure for turnips, as he had found the .superphosphate 

 of lime answer quite as well, if not better, for this crop on 

 such land, and thus the farm-yard manure was available for 

 the other crops. 



Mr. Phillips, Professor of Chemistry, said, that if the 

 ammonia were fixed in the manure previous to applying, it 

 would lessen the danger (either in an early or a late applica- 

 ^tion of farm-yard manure to the fallow) of the ammonia 

 escaping by evaporation (volatilization), or of being washed 

 out by the rains ; and, considering that it could be so easily 

 and so cheaply done, it ought never to be neglected, 1 lb. of 

 diluted vitriol, the cost of which was about one pennj', being 



