deeply as to prevent decay. In the case of porous soils on the other hand this danger is not so great. In compact soils the manure should probably never be covered to a greater depth than four inches while in sandy soils the depth might be much greater. In general it may be said that the coarser the manure the greater the depth to which it may be buried, while fine and well decayed manure on the contrary should remain near the surface. In very dry seasons much harm may be done to the soil by plowing under large quantities of coarse manure as there may not be sufficient moisture in the soil to bring about the decomposition of the organic matter. The undecayed material may cause serious injury to the physical condition of the soil as was noted in the discussion of green manure, and the suggestion regarding the use of the roller holds good in this case.

Applying to Grass Land.-A practice that is highly recommended is to apply the manure, especially that of the summer and early fall, to meadow or sod land that is to be plowed and planted the following spring. In this way of utilizing manure the soluble part as it is washed out by the rains is used by the growing crop, and thus the losses due to leaching are avoided, and as the stubble or sod is turned under the entire amount of plant food is in position to be made use of by the succeeding crop. The permanent pastures should not be neglected in manuring and will well repay liberal applications. It is well to use the drag mentioned above on the pastures so as to spread the droppings of the cattle in a uniform manner over the surface. When manure is properly applied to pastures

or meadows it is beneficial in conserving the moisture as well as in supplying plant food, and in inducing a longer season of growth.

Fresh and Rotted Manures Compared.-Few questions have been more discussed by the agricultural press than the relative merits of fresh and rotted manures, and the apparently inconsistent results reported by different farmers are probably due more to the var

Manure spreader in action. The spreader distributes the manure more evenly than can be done by hand, and some experiments indicate that a larger yield is obtained from a ton of manure when applied with the machine.

ious kinds of soil on which the manures were used than to any difference in the values of the manures themselves. Considered from the standpoint of the soil alone, it will be found that on heavy soils containing large amounts of clay more benefit will be derived from raw manures than from those that are well rotted. The fresh manure warms these naturally cold soils, makes them more porous, and the fermentations that take place during its decay tend to make the soil more

mellow and to set free the "locked up" plant food. Rotted manure has the same effect as that which is fresh but in a less marked degree. On light or sandy soils, on the other hand, those manures that are well decomposed will be found more beneficial. Such soils are likely to suffer from the heating and drying effect of raw manure, and to have their porosity increase to an undesirable extent. The manure used on these soils if applied in large quantities, should be completely decayed, and then it will improve the mechanical condition of the soil, and materially increase its moisture retaining power.

Raw manure induces rank growth, and for that reason is cbjectionable for use on the small grains where the product desired is the grain and not the yield of leaf and stem. If manure is used directly on these crops it should be thoroughly decomposed. Corn, millet and hay crops, on the contrary, are usually benefited by liberal applications of fresh manure. Corn especially is a gross feeder and apparently is not injured by raw manure even when used in excessive quantities. In fact it may be said that when the farmer is in doubt as to where to apply the manure he should use it on the corn. Manures that are at all fresh are injurious to sugar beets and tobacco, in the former case producing a large beet that is low in sugar content and in the latter a coarse and undesirable leaf. It is also a well known fact that raw manure is likely to cause wheat to lodge.

Instead of using manure directly on the grain, beets or tobacco it is customary in some parts of the country to apply it liberally to corn, and plant the field to the

above mentioned crops the following year. If it is used in this way, there is no danger of inducing rank growth.

Amount to Apply.-In a few instances manures are wasted by too liberal use. For ordinary farm crops it is not customary to use more than eight to ten tons

Manure spread on the snow. There is no objection to this method of handling manure if the ground is fairly level and the snow not too deep. It is certainly better than to allow the manure to remain exposed in the barnyard.

per acre, and on general principles it may be stated that somewhat frequent light dressings pay better than very large ones given at long intervals. On the other hand, the amount of manure produced on the average farm is so small when compared with the land to be fertilized that it would be utterly impossible to spread it over all the farm yearly. For this reason it is a good plan to apply the manure to one crop in a rotation, thus covering only a fraction of the farm each

year. The following rotation which is used by a well known dairyman is an example that will explain the last statement: Corn one year, grain one year, clover and timothy two or three years. The manure is applied the last year the field is in sod. A second rotation in common use is as follows: Corn (manured) grain, grain, clover. Chemical fertilizers are often used on one or both grain crops as well.