438 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



While these results do not show a very great difference, yet 

 they are in favor of the deeper plowing, and as they were uniformly 

 so from year to year with every crop, it may be safely concluded 

 that it is usually best to plow deep, and that it is not harmful to 

 plow the manure under deep. These results would seem to indi- 

 cate that the contention of some farmers that manure should not 

 be put in every deep is unwarranted, and that putting it in deep 

 would probably stimulate the development of rots, and get addi- 

 tional advantages therefrom. 



Methods of Applying Manure. In applying manure to the 

 field three methods are pursued: (1) The manure is placed in 

 larger or smaller heaps over the field and allowed to remain some 

 time before being spread; (2) it is broadcasted and allowed to 

 lie on the surface for some time, or plowed in immediately, and 

 (3) it is applied in the hill or drill with the seed. 



The first method is objectionable because it increases labor of 

 handling and chances of loss by fermentation and leaching, while 

 uniform distribution of the manure is not secured. The spots on 

 which the heaps stand are strongly manured with the leachings of 

 the manure, while the rest of the field receives the coarse parts of 

 the manure largely deprived of its valuable constituents. An- 

 other disadvantage of this method is that proper fermentation is 

 interfered with by the leaching out of the nitrogenous matter and 

 the drying action of the wind. The practice of storing manure in 

 large heaps in the field is subject to some extent to the same objec- 

 tions. If, however, the heap is not allowed to lie too long and is 

 carefully covered with earth the loss may be greatly reduced. 



Spreading the manure and allowing it to lie on the surface 

 should be practiced only on level fields where there is no danger 

 from surface washing. It has been claimed that when manure is 

 spread broadcast and allowed to lie on the surface there may be 

 a serious loss of ammonia into the air, but experiments have shown 

 that, in case of properly prepared manure, loss from this cause must 

 be very small. On a leachy soil there may be a loss of soluble con- 

 stituents in the drainage if the manure is spread a long while be- 

 fore the crop is planted, but in ordinary practice the loss from this 

 source is also likely to be insignificant. In this method of appli- 

 cation the fertilizing constituents of the manure are uniformly 

 distributed, the liquid portion being gradually and thoroughly 

 incorporated with the soil particles. One serious disadvantage, 

 however, of the method is that the manure before being plowed in 

 is leached to a large extent of its soluble nitrogenous compounds, 

 which, as we have already observed, are necessary for fermentation, 

 and therefore, it does not so readily ferment in the soil, it is not ad- 

 visable therefore, in the case of light or sandy soils, to follow this 

 practice, but it is preferable to plow the manure in as soon as spread. 



As to the depth to which it is advisable to plow the manure in, 

 the general rule should be observed that it should not be so deep as 

 to prevent the access of sufficient moisture and air to insure fermen- 

 tation and nitrification and to permit of rapid washing down of 



