102 TALKS ON MANUUES. 



"There may bt- sdiik' trutli in this," saiil I, "ami yi't I will 

 hazard tlic prediction tiiat in no other hrancli of ajrriculture shall 

 we witness a more decitled improvement durimj the next twenty- 

 tive 3'ears tiian on farms larfr<-ly devotetl to liie dairy. Grain-srrow- 

 inp farmers, lii\e our frien'l the Deaeon, here, wlio sells his grain 

 and never lirimrs liome a load of numure, and rarely huys even a 

 ton of bran to feed to stuck, ami wiio sells more nr less hay, must 

 certainly be impoverishinj^ their soils of pii()S|ihates much more 

 rai)idly than lln- dairyman who consumes nearly all lii» prmluce 

 on the farm, and silla little except milk, butler, cheese, young 

 calves, and old cows." 



"Bones hail a wonderful eflfect," s;iid tlu- Doctor, "on the old 

 pastures in the dairy district of Cheshire in England." 



" Undouittedly," 1 replied, "and so they will here, and so would 

 well-rollrd maiuire. There is noiliin^ in this fact to prove that 

 dairyin;; specially robs the .soil of |)!iosphales. It is not jtliosphates 

 that the dairyman needs so mu<h as riciier manun-." 



" What would you add to the manure to make it richer?" asked 

 tlie Doctor. 



" Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash," I replied. 



" But how ? " asked the Deacon. 



•' I suppose," saiil the Doctor, " by buying guano and tlie (Jernian 

 potash salts." 



" Tliat would be a good plan," said I ; " but I would di> it liy buy- 

 ing bran, mill-feed, brewers-grains, malt-combs, corn-meal, oil- 

 cake, or whatever was best and cheap; St in proportion to value. 

 Bran or mill-feed can often be bouirht at a price at wliirh it will pay 

 to use it freely fur manure. A frw tons of bran wi>rk<-d into a 

 pile of cow-dung would warm it uj) an I add considerably to its 

 value. It would supply the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and p<)tash, 

 in which ordinary manure is d-ficient. In short, it would convert 

 poor manure into rich manure." 



" Well, well," exclaimed the Deacon, " I knew yon talked of mix- 

 ing dried-blood and bone-dust with your manure, but I did not 

 think you would advocate anything quite so extravai^ant as taking 

 good, wholesome bran and spout-feed and throwing it on to yotir 

 manure-pile." 



" Why, Deacon," said I, "we do it every day. I am putting 

 about a ton of spout-feed, malt-combs and corn-meal e.nch week 

 into my manure-pile, and that is the reason why it ferments so 

 reaiilyeven in the winter. It convertsmy|)Oor manure into good, 

 rich, well-decomposed dung, one load of which is worth three load* 

 of your long, strawy manure." 



