n] 



WHEN TO APPLY DUNG 



11 



greater progress at first, they finally came out less than the 

 autumn-manured crops. At Holmes Chapel 1 the following results 

 were obtained in a four years test on loam and strong clay: 



Potatoes Swedes 



Dung applied in December... 5-7 14-5 



Dung applied in April ... 5-5 12-8 



Advantage of winter dressing 1-7 



Mangolds 



22-1 tons per acre 

 17-7 

 4-4 



Apart altogether from the question of crop yield it is often 

 more convenient to get the manure out in winter when other work 

 is slack, and in the drier districts this can be done without serious 

 loss. Some of the best Hertfordshire potato growers like to get 

 part of their dung in the bouts in winter, so as to have things 

 well forward in spring. As the rainfall only averages about 

 11 inches or less for the months November to March inclusive the 



Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr 



June. July. 

 1913 



Fig. 4. Effect of farmyard manure on the moisture content of soils. 



risk of loss is not serious, while the saving of time in spring may be 

 considerable. Another consideration is that in these drier dis- 

 tricts the dung, besides providing plant food, also improves the 

 water holding capacity of the soil (Fig. 4). But, as Middleton 

 has pointed out 2 , this effect is only obtained when the dung is 

 put on early enough to allow time for decomposition. 



1 Holmes Chapel Report, 1909. 



2 Cambridge Reports, Expts. on Potatoes at Newhouse Park Farm, St Albans, 

 1905, p. 16. 



