THE USE OF STABLE MANURE 



nitrogen. All plants having heavy foliage can 

 use nitrogen in large amounts. It is possible to 

 apply manure in excessive amount for this cereal, 

 the growth of stalk becoming out of proportion 

 to the ear, but the instances are relatively few. 

 Ordinarily corn suffers from lack of nitrogen. 

 When the farm manure is in large amount, its 

 direct use for corn is good practice. 



Effect upon Moisture. Coarse manures should 

 not be plowed down late in the spring, as they 

 increase the ill effects of drouth. Decayed vegeta- 

 tion, well mixed with the soil, increases the soil's 

 water-holding capacity, but undecayed material 

 in the bottom of the furrow is harmful. Fresh, 

 strawy manure, made immediately before the 

 time for breaking a sod, is preferably carried over 

 in a covered shed until a later season of the year. 



When manure has been spread upon a sod in 

 the fall or early winter, it decays quickly after 

 the plowing, and aids in resistance to drouth. 

 When it is plowed down, the ground is kept more 

 porous, and the presence of plant-food and mois- 

 ture at or near the depth of plowing encourages 

 deeper rooting of plants, and thus indirectly as- 

 sists them to withstand dry weather. If the plow- 

 ing is good in character, leaving the furrow-slice 



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