Organic Manures 



7s. to 8s., while when it has been left in the open, 

 exposed to air and rain, it will not be worth more 

 than from is. to 4s. The difference is enormous 

 and helps to account for many a shortage. 



Carting, Spreading, and Top Dressing. 



In any case the manure should stay in the shed 

 or under cover as long as possible. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, on large farms it would be difficult to cart all 

 the manure required just at sowing time. A good 

 plan in this case is to cart the manure beforehand to 

 a comer of the field and make a well-compressed 

 heap about 4 to 5 feet high, covered with four inches 

 of earth. 



The spreading of manure as a top-dressing is 

 sometimes recommended. That can be best done in 

 winter. Still it is not so advisable as ploughing in 

 because of the possible loss of soluble matter which 

 can be carried off by rain, or drawn up by the sun. 

 In any case this method is better than dividing the 

 manure into little heaps which lie on the land till 

 time of sowing. The fields in which this has been 

 done are recognisable by patches of abnormal vege- 

 tation in the places where the earth has soaked up 

 the fertilising matter. Ploughing m may be recom- 

 mended. 



Means of Preventing Loss. 



In all manure, no matter how it is made, a certain 

 part, large or small, of the nitrogen is lost between 

 the moment of dropping and maturity. Sometimes 

 this loss is enormous, including more than half, three- 

 quarters even, of the total nitrogen in the manure. 



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