Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. ■ 491 



available for the forthcoming crops. In short, there is no doubt 

 that increasing the depth of your soil you increase its capacity. 

 Theory and practice never disagree here, and we farmers should 

 see to it that in this matter practice and preaching form an equally 

 close partnership. 



Manures have a two-fold action om the soil. The first is mechan- 

 ical; while they are undergoing decomposition the soil gradually 

 becomes porous, particles of earth are separated, and their surfaces 

 are exposed to the action of the atmosphere and rains, always pro- 

 ductive of good results. The knowledge of this fact induces 

 farmers to apply long and unfenuented manures to heavy clay 

 lauds, also to turn under grain crops, such as clover, buckwheat, 

 peas, etc. Although the latter practice may in many cases prove 

 an expensive way of producing the desired results, still the effects 

 are always satisfactory. The second action of manures is chemical, 

 or that of furnishing plants with the necessaiy food to maintain 

 healthy and vigorous growth. In those districts of country where 

 mixed husbandry is pursued, homemade manures should receive 

 constant care and attention. Nothing should be permitted to go 

 to waste, and a careful husbandman will occasionally add such 

 material as will enhance the value of the natural manures of the 

 farm and render them more general in character. The manure 

 heap is the farmer's working capital, and much will depend upon 

 its economical management. In feeding plants, as in feeding ani- 

 mals, the best results are obtained by having quantity, quality and 

 divisibility. 



Barnyard manure is not all alike; it differs in quality just in pro- 

 portion as the food of the animals is varied. It is not good policy 

 to depend solely on the manure made on the premises. If there is 

 a muck bed within convenient distance, haul the dry muck to the 

 barnyard, if you can do so at an expense not exceeding a dollar a 

 cord. Add a bushel of lime, or better still, the same quantity of 

 the well known salt and lime mixture to each cord, and in due 

 time compost nine cords of this compound with one of barnyard 

 manure, and the ten loads will equal in value the same bulk of 

 barnyard manure, load for load. When farmers ask me which is 

 the best fertilizer, I invariably answer homemade barnyard manure. 

 No farmer can afford to let his yard manure go to waste, and then 

 make up his loss by purchasing artificial fertilizers. But, on the 

 contrary, only the farmer who places a high value on the resources 

 of the yard and augments the manure heap by every available sub- 



