MANURES AND HUMUS IN SOIL. 151 



fields. Early in our experience we learned that 

 wherever we applied a good coat of manure, there 

 we got luxuriant alfalfa. This led us to feed lambs 

 and cattle and to save the manure with care. Later 

 study of the use of manure showed us that there was 

 great waste when manure was let stand in the yard 

 till fall before it was hauled out. Therefore we made 

 practice of drawing it at once to the fields and 

 spreading it nearly as fast as it was made. This 

 practice we yet observe. 



Manure in the soil does very much more than add 

 fertility. Probably we do not know nearly all that 

 it does. First, doubtless it directly feeds the soil. 

 There is nitrogen in manure, some small amount of 

 potash, and a little more phosphorus, though not 

 nearly so much phosphorus as there should be to 

 make a balanced ration for plants. But manure 

 brings in myriads of bacteria. These bacteria aid 

 plant life and plant growth. Where manure is the 

 special nitrifying bacteria abound. The bacteria too 

 that attach themselves to alfalfa roots and clover 

 abound much more in soils filled with manure. 



Manure Brings Inoculation. It is seldom if ever 

 necessary to inoculate land for alfalfa when it has 

 been well enriched with manure. I once saw a field 

 sown to alfalfa in Canada that was so well inocu- 

 lated that in six weeks after the alfalfa was sown 

 the tiny nodules were found on the roots, and this 

 field was the first sown in that neighborhood, nor 

 was it artificially inoculated. It had simply been 

 well manured. In other states I have seen the same 



