FACTS FOR FARMERS. THE ADVANTAGES OF MANURING IN WINTER.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 170, 10 June 1873, Page 2

FACTS FOR FARMERS. THE ADVANTAGES OF MANURING IN WINTER.

James T. VAX WroK writ i>3 as fallows to tlie Tribune from " Ledgeside Farm : " — " In these days of high prices of labour, tbo farmer must take advantage of every saving to make his special calling a success. Upon sligbt consideration the advantage of ir.ajurliig it winter instead of leaving it till the following season must bo apparent to every one. First of these is the saving of time and labour. This is distinct and obvious. In winter fanners and their teams have scarcely enough to do to give them sufficient exercise. Should they hitch up their teams every day, or at least once a week, and haul or spread their manure on their corn or gross lands instead of being a drain on their resources, the time so spent would improve both the health of themselves and teams. Second : All waste is avoided. I have seen back yards where, during every ram, the juices of the manuro were washed into the brooks or neighbouring highway, or perhaps fertilised an adjoining acre too much to the detriment of the rest of the farm. Again, I have seen barn-yards unclean for years, simply because in the growing season tbo proprietors were too much driven to attend to it. 1 utterly deny the assumption of those who claim that manure wastes through being spread in winter, for its juices are being immediately locked up by the cold to be washed into the surface soil by every thaw or rain. On the contrary, where heaps are under -coyer or in yards, there is a constant waste goin«j on-hy fermentation or fire fnnging. Third : If ploughed under in the spring the whole mechanical action is retained in the soil, which is lost in rotting down. For heavy lands this is a very great advantage. It is bettor to put the manure in a fre3h state upon a gros3 feeding stock, like corn, to be followed by a more delicate feeder than to first rot and apply it to the latter crop. The corn will exhaust it no more than the process of rotting, leaving the increase of corn as well as thebetterconditionofthelaudasadistinctadvantage. Fourth : Fields would be fed which would otherwise be starved. In the hurry ofthogrowingseasonfarmers are apt to puttheir manure upon their fields near by, leaving the more distant ones to care for themselves. Fifth : Crops would be planted in better season without that worry and friction which is always incidental to being behind with their work. Many farmers, wishing to put their manure upon their corn ground, and waiting till spring to do it, being prevented by bad weather, are late in commencing, hurry it out, or do not hault it &t oil, and half plough the ground, hurry in their crops, and, feeling behind in their work, so continue through the whole season, attributing their failure to bad luck. Six : Barnyards would not be a constant mire-hole, and by their foul odouis a constant source of disease. Of course i take it for granted that the old fogy and wasteful system of feeding cattle in the open yard and on the ground, thus mixing the manure with ten times its bulk of litter, has passed away. The Tribune readers feed their cattle in warm stables and on clean floors, keeping the long litter and manure separate. The best way to use the straw is to mulch wheat while the ground is frozen. I remember one season my father had four times as much wheat where so" mulched, over that not mulched. Perhaps in those wasteful days of feeding cattle, it was necossary to allow straw and manure to rot, but since we have adopted better methods of feeding our stocks, let us also adopt bttter methods of feeding our land. Leo, Baltimore, Md : Two years ago my grass set failed — the season was bad and the land out of heart. It was then worked in corn, followed with rye, timothy, and clover. The rye was well top-dressed with fresh manure from the cow-stable, hauled in winter and early spring. The winter was very hard, and last spring there seemed to be Tery little rye living, then followed the severest drought on record with us. Result j — A fine crop of rye was cut last summer, and the grass set now is the finest I ever saw on the land. A small piece was left unmanured ; here the rye was, and the grass set is poor. On a better piece of land, not top-dressed, the wheat was nob worth cutting, but the gross let is pretty good. On another piece of land, in fine condition, not top-dressed, the rye was good, but the grass sot a complete failure. This is conclusive as to top-dressing in winter to get a grass set. I have top-dressed in winter very heavily old sets of grass without any apparent benefit, because, I suppose, there was not rain enough to carry the manure through the thick sod to the roots.