FERTILIZERS. 49 



a dozen years ago, a foreman, who assured me he knew all 

 about the handling of guano, planted for me a couple of 

 acres of cabbage. A few days after they had broken 

 ground, I noticed the very dark color of the leaves, and, 

 mistrusting the cause, ran my fingers under the plants, and 

 brought up the pure guano. All that piece was replanted. 

 To insure, as near as possible, a thorough admixture 

 with the soil in hill-planting, I have a rule for each man, 

 after the guano has been scattered over an area^ as large as 

 a dinner-plate, after covering it shallow, tc draw his six- 

 tined fork three times through it one way, three times 

 through it the opposite way, and then, holding his fork per- 

 pendicularly in the middle, give it a twist around. Some 

 advocate mixing it with two or three times its bulk of earth 

 before applying it. While this insures a thorough mix- 

 ture with the soil, it adds considerable work to the labor 

 of distribution ; and, since the plan of dragging the cedar- 

 boughs in the drill has worked well, I have adopted that 

 as a saving of time. However, whenever there is any thing 

 of a breeze blowing, it is wise to adopt some such plan; 

 otherwise your neighbors' fields will be apt Jto share the 

 manure with you. Let me here say, that I have found it 

 an excellent plan, when distributing fertilizers, to take the 

 earlier part of the day ; for I find that, as a rule, the calmest 

 portion. It is a good plan, in handling almost any fertilizer, 

 except guano, a little damp soil will answer for this, 

 to have plenty of water at hand, and pour a half-bucket 

 now and then into the barrel you are spreading from ; 

 then stir it with a hoe until, while dry enough to spread 

 freely, it is too damp to blow away. If applying to the sur- 

 face, always do it, if possible, just before a rain. I some- 

 times use it on onions, to hurry up the bottoming of the 

 crops, about two hundred pounds to the acre. Having 

 scattered it with the hand, immediately follow with a 



