Talks on Manures Part 45

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.