330 SOILS AND MANURES 



of the manure is generally much appreciated by farmers, 

 but it is clear that the part of the manure to which it 

 is due is economically the least valuable. The more 

 rapidly the fertilising ingredients of a manure are re- 

 covered in the crops, the more frequently they can be 

 used again. 



APPLICATION. 



When manure is carried out to the land it should be 

 spread and ploughed in as quickly as possible. It is 

 sometimes left for a considerable time in small heaps or 

 spread out in a thin layer on the surface, but these are 

 the very conditions under which the greatest amount of 

 loss occurs and should be avoided as far as possible. The 

 same objection applies to the use of farmyard manure 

 for grass land ; it is not covered over arid a considerable 

 amount of nitrogen is lost by evaporation during the 

 process of decay. On pastures, of course, it is not re- 

 quired ; the growth of the grasses accumulates a large 

 supply of humus in the soil and the plant food is largely 

 restored in the droppings of the animals. In regard to 

 meadows and rotation grass there are other points to be 

 considered. They often stand in need both of humus and 

 of plant foods. Of the beneficial effects of farmyard 

 manure in such cases there is no room for doubt. The 

 only question is as to what is the best use that can be 

 made of it. 



There is a general consensus of opinion that, in ordin- 

 ary mixed farming, the best results are obtained by 

 applying the manure to the root crops and using arti- 

 ficials for the grass land as required. In some districts, 

 however, exactly the reverse course 'is pursued ; prac- 

 tically the whole of the farmyard manure is reserved 

 for the grass, and the arable land is cultivated mainly 

 with special manures. There is one great advantage in 



