18 



BULLETIN 851, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Sixty-six per cent of the farmers visited use a team and one man 

 for hauling manure to the orchard. Some men place the manure in 

 piles throughout the orchard and spread it at a later time. A more 

 common practice, however, is to spread the manure from the sled or 

 wagon as it is hauled. Manure is spread some distance away from 

 the trunks of the trees, more often between the rows. Forty of the 

 growers used manure spreaders. 



The application is made at any time during the year, most of the 

 manure, however, being applied during the fall and winter. A 

 bobsled seems to be a very satisfactory means of hauling. 



Table XIII. — Average expenditure per acre in applying manure {crew, one man 

 and two horses, ivith wagon or with spreader). 





Number 



of 

 records. 



Acres 

 in 10 

 hours. 



Hours. 



Labor 

 cost. 



Tons 

 per 

 acre. 



Material 

 cost. 



Total 





Man. 



Horse. 



cost. 



With wagon : 



Wayne 



21 

 17 

 20 

 29 

 20 



1.79 

 2.38 

 2.06 

 1.31 

 1.36 



8.52 

 7.08 

 7.93 

 8.22 

 8.70 



. 17.04 

 14.16 

 15.86 

 16.44 

 17.40 



$4.26 

 3.54 

 3.96 

 4.11 

 4.35 



8.74 

 8.76 

 9.33 

 9.77 

 9.90 



$15.30 

 15. 33 

 16.33 

 17.10 

 17.32 



$19. 56 





18.87 



Monroe 



20.29 



Orleans 



21.21 





21 67 









107 



1.72 



8.13 



16.26 



4.06 



9.35 



IS. 36 



20.42 







With spreader ; All counties 



26 



2.46 



5.13 



10.86 



2.72 



8.07 



14.12 



16.84 



Table XIII gives the average time and material required and total 

 cost of applying manure with one man and team in the several 

 counties. The average cost per acre for 133 orchards was $3.81 for 

 labor and $15.93 for material (9 tons), or a total acre cost of $19.74. 

 Considering the average yield for these men, the actual cost would 

 be 23 cents per barrel. It appears that the spreader is the more 

 economical means of applying manure. A crew of one man and two 

 horses with a spreader, applying 9 tons per acre, will cover nearly 

 2 acres in 10 hours. 



COVER CROPS. 



Cover crops as a source of humus and nitrogen appear to be more 

 appreciated by the western New York fruit growers now than at 

 any time hitherto. Since the limited amount of manure produced 

 on the average farm in these districts is used to a large extent on 

 crop land, the growing of cover crops and turning them under, 

 giving a supply of humus to the soil, making more plant food avail- 

 able, improving the physical condition of the soil, and to some ex- 

 tent conserving plant food, is almost essential to the well-being of 

 the orchards. Such practice is specially desirable on the heavy clay 



