68 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



land ; and possibly a third was ploughed, two strips across 

 it, in the fall, just as soon as the manure was spread; the 

 other three strips were allowed to remain with the manure 

 on the surface. The next spring the whole piece was 

 ploughed. That gave two ploughings where the manure was 

 ploughed under in the autumn. There was no perceptible 

 difference in the crop, which was corn. It was so near alike 

 that no one could see where the strips were. It was not 

 measured accurately, but I got quite a number to examine it 

 to see if they could tell where the manure was spread on 

 the surface and where it was ploughed in at once. I have 

 also tried other experiments in growing corn, by spreading 

 the manure on in the autumn and allowing it to lie on the 

 surface, and then spreading on the same amount in the 

 spring by the side of it. When you do this there will be a 

 diflerence of very nearly five bushels of corn to the acre 

 more where the manure is spread in the autumn, over the 

 crop on the land where it is spread in the spring. The land 

 seems to change its nature,, in a measure, where the manure 

 is spread on the surface. I apprehend that this is because 

 of the fact that the land is covered during the winter. As 

 you well know, we are within five or six miles of the sea- 

 shore, and we do not have the amount of snow which you 

 have in the interior of the State; and therefore our land 

 lies exposed a very considerable portion of the winter sea- 

 son, and no doubt some of the plant food is lost by being 

 blown away ; and where it is covered all winter the manure 

 soaks into the land, so that when the corn comes up there is 

 a larger quantity of fertilizing material that is available for 

 the growth of the crop than Avould be available from that 

 which is applied in the spring. I think there is where a 

 portion of the gain is obtained. Of course the result will 

 depend very much on the location. In the interior it may 

 not make as much difference as it would with us, and possi- 

 bly it might make more. I can only speak of the effect 

 which it has had on my own soil. I am satisfied now that it 

 is for my interest to cart out all the manure that I have and 

 spread it on my land in the autumn, and also all that is made 

 during the winter. Of course I would not spread it on a 

 steep side-hill. 



