38 CONTINUOUS CROPPING 



THE MANURING OF TARES 



As to the manuring of the crop, for either fodder or 

 forage crops, especially when winter-sown, there is 

 nothing better than farmyard manure ; but at the 

 time of the year when the tare crop is sown as a rule 

 the supply of manure on an average farm is at its 

 minimum. When farmyard manure is available it 

 should be spread and ploughed in at the rate of from 

 15 to 20 tons per statute acre. 



Fortunately very satisfactory tare crops can be 

 grown with artificials, and of these a complete mixture 

 is generally the best for the purpose. By a complete 

 mixture is meant one containing the three dominant 

 ingredients of plant food — nitrogen, potash, and 

 phosphate. A suitable general mixture would be : — 



2 cwt. to 3 cwt. of superphosphate or basic slag, 

 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. of kainit, 



I cwt. to i|- cwt. of sulphate of ammonia or nitrate 

 of soda per statute acre. 



On the general question of artificial manures, it may 

 be here stated that at the outset, until we get the 

 system of continuous cropping well established on our 

 smallholding, we shall have to use artificials very 

 liberally. This is due to the fact that at present the 

 ratio of animals to acres is very low, being, in fact, 

 about the equivalent of one full-grown beast to every 

 3 or 4 acres. 



Later, when we have our holding up to the equivalent 

 of the cow per acre stage, we shall require very little 

 artificial fertiliser indeed. 



After the first crop of tares used for soiling we 

 proceed to grow a second crop of tares for hay or, in a 

 wet season, ensilage. This will be sown on the soiling 



