152 SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 



With scant rainfall, composting the manure before 

 spreading is necessary, but with liberal rainfall it is 

 not essential. On a loam soil a direct application of 

 stable manure is more advisable than on heavy clay 

 or light sandy soils. In the case of sandy soils there 

 is frequently an insufficient supply of water to prop- 

 erly ferment the manure. Manure sometimes fails to 

 show any beneficial effects the first year on heavy clay 

 land, because of the slow rate of decomposition, but 

 the beneficial effects are noticeable the second and 

 third years. 



193. Coarse Manure May Be Injurious. The ap- 

 plication of coarse leached manure may cause the soil 

 to be so open and porous as to affect the water supply 

 of the crop, by introducing, below the surface soil, a 

 layer of straw, which breaks the capillary connection 

 with the subsoil. Coarse manure and shallow spring 

 plowing are sometimes injurious, where fine or well- 

 composted manure and fall plowing are beneficial. 

 The trouble resulting from the use of coarse manure 

 may be due to its being allowed to leach before it is 

 used, so that it does not readily ferment in the soil. 



194. Manuring Pasture Land. In regions where 

 manure decomposes slowly, it is sometimes advisable 

 to spread it upon pasture land as a top dressing. The 

 manure encourages the growth of grass, so that it ap- 

 propriates plant food otherwise lost ; it also acts as a 

 mulch preventing excessive evaporation. Then when 

 the pasture land is plowed and prepared for a grain 

 crop it contains a better store of both water and avail- 



