274 ITALKS ON MANURES. 



"Answer me one question," said the Deacon, " and let us leave 

 the subject In the light of these and other experiments, what do 

 you consider the cheapest and best manure to apply to a perma- 

 nent meadow or pasture?" 



" Rich, well-decomposed farmyard or stable manure," said I, 

 "and if it is not rich, apply 200 Ibs. of nitrate of soda per acre, in 

 addition. This will make it rich. Poor manure, made from straw, 

 corn-stalks, hay, etc., is poor in nitrogen, and comparatively rich 

 in potash. The nitrate of soda will supply the deficiency of ni- 

 trogen. On the sea-shore fish-scrap is a cheaper source of nitrogen, 

 and may be used instead of the nitrate of soda." 



CHAPTER XXXIY. 

 MANURES FOR SPECIAL CROPS. 



MANURES FOR HOPS. 



"For hops," said the Doctor, " there is nothing better than rich, 

 well-decomposed farmyard-manure such manure as you are now 

 making from your pigs that are bedded with stable-manure. " 



" That is so," said I, " and the better you feed your horses and 

 pigs, the better will the manure be for hops. In England, Mr. 

 Paine, of Surrey, made a series of experiments with different ma- 

 nures for hops, and, as the result of four years trial, reported that 

 rape-caJce, singly, or in combination, invariably proved the best 

 manure for hops. In this country, cotton-seed, or cotton-seed- 

 cake, would be a good substitute for the rape-cake. Whatever ma- 

 nure is used should be used liberally. Hops require a large amount 

 of labor per acre, and it is, therefore, specially desirable to obtain 

 a large yield per acre. This can be accomplished only by the most 

 lavish expenditure of manure. And all experience seems to show 

 that it must be manure rich in nitrogen. In the hop districts of 

 England, 25 tons of rich farmyard-manure are applied per acre ; 

 and in addition to this, soot and rags, both rich in nitrogen, have 

 long been popular auxiliaries. The value of soot is due to the 

 fact that it contains from 12 to 15 per cent of sulphate of am- 

 monia, and the fact that it has been so long used with success as a 

 manure for hops, seems to prove that sulphate of ammonia, which 



