River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-09-20
HOUSE, FARM AND GARDEN.
Economy in Drawing Manure.
BY W. j. FOWLER.

Economy an Drawing Manure.
BY W. j. FOWLER.
Most farmers waste great amount of
time and team labor in getting out their
manure piles. Waste in this particular,
involves more loss than in any other.
There is usually only a limited time
available TO get out the seasons manure.
What is not got out within this time is
left to waste in the barn-yard another SIX
or twelve months. The loss on this is
enormous even if there were no waste Of
fertilizing elements. The manure heap
is the farmers capital. When put on his
fields, il pays him larger interest than
any other investment, sometimes fifty or
one hundred per cent. or more. When
left in the barnyard there is no interest,
but with the best of care the principal
is more or less impaired. Let US see how
the manure is usually got out. The
farmer in the morning sets his hired man
at the work alone, with one team AMI one
wagon. lie will get out eight to twelve
loads per day, according to the case OF
pitching and the distance the manure has
to be drawn. Call it ten loads, and you
have had team and man employed a
whole day with very insignificant results.
I Nv way is always to. draw with two wag-
ons --one to be loaded in the barnyard
while the other is in tie field. Oae team
only is needed, slipping the bolt from
the whiiile-trees, dropping the tongue,
and taking team and whifile-trees from
one wagon to the other. 1t takes but a
moment of time and is much more easily
as we'll as quickly done, than having two
whifile-trees and unhitching the traces.
/ 1t is better than having two teams, as
! there is constant emulation between the
man in the field and he man at the heap
TO see which shalt cclne out ahead of the
other.
Not enough use is made by farmers Of
this spirit OF emulation. Farm work Is
mostly rather isolated, but it is better
generally for two men TO work together
than for one man 10 work alone. Some
hired men will do very little unless they
have company. Rarely will any one do
as much alone as he would if work
ing with others. This is one advantage
which the large farmer has over the small
one. A single man, working alone, even
if he he the farmer himself, soon becomes
listless and discouraged aDd cannot work
as well as in company.
Ia drawing manure i use no wagon
bc>. with two or three stout planks for
the bottom, and Two vide boards for the
side pieces, the rigging is complete. Ar
rived in the field, take off side boald,
and with a potato hook pull of enough
manure for hemp starting tie team,
another heap is made from the other side
and then one from each end, making al
ways FIVE, and sometimes six y more
heaps from tine load | rake of N heaps
because the mant;fe IS unloaded 20 much
more rapidly than by pitching. If had
to pitch it over a wagon-boX, as Is usually
done, should spread as | unioaded. IL
is in tits rapid unloading that much OF
the saving is f1e5e. If the distance to
draw is short or the maatre inconyenient
to get at, / sometimes find IL better to
have. two men TO load The manGfe
heaps are spread afterward while the team
is blowing or engaged in other work 1t
is material waste to allow horses to be
idle while the manure is being spread.
The farmer himself should generally
draw out the load He knows better
than any one else where the poorest spots
are, and where the manure should be
spread tliickest BY raking off in heaps,
the labor is considerably less than in
loading When drawing, / arrange it so
as to put the manure from the hog pen
or other spot that is of extra strength on
the poorest part of the field. You can't
tell one hired man in hundred how to
do this Many of them would not under
stand and many more would not care.
Drawing manure Is a work in which
more than any other fine farmer himself
should take q hand. if he he really
good farmer he will hardly he ecntcnt
unless he does.