Proceedings of the Farziers* Club. 349 



for a day. Oftentimes a damp or cloudy time would be chosen for 

 these operations, in the belief that there would be less loss by evapora- 

 tion than there would be in clear weather. But there has been a 

 great and gratifying change in theory and practice since that time. 

 It has long seemed to us that the process of nature amply justified 

 surface manuring. We know of no contrivance in nature for turning 

 manure under. A worn-out field, if planted in forest, will, in time, 

 regain its original- fertility through the operation of natural causes. 

 The rains of heaven and its own dead foliage falling upon and decay- 

 ing on the surface is all that is necessary. Land in pasture always 

 improves in the elements of fertility ; yet the droppings of animals 

 and the dead weeds and grasses, through the agency of which the 

 improvement is effected, touch the surface of the ground only. If 

 there is waste in these cases, as was once held, it would seem as if 

 field and forest would deteriorate when left to the operation of natural 

 laws, but the fact is otherwise. And such results would also impeach 

 the wisdom of nature's Great Author. We have sometimes thought 

 that an argument could be drawn from another source in support of 

 our position. To make a barren fig tree fruitful, it was once advised 

 to dig about it and dung it. Twenty years ago, men grew wise 

 beyond what is written. They said : Spread on the manure and plow 

 it under ; that is, dung about it and then dig. But, latterly, they are 

 finding out their mistake ; that the old order (named in the Testament) 

 is exactly right, to wit : Dig about it, then dung. A weighty reason in 

 favor of emptying barn-yards on our ground after it has been plowed 

 is, that it not only makes a good yield of corn, and puts the soil in fine 

 conditioned for subsequent crops, but proves destructive to foul seed. 

 What does not germinate and get killed by the preliminary working 

 of the surface preparatory to planting is sure to be annihilated by 

 the after cultivation of the crop, if thorough culture is given. But 

 when plowed under deep, such seed will lie dormant till turned up 

 the succeeding year to grow and ripen in that year's crop. We have 

 put on coarse manure, straw, long corn-stock buts, dry cobs, chip 

 dirt, anything on the premises that we wanted to get out of the way, 

 and what had not manurial properties immediately available as plant 

 food we found to serve advantageously as a mulch in dry weather, 

 and ultimately to increase the fertility of the soil. 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble — The remarks are well calculated to do 

 good. Nature does not plow under nature's fertilizer. Last summer 

 I paid a visit to a friend in Columbia county, N. Y., where the sell- 

 ing of hay is common. He is a farmer, and was then gathering his 



