EXTENSION COUESE IN SOILS. 57 



other regions of considerable winter rainfall some form of manure 

 shed should be provided. In some localities of the North the winter 

 rainfall may be not more than sufficient to keep the manure properly 

 moist. However, alternate wetting and drying is especially objec- 

 tionable on account of the large loss of nitrogen it causes. Over- 

 heating from fermentation is most likely to occur in horse manure. 

 (Ref. Nos. 1, p. 149; 7, p. 312.) This should if possible be mixed 

 with cow manure, and if not, it should be kept sufficiently moist 

 and compact to prevent overheating, or firef anging. Under the very 

 best care it is practicable to collect and return to the soil about 

 85 per cent of the plant-food elements contained in the fresh manure. 

 If three-fourths of the food elements taken from the soil by the crops 

 which are fed to animals is voided in the manure, and 85 per cent of 

 this can be returned to the soil, about two-thirds of the fertility 

 contained in crops removed from the land and fed to animals can be 

 returned to the soil in manure. Every effort should be made to 

 make the fraction actually returned as large as possible. 



Application of manure to the land (Ref. Nos. 1, pp. 165-172; or 3, 

 pp. 602-609; or 4, pp. 181-186). — On account of the danger of loss 

 of plant-food material from manure undergoing decomposition, it is 

 best to apply it directly to the land as produced. This can usually 

 be done in general farming. Coarse and fresh manure can be used on 

 rank-growing crops such as corn, cabbage, sugar beets, etc., by apply- 

 ing it during the winter as produced to land to be planted to these 

 crops. These crops can then be followed by those to which it is not 

 well to apply manure directly, such as potatoes and other crops 

 affected by fungus diseases which are encouraged by the raw manure. 

 When it is to be applied to sandy soils, however, the manure should 

 be composted, as otherwise the decomposition in the soil of the bedding 

 will dry out the soil too much. Fine or well-rotted manure can also 

 be used to great advantage as a top-dressing on meadow land or on 

 pasture. 



It is often thought that pastures do not need fertilization, but this 

 is a great mistake, for since the animals are in the yards or stables 

 part of the time and are storing up the elements of plant food in 

 their bodies, they cause a constant drain on the soil of the pasture 

 which is not made good by the manure dropped in the pasture. This 

 loss must be met by additions either of manure from the stable or of 

 commercial fertilizers. 



Few crops will give better returns for manure applied than hay, 

 especially timothy and other true grasses. Clover, alfalfa, and other 

 legumes will respond wonderfully to manure; but since these plants 

 can secure most of their nitrogen from the air, if necessary, they 

 should be niade to do so by supplying them with fertilizers containing 

 the other elements only. This will permit the use of all of the manure 



