90 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



plowed under when the soil is dry will destroy the capillary connection 

 between the upper and lower soils, thus preventing a rise of the subsoil 

 water for the benefit of the newly planted crop. This occasionally results 

 in a crop failure and the condemnation of the use of fresh manure. 



Eroded Soil Most in Need of Manure. In a general way, any kind 

 of manure should be applied to those portions of the farm the soil of which 

 is most in need of manure. Marked differences in the organic content 

 of the soil in different parts of fields are often manifest. This most fre- 

 quently is the result of slight erosion on the sloping portions. It is a good 

 practice to apply manure to these portions in an effort to restore them 

 to their original fertility. Such areas without special attention tend to 

 deteriorate rapidly. The addition of manure improves the physical con- 

 dition of the soil, increases its absorptive power for rain and lessens 

 erosion. In this way, not only is the soil benefited, but deterioration 

 through erosion is checked. 



Rate of Application. The rate of applying manure is also important 

 and will determine the returns per ton of manure. Farmers in general 

 do not have sufficient manure to apply in large quantities to all of their 

 land. This gives rise to the question as to whether or not heavy appli- 

 cations shall be used on restricted areas and for certain crops, or whether 

 the manure shall be spread thinly and made to reach as far as possible. 

 Some German writers speak of 18 tons per acre as abundant, 14 tons as 



VALUE OF MANURE. AVERAGE 30 YEARS. 

 Rotation: Corn,* Oats, Wheat,* Clover, Timothy (Four Years). 



moderate and 8 tons as light applications. They recommend 10 tons 

 per acre for roots, 20 tons per acre for potatoes. In England, at the 

 Rothampsted Experiment Station, 14 tons yearly for grain was considered 

 heavy. In New Jersey 20 tons per acre for truck is not infrequently 

 used. Such applications are, however, unnecessarily large for general 

 farm crops and for the average farm. 



At the Pennsylvania Experiment Station the average results for a 

 period of thirty years in a four-crop rotation when manure was used at 

 the rate of 12, 16 and 20 tons per acre during the rotation, show that the 

 largest return per ton of manure was secured with the lightest application. 



* Manure applied to these crops only. 



