1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
“ the plant cannot take up, nor does it want, all the 
plant food contained in that manure,” because we 
don’t know how much the plant wants, how much it 
can take up, or whether the fertilizing 1 elements in 
that manure are in such a condition that the plant can 
use it all—if it needs it—during the growing season. 
I believe that farmers, generally, use too little 
rather than too much manure per acre, the reason be¬ 
ing that they never have nearly so much as they want. 
In all that is said on this subject it must be under¬ 
stood that both soil and crop peculiarities are to be 
cocsidered (and fertilizer “peculiarities”?) Certain 
crops on certain soils will not bear heavy manuring, 
and some soils are not savings banks, that will keep on 
deposit subject to future draft, all that is not used this 
year ; they are merely lunch counters, and after this 
year’s crop is done feeding, the counter is washed 
pretty clean, and the next lunch should only be set 
forth in such quantity and at such a time as the next 
customer will be able to eat at once and pay for. 
Maryland. A. L. CROSBY. 
Eight Loads Per Acre Enough. 
My experience fully sustains the opinion of Prof. 
Roberts as expressed in his answer to Mr D C. Simp- 
in the soil ready for succeeding crops, the wisdom of 
such excessive application with a view of improving 
the land, would be on a par with him who, wishing to 
use $100, should deposit in his bank $300, the remainder 
to remain one, two or more years without interest. But 
the fact is that when an excess of manure is applied, 
much of the surplus becomes inert or passes into com¬ 
binations less available for growing plants; and much, if 
not all, of the nitrogen is liable to get away entirely 
beyond the reach of our crops. With a good manure 
spreader, so few as five loads of manure can be very 
evenly spread over an acre. I would, in no case 
except when using fresh manure for corn, advise plow¬ 
ing in manure. It should be applied on top—only 
worked into the surface. 
When Mr. Simpson allows his manure to get into 
the soil in “ chunk ,” he is using the wisdom of him 
who, having two animals standing side by side, puts 
the food intended for both into one manger and allows 
the other to have nothing but the coarse food. 
There are two objections to Mr. Terry’s plan of 
plowing down clover for the succeeding potato crop : 
One is, that the clover has two valuee, and its feeding 
value is greater than its manurial value; hence in 
plowing it down the former is entirely lost. The 
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other parts of the farm are suffering from want of the 
manure wasted on these favored fie ds. I oelieve that, 
with the usual farm crops, 25 loads to the acre at one 
time is a wasteful application of manure. The rota¬ 
tion, outlined by Mr. Simpson, calls fc r 25 loads of 
manure to the acre on corn, to be repeated once in 
three years. That is good for the corn, but where can 
the manure be found? With 100 acres under cultiva¬ 
tion, more than 800 loads of manure per year would 
be needed to follow this system. 
The advent of the silo has greatly increased the pos¬ 
sibilities of profitable corn cultivation, and a four-years’ 
course, to include corn, peas and oats, and clover, will 
insure good results from the dairy on farms where 
these crops will thrive. Fifteen loads of manure to the 
acre, applied during the previous winter to clover sod 
to be turned under to corn, will insure a full crop in 
an average season. Fifteen loads once in four years 
is less than one-half the amount proposed by Mr. 
Simpson, but double that made and applied on many 
farms. 
I do not regard 15 loads to the acre as a wasteful 
use of manure when applied to the corn crop, as stated 
above. No doubt more plant food is contained in the 
15 loads than the corn crop can use, but corn is a gross 
1. Blue Grass. 
2. Timothy. 3. Lathyrus Sylvestils. 4. Clover. 
The Downward Growth of Roots. 
1. Wheat. 2. Barley. 
Dow They Dig Into the Soil. Fig. 238. 
3. Oats. 
son. I can see but very little difference between the 
crop on which 20 or 25 loads of stable manure were 
applied per acre and that on which seven or eight 
were spread. And as, do the best I can, I cannot 
make enough to use more on all the land I plow up 
each year, I scatter about eight loads per acre, mak¬ 
ing it go much further, and from careful watching I 
think it pays to do so. I know much is said about 
using a given quantity of manure on half the land and 
getting double the yield—thus making much larger 
profits, but I have found that better cultivation, with 
the smaller amount of manure, will give as good crops, 
aDd maintain the fertility of the soil. Twenty-five 
tons of batnyard manure (I hate that word barnyard) 
per acre will cost at the cheapest market rate, includ¬ 
ing hauling and spreading, not less than $50, a sum 
far too large to profitably raise “ corn, peas and oats, 
and seed with clover. Mow one year and repeat.” 
Resides this, in 25 tons of average manure there is 
much more manure than could be used by the crops 
in his rotation. Now if it were true, that manure 
applied beyond the needs of the present crops remains 
other objection is that in a field with some spots better 
and some poorer than the average, the best spots get 
more and the poor spots less than the average. In 
other words, those places needing most get the least. 
This may be strictly scriptural, “To him that hath 
shall be given, etc.,” but it is hardly in accordance 
with the best methods of farming, j. s. woodward. 
It May be a Wasteful Method. 
A few years ago a crop of 200 bushels of early pota¬ 
toes to the acre was raised by a farmer not far from 
my place. As the yield was a good one for that sea¬ 
son, I inquired of him how he managed to secure so 
good results. He told me that he had a rich old pas¬ 
ture near the barn, which he manured with 00 loads 
of manure to the acre, and planted it to potatoes, 
which yielded as above. 
It is not often that manure is used so lavishly as in 
this instance, but many farmers enrich a small portion 
of land to the neglect of the rest of the farm. Suc¬ 
cessful farming does not consist in large crops on a 
few acres near the barn and along the highway, while 
feeder, and four or five loads of common stable manure 
will not secure the best results. With 15 loads to the 
acre for corn, the following crop of peas and oats will 
not fail for want of plant food, and will be less liable 
to rust or lodge than with a direct application of 
manure. So with the clover of the third year, and 
the clover and Timothy of the fourth year ; full crops 
will be grown without extra manure. In seeding to 
clover, I would use a peck of clover seed and six quarts 
of Timothy seed to the acre, as in some cases I have 
known clover to winter-kill, while the Timothy lived 
and made a fair crop. 
But there are many farms in northern New York on 
which clover cannot be profitably grown, and the 
crops consist mostly of oats and grass. On such farms 
it is no doubt true economy to top dress with five to 
eight loads of manure to the acre. I have this year 
seen excellent results from such an amount applied 
last October, notwithstanding the severe drought in 
July and August. The effect of 15 loads to the acre 
on an adjoining corn field was just as sat'sfactory. 
It must be remembered that manure is not all alike, 
