168 TALKS ON MANURES. 



spread on portions of the land sown, or to be sown, with wheat. 

 Even so good a farmer and wheat-grower as John Johnston, 

 rarely used manure, (except lime, and latterly, a little guano), 

 directly for wheat. Clover and summer-fallowing were for many 

 years the dependence of the Western New York wheat-growers. 



" One of the oldest and most experienced millers of Western New 

 York," remarked the Doctor, "once told me that ' ever since our 

 farmers began to manure their land, the wheat-crop had deterio- 

 rated, not only in the yield per acre, but in the quality and quantity 

 of the flour obtained trom it.' It seemed a strange remark to make ; 

 but when he explained that the farmers had given up summer- 

 fallowing and plowing in clover, and now sow spring crops, to 

 be followed by winter wheat with an occasional dressing of poor 

 manure, it is easy to see how it may be true." 



"Yes," said I, "it is not the manure that hurts the wheat, but 

 the growth of spring crops and weeds that rob the soil of far more 

 plant-food than the poor, strawy manure can supply. We do not 

 now, really, furnish the wheat-crop as much manure or plant-food 

 as we formerly did when little or no manure was used, and when 

 we depended on summer-fallowing and plowing in clover." 



We must either give up the practice of sowing a spring crop, 

 before wheat, or we must make more and richer manure, or wo must 

 plow in more clover. The rotation, which many of us now adopt 

 corn, barley, wheat is profitable, provided we can make our 

 land rich enough to produce 75 bushels of shelled corn, 50 bushels 

 of barley, and 35 bushels of wheat, per acre, in three years. 



This can be done, but we shall either require a number of acres 

 of rich low laud, or irrigated meadow, the produce of which will 

 make manure for the upland, or we shall have to purchase oil 

 cake, bran, malt-combs, or refuse beans, to feed out with our straw 

 and clover-hay, or we must purchase artificial manures. Unless 

 this is done, we must summer-fallow more, on the heavier clay 

 soils, sow less oats and barley ; or we must, on the lighter soils, 

 raise and plow under more clover, or feed it out on the farm, being 

 careful to save and apply the manure. 



" Better do both," said the Doctor." 



" How ? " asked the Deacon. 



"You had better make all the manure you can," continued the 

 Doctor, " and buy artificial manures besides." 



" The Doctor is right," said I, " and in point of fact, our best 

 farmers are doing this very thing. They are making more manure 

 and buying more manure than ever before ; or, to state the matter 

 correctly, they are buying artificial manures ; and these increase the 



