FARM MANURES 361 



at that time of the year and it would be a great 

 advantage to spread the manure frequently during 

 the winter rather than to wait until early spring, 

 when roads, lanes and fields are miry and when other 

 farm work demands attention. But some farmers 

 fail to spread manure in winter because they think 

 much of the plant food in it will be washed away. 

 Usually the danger of loss is far less than is feared. 

 Manure spread upon the land in winter loses 

 little of its value unless the land is quite steep so 

 that there is considerable surface wasning. If the 

 land is fairly level there need be no appreciable 

 loss. Manures spread at this season do not fer- 

 ment, because the temperature is too low. Man- 

 ure spread in winter should be applied to land on 

 whicn plants are growing, as on sod or on cover 

 crops. It is especially desirable to manure in 

 winter land that is to be planted to Indian corn. 

 Sometimes heavy snows make winter spreading 

 impracticable. 



HOW MUCH MANURE TO USE 



In applying manure the amount of the different 

 plant foods in it should be kept in mind; also 

 whether it is being used chiefly to improve the tex- 

 ture of the soil or to supply plant food. The 

 nature of the soil and the crop are other deciding 

 points. 



Manures are often applied too freely. Rarely 

 is it profitable to apply over 40 two-horse loads per 

 acre, and 25 to 35 loads is about the maximum 

 amount under most conditions. Ordinarily farm- 

 ers use from 4 to 10 cords of cow manure per acre; 

 market gardeners, however, who grow plants under 

 special conditions so that their methods cannot 



