FERTILISING THE SOIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2283, 26 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

FERTILISING THE SOIL.

Prof. W. I. Chamberlain of the lowa Agricultural College gave a very valuable paper on "How to keep up the fertility of our soil." Stable manure, he said, is the besr, fertiliser on earth. Mixed farming produces the best results, because the feed given to stock is in turn given back to tho soil. Save all manure both .liquid and solid. They should be mixed to get best' results. Don't run liquids into a tank, but use absorbents and keep them together. The best way to apply manure is to take it direct from the stable to the Hold where it is to be used. Don'c let it heat, and " fire-fang." lie likened the practice of letting manure lie under the eaves t.o iiet the drip aud run away, to steeping tea and coffee, throwing away the liquor and eating the d.iegs. The kinds of food best adapted to milk production are the bust for manure. Twenty pounds worth of cheese take? from the farm less than

I-7th the fertility taken by £'20 worth of grain, while £*20 worth of butter—if the skim.milk is consumed on the farm— takes nothing from the soil. For potatoes use well rotted manure. For corn, plough ir, under green. Thinks ploughing under clover poor economy. B?tter give it to the cow first. She don'c want the elements the soil wants. The Prolessoi told of a-i experiment at tho college last yammer ; two pieces of potatoes were planted side by sid3. One ho ivily manuied stood the drought fairly well, and ] roiuced 160 bushels per acre. Where no manure was' u.-ed, only 50 bushels p-.r acre was realized..'