98 



available in every good agricultural soil. The modern 

 farmer aims to secure at least one, often two crops, from 

 each field every season. He wants every crop to be big 

 and paying. Consequently he must manure freely, as 

 well as cultivate well ; but he should never neglect tillage 

 as a factor in the development of a fertile soil. 



FARM MANURES. 



Ill a consideration of the various manurial substances 

 now in use, naturally the manures of the various domestic 

 animals, or so-called farm manures, should take prece- 

 dence. Such manure, if properly kept and preserved, is 

 always the standard of excellence. But as made and 

 handled upon the various farms, its virtue varies widely. 

 In the first place, live stock must be fed upon rich foods 

 if rich manure is to be had. The manure is certainly 

 never better than the food from which it comes. Horses 

 and cattle fed upon oats, bran, cottonseed, linseed and 

 gluten meals will naturally produce a manure of far higher 

 fertilizing value than the same animals would, if fed on 

 straw or hay mainly. Then again no manure can econom- 

 ically be allowed to waste either by excessive heating or 

 leaching. Obviously manure exposed beneath the eaves 

 of a barn to the leaching rains of an entire winter cannot 

 help losing its value very largely. The liquid portions 

 are the best, yet they are soonest lost. Plainh* all manure 

 not applied to the land shonld be stored in cellar or slied. 

 Really good rich manure is one of the ver^^ best and most 

 natural fertilizers and should be so used upon the farm as 

 to give the largest possible results. But happily the 

 American farmer is now far from de})endent upon dung or 

 farm manure to grow his cro[)S. This is an age of 



CHE.AriCAL iMANUKES. 



Several widely separated countries supi)ly the farmer 

 with plant food. Germany cf)n tributes the potash salts. 



