WHAT CROPS SHOULD MANURE BE APPLIED TO. 267 



most interesting and important fields for scientific investigation and 

 practical experiment. We know enough, however, to be sure that 

 there is a great advantage in waiting until there is a sufficient ac- 

 cumulation of available plant-food in the soil to produce a large 

 yield, before sowing a crop that requires much labor. 



If we do not want to wait, we must apply manure. If we have 

 no barn-yard or stable-manure, we must buy artificials. 



HOW AND WHEN MANURE SHOULD BE APPLIED. 



This is not a merely theoretical or chemical question. We must 

 take into consideration the cost of application. Also, whether we 

 apply it at a busy or a leisure season. I have seen it recommended, 

 for instance, to spread manure on meadow-land immediately after 

 the hay-crop was removed. Now, I think this may be theoretically 

 very good advice. But, on my farm, it would throw the work 

 right into the midst of wheat and barley harvests ; and I should 

 make the theory bend a little to my convenience. The meadows 

 would have to wait until we had got in the crops or until harvest 

 operations were stopped by rain. 



I mention this merely to show the complex character of this 

 question. On my own farm, the most leisure season of the year, 

 except the winter, is immediately after wheat harvest. And, as 

 already stated, it is at this time that John Johnston draws out his 

 manure and spreads it on grass-land intended to be plowed up the 

 following spring for corn. 



If the manure was free from weed-seeds, many of our best farm- 

 ers, if they had some well-rotted manure like this of John John- 

 ston's, would draw it out and spread it on their fields prepared for 

 winter-wheat. 



In this case, I should draw out the manure in heaps and then 

 spread it carefully. Then harrow it, and if the harrow pulls the 

 manure into heaps, spread them and harrow again. It is of the 

 greatest importance to spread manure evenly and mix it thor- 

 oughly with the soil. If this work is well done, and the manure 

 is well-rotted, it will not interfere with the drill. And the manure 

 will be near the surface, where the young roots of the wheat can 

 get hold of it. 



" You must recollect," said the Doctor, " that the roots can only 

 take up the manure when in solution." 



" It must also be remembered," said I, " that a light rain of, say, 

 only half an inch, pours down on to the manures spread on an 

 acre of land about 14,000 gallons of water, or about 56 tons. If 



