46 



FERTILITY AND FERTILIZER HINTS 



of early spring, by the mulch produced. It is noticed that grass 

 that has been manured in the fall has an earlier growth in the 

 spring than such lands unmanured. 



Bacteriological Effects of Manure. — Manure when added to the 

 soil aids the growth of bacteria that render plant food available. 

 It also increases the number of these bacteria and supplies food 

 for them, and fermentations are promoted that are very helpful 

 in the production of crops. 



Time to Apply Manure. — In order to get all the value from farm 

 manure it is better to apply it while fresh than when rotted. 

 Manure in rotting loses some of its fertility. The Ohio Experi- 

 ment Station have conducted experiments with fresh manure and 

 exposed yard manure with the following crop returns for ten 

 years. 



The manure was applied to clover sod which was plowed under 

 and followed by a three year rotation of corn, wheat and clover 

 without the addition of any more manure. The yields favor the 

 fresh manure with an increase of 6.21 bushels of corn, 1.52 

 bushels of wheat and 582 pounds of hay. 



Sometimes it is not practicable to apply manure while fresh 

 as some crops, especially the quick growing market garden crops, 

 require plant food that is available and so prefer rotted manure. 



It is common in this country to apply fresh manure to grass 

 land in the fall and turn it under in the spring. This practice 

 is beneficial in that it supplies a great deal of organic matter for 

 the .succeeding crop. Corn is a crop that thrives on fresh manure 

 and so it is well to apply manure in this condition to corn and 

 follow this crop with one that prefers rotted manure. 



Amount of Manure to Apply. — The amount of manure to ap- 

 ply depends upon the fertility and texture of the soil. Soils 



