84 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that active thief, heavy rain, is most likely to abscond with 

 them. 



My meaning will be clearer if I give an illustration. 

 Indian corn has usually practically finished its growth by 

 the middle of September. It is a crop to which considerable 

 manure is applied, and the nitrogen of this manure is gradu- 

 ally rendered soluble (converted into nitrates) by the 

 asrencies at work in the soil during the summer and fall. 

 So long as the corn is growing, its roots stand ready to take 

 these nitrates ; but these roots become inactive at the very 

 time when the rains ordinarily become more abundant ; and 

 between this time and w^inter there are two months during 

 which we are very likely to lose nitrates by leaching. To 

 prevent this loss, a hardy crop may be sown in the corn, 

 one which will grow until cold weather actually sets in, and 

 the roots of this crop will take up the nitrates. For this 

 purpose I have used wdiite mustard, sown about the first of 

 August. It usually continues to grow until the middle 

 of November. Winter rye may be used for the same pur- 

 pose, provided the land is not to be planted before the 

 end of May in the following year. 



On many farms land is allowed to lie bare for weeks after 

 such crops as early potatoes or rye. This is a bad practice. 

 Something should be kept growing. The disadvantages of 

 allowing weeds to take possession are well known. Plough, 

 or harrow and sow on some cheap, quick-growing seed, to 

 "police" the field, keeping down marauding weeds and 

 preventing the theft of nitrates. As an important means 

 of keeping up the fertility of our farms, I would insist, tlien, 

 upon the great utility of keeping something (not noxious) 

 always growing in our fields. Whether we should turn 

 under in its entirety the crop grown, or utilize it as a feed, 

 is a point which I shall take up later. 



At the college farm I have had one acre of land under an 

 experiment, designed to show the exact results of green 

 manuring. The results are not yet very striking ; but this 

 year for the first time, after three years' continuation of 

 experiments, the crop on that part of the field which has 

 been green manured is considerably larger than it is on the 

 other. 



