TOP-DRESSING WITH MANURE.

The term "top-dressing" usually refers to sowing or spreading manures on the growing crop. For instance, we top-dress pastures or meadows by spreading manure on the surface. If we sow nitrate of soda, or guano, on our winter-wheat in the spring, that would be top-dressing. We often sow gypsum on clover, and on barley, and peas, while the plants are growing in the spring, and this is top-dressing.

"If the gypsum was sown broadcast on the land before sowing the seed,"

said the Deacon, "would not that be top-dressing also?"

Strictly speaking, I suppose that would not be top-dressing.

Top-dressing in the sense in which I understand the term, is seldom adopted, except on meadows and pastures as a regular system. It is an after-thought. We have sown wheat on a poor, sandy knoll, and we draw out some manure and spread on it in the winter or early spring; or we top-dress it with hen-manure, or guano, or nitrate of soda and superphosphate. I do not say that this is better than to apply the manure at the time of sowing the wheat, but if we neglect to do so, then top-dressing is a commendable practice.

Dr. Vlcker reports the result of some experiments in top-dressing winter-wheat on the farm of the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, England. The manures were finely sifted and mixed with about ten times their weight of fine soil, and sown broadcast on the growing wheat, March 22. A fine rain occurred the following day, and washed the manure into the soil. The following is the yield per acre:--

No manure 27 bushels and 1984 lbs. of straw.

280 lbs. Peruvian guano 40 " " 2576 " "

195 " nitrate of soda 38 " " 2695 " "

180 " nitrate of soda, and 168 lbs. of common salt 40 " " 2736 " "

448 lbs. Proctor's wheat-manure 39 " " 2668 " "

672 " " " " 44 " " 3032 " "

4 tons chalk-marl 27 " " 1872 " "

The manures in each case cost $7.80 per acre, except the large dose of Proctor's wheat-manure, which cost $11.70 per acre. The wheat was worth $1.26 per bushel. Leaving the value of the straw out of the question, the profit from the use of the top dressing was:

With guano $8.70 per acre.

" nitrate of soda 6.00 " nitrate of soda and common salt 9.33 " 448 lbs. wheat-manure 7.94 " 672 " " " 10.16

The marl did no good.

The nitrate of soda and common salt contained no phosphoric acid, and yet produced an excellent effect. The guano and the wheat-manure contained phosphoric acid as well as nitrogen, and the following crop of clover would be likely to get some benefit from it.

John Johnston wrote in 1868, "I have used manure only as a top-dressing for the last 26 years, and I do think one load, used in that way, is worth far more than two loads plowed under on our stiff land."

CHAPTER x.x.xIII.

MANURES ON PERMANENT MEADOWS AND PASTURES.

In this country, where labor is comparatively high, and hay often commands a good price, a good, permanent meadow frequently affords as much real profit as any other portion of the farm. Now that we have good mowing-machines, tedders, rakes, and loading and unloading apparatus, the labor of hay-making is greatly lessened. The only difficulty is to keep up and increase the annual growth of good gra.s.s.

Numerous experiments on top-dressing meadows are reported from year to year. The results, of course, differ considerably, being influenced by the soil and season. The profit of the practice depends very much on the price of hay. In the Eastern States, hay generally commands a higher relative price than grain, and it not unfrequently happens that we can use manure on gra.s.s to decided advantage.

The celebrated experiments of Messrs. Lawes & Gilbert with "Manures on Permanent Meadow-land" were commenced in 1856, and have been continued on the same plots every year since that time.

"You need not be afraid, Deacon," said I, as the old gentleman commenced to b.u.t.ton up his coat, "I am not going into the details of these wonderful experiments; but I am sure you will be interested in the results of the first six or seven years."

The following table explains itself:

Experiments with Manures on Permanent Meadow land at Rothamsted, England.

Hay/Acre 20th (1875): Hay per Acre the 20th Season, 1875.

Total/Acre: Total Hay (per) Acre.

----+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+

Annual Produce of Hay

per Acre in Lbs.

+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

Description and Amount of

1856

1857

1858

1859

1860

1861

1862

Manures per Acre.

----+-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ 1

No manure

2433

2724

3116

2558

2822

3074

3238

2{

400 lbs. ammonia-salts = 82

{

lbs. of nitrogen

4028

3774

3982

3644

2940

3808

3854

3

Superphosphate of lime

2828

3176

3400

3252

4{

400 lbs. ammonia-salts and

{

superphosphate of lime

4996

4788

4968

4756

5

Mixed mineral manures

3429

3666

4082

3416

3928

4488

4424

6

400 lbs. ammonia-salts and

mixed mineral manures

6363

6422

7172

6198

5624

6316

6402

7

800 lbs. ammonia-salts and

mixed mineral manures

7054

6940

7508

7150

5744

6710

7108

8

800 lbs. ammonia-salts and

mixed mineral manures,

including 200 lbs. each

silicates, soda, and lime

7120

9

275 lbs. nitrate of soda

2952

3588

3948

4092

4446

10

550 lbs. nitrate of soda = 82

lbs. of nitrogen

3564

4116

4410

4452

4086

11

Mixed mineral manures and 275

lbs. nitrate of soda

4236

4956

4812

5514

5178

12

Mixed mineral manures and 550

lbs. nitrate of soda

5636

6072

5586

5892

5718

13

14 tons farmyard-manure

4030

5328

4164

4584

5208

5052

5060

14

14 tons farmyard-manure and

200 lbs. ammonia-salts

5009

6008

5320

5356

5704

5320

5556

----+-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

--------------------+----------------+---- Average Hay per

Hay/Acre

Acre.

20th (1875)

---------+----------+----+----+------+ 1st 7 Yrs

20 Years.

1st

2nd

Total

1856-62.

Crop

Crop

/Acre

---------+----------+----+----+------+---- 2824

2534

2436

1491

3927

1

3719

2940

2702

2016

4718

2 (4 yrs.)}

(17 yrs.)}

3164 }

2492 }

2352

1722

4074

3 (4 yrs.)}

(17 yrs.)}

4877 }

3612 }

4102

1610

5712

4 3919

3948

4564

2688

7252

5

6357

5712

5824

2744

8508

6

6876

6454

6222

5684

10,906

7

7000

6720

4592

11,312

8 1858-62}

(18 yrs.)}

3805 }

3794 }

3360

1456

4816

9

(18 yrs.)}

4126

3962 }

3276

1470

4746

10

(18 yrs.)}

4939

5208 }

5040

1862

6902

11

(18 yrs.)}

5783

6384 }

7028

1974

9002

12 4775

4130

2996

1316

4312

13

5468

4816

3766

1960

5726

14 ---------+----------+----+----+------+----

These are all the figures I will trouble you with. The "mixed mineral manures" consisted of superphosphate of lime (composed of 150 lbs.

bone-ash and 150 lbs. sulphuric acid, sp. gr. 1.7), 300 lbs. sulphate of potash, 200 lbs. sulphate of soda, and 100 lbs. sulphate of magnesia.

The ammonia-salts consisted of equal parts sulphate and muriate of ammonia, containing about 25 per cent. of ammonia. The manures were sown as early as possible in the spring, and, if the weather was suitable, sometimes in February. The farmyard-manure was spread on the land, in the first year, in the spring, afterwards in November or December. The hay was cut from the middle to the last of June; and the aftermath was pastured off by sheep in October.

"It is curious," said the Deacon, "that 400 lbs. of ammonia-salts should give as great an increase in the yield of hay the first year as 14 tons of farmyard-manure, but the second year the farmyard-manure comes out decidedly ahead."

"The farmyard-manure," said I, "was applied every year, at the rate of 14 gross tons per acre, for eight years--1856 to 1863. After 1863, this plot was left without manure of any kind. The average yield of this plot, during the first 8 years was 4,800 lbs. of hay per acre."

On the plot dressed with 14 tons of farmyard-manure and 200 lbs.

ammonia-salts, the average yield of hay for 8 years was 5,544 lbs. per acre. After the eighth year the farmyard-manure was discontinued, and during the next twelve years the yield of hay averaged 3,683 lbs., or 1,149 lbs. more than the continuously unmanured plot.

In 1859, superphosphate of lime was used alone on plot 3, and has been continued ever since. It seems clear that this land, which had been in pasture or meadow for a hundred years or more, was not deficient in phosphates.

"It does not seem," said the Deacon, "to have been deficient in anything. The twentieth crop, on the continuously unmanured plot was nearly 1 ton per acre, the first cutting, and nearly -ton the second cutting. And apparently the land was just as rich in 1875, as it was in 1856, and yet over 25 tons of hay had been cut and _removed_ from the land, without any manure being returned. And yet we are told that hay is a very exhausting crop."

"Superphosphate alone," said the Doctor, "did very little to increase the yield of hay, but superphosphate _and_ ammonia produced the first year, 1859, over a ton more hay per acre than the superphosphate alone, and when _potash_ is added to the manure, the yield is still further increased."

"Answer me one question," said the Deacon, "and let us leave the subject. In the light of these and other experiments, what do you consider the cheapest and best manure to apply to a permanent meadow or pasture?"

"Rich, well-decomposed farmyard or stable manure," said I, "and if it is not rich, apply 200 lbs. of nitrate of soda per acre, in addition. This will make it rich. Poor manure, made from straw, corn-stalks, hay, etc., is poor in nitrogen, and comparatively rich in potash. The nitrate of soda will supply the deficiency of nitrogen. On the sea-sh.o.r.e fish-sc.r.a.p is a cheaper source of nitrogen, and may be used instead of the nitrate of soda."

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

MANURES FOR SPECIAL CROPS.

MANURES FOR HOPS.

"For hops," said the Doctor, "there is nothing better than rich, well-decomposed farmyard-manure--such manure as you are now making from your pigs that are bedded with stable-manure."

"That is so," said I, "and the better you feed your horses and pigs, the better will the manure be for hops. In England, Mr. Paine, of Surrey, made a series of experiments with different manures for hops, and, as the result of four years trial, reported that _rape-cake_, singly, or in combination, invariably proved the best manure for hops. In this country, cotton-seed, or cotton-seed-cake, would be a good subst.i.tute for the rape-cake. Whatever manure is used should be used liberally.

Hops require a large amount of labor per acre, and it is, therefore, specially desirable to obtain a large yield per acre. This can be accomplished only by the most lavish expenditure of manure. And all experience seems to show that it must be manure _rich in nitrogen_. In the hop districts of England, 25 tons of rich farmyard-manure are applied per acre; and in addition to this, soot and rags, both rich in nitrogen, have long been popular auxiliaries. The value of soot is due to the fact that it contains from 12 to 15 per cent of sulphate of ammonia, and the fact that it has been so long used with success as a manure for hops, seems to prove that sulphate of ammonia, which can now be readily obtained, could be used to advantage by our hop-growers--say at the rate, in addition to farm-yard manure, of 500 lbs. per acre, sown broadcast early in the spring."

MANURES FOR TOBACCO.

When tobacco is grown for wrappers, it is desirable to get a large, strong leaf. The richest land is selected for the crop, and large quant.i.ties of the richest and most stimulating manures are used.