52 THE BOOK OF CORN 



usually allowed to stand for several years, in some 

 cases as long as five years. As many as four crops 

 are frequently harvested every year. If these are taken 

 off the soil and no manure returned, the land will 

 eventually be drained of its fertility. As it is desirable 

 to have something which can be seeded and a crop 

 obtained the first year, alfalfa is not likely to come into 

 general use as a part of a corn rotation. Further, this 

 crop is not suited to all conditions and probably will 

 always be grown upon such loose and porous soils as 

 those of Kansas, Nebraska, and other western states. 



BARNYARD MANURE 



For enriching a soil for corn, barnyard manure is 

 a most valuable fertilizer. By applying barnyard ma- 

 nure the fertility of the soil is increased, the humus 

 content is changed and the mechanical condition of the 

 soil improved for the growth of the corn crop. The 

 saving of barnyard manure is a serious problem to the 

 average farmer. However, with a little pains and 

 trouble the manure which would otherwise be washed 

 away by heavy rains or dissipated into the atmosphere 

 can be saved. The following plan gives most satis- 

 factory results, in that it preserves the manure and 

 composts it, making it ready and in a fit condition for 

 application to the soil. 



A small, tight board lot should be constructed 

 near the barn at a convenient distance from the stable 

 door, but at least twenty-five yards away, so as not 

 to draw flies into the barn. This pen is to hide the 

 unsightly compost heap. Draw the manure from the 

 barn to the compost pile in a wheelbarrow or other 

 convenient vehicle. Pile this manure in a heap about 

 ten feet wide and six feet high. If possible, wet down 

 thoroughly and keep the manure pile racked in a neat 



