1922.] 



Green Manuring 



'217 



fcerval has been too short. This may be due to some check i n 

 germination by the primary products of decomposition of the 

 green manure or to the action of fungi, but this harmful action 

 disappears in a short time, and it may be taken that an interval 

 of about one month is sufficient. 



G-reen Manuring for Land Reclamation. — In dealing with t 

 second part of the problem, that of building up the fertility of 

 waste or exhausted land, greater opportunity for green manuring 

 is available. On such land, which with ordinary farming brings 

 in little or no profit, the green manure can be grown as part of 

 a special rotation in which the whole of a growing season is 

 given up to' the green crop, or a series of green crops. For poor, 

 light sandy soils, in cases where the application of lime is too 

 costly, blue lupins are a very suitable crop, and the results 

 obtained in Germany by Schultz, and more recently in Suffolk 

 and Notts., as already quoted, show with what success such a 

 method may be used. Where lime can be applied, many m.^re 

 crops are available: field peas, horse beans, and the like merit 

 consideration, and choice can also be made of such of those crops 

 mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, which are suitable to 

 the soil concerned. 



Manuring of the G-reen Crops. — In order to get the I 

 possible growth of green crops, a sufficient dressing of phosph ite 

 should always be given, together with potash if there is any 

 indication of its being needed. A moderate dressing of nitrate 

 of soda or sulphate of ammonia will also often be beneficial, in 

 giving the crops a good start, especially for crops sown on the 

 stubble, where nitrates will be at a low ebb. 



Method of Turning in the Green Crop. — With regard to the 

 actual turning under cf the green crop, if the latter is very 

 dense, it should be gone over in front of the plough with a disk- 

 harrow or roller, or an extra horse should be put on in front of 

 the team to help trample down the crop. It may also be acces- 

 sary to fix a heavy chain on the plough and to use a disk coulter. 

 As to depth of burial, it is generally found that shallow burial. 

 5 in. to 6 in. is as good as, or better than deep burial. There is 

 also some evidence that the rotting of the buried crop is expe- 

 dited if a very light dressing of stable manure is ploughed in 

 with the green crop. 



What Crops benefit most by Green Manuring. — There is 

 seme evidence that hoed crops such as potatoes, sugar beet, man- 

 golds, and turnips, benefit more than others by green manuring, 



