The Florida agriculturist., 1884-06-25
Preserving Manure.

The value of manure depends upon the
manner in which it is preserved and
quality OF the meterial from which it is
created. Notwo manure heaps are alike
in composition, nor are the results from
manure uniform, as meany suppose.
Farmers may not always bein position to
control the quality OF feed they allow,
but, whether it be good or bad, it is inn
portant that all manure be carefully pre-
/ crops and enrich The SOIL On nearly all
I farms the manure affu fftrer are rnfOWn
in a heap in the barnyard, the corn stalks
and straw being added to increse the
bulk and to assist in absorbing the liquid
and volatile substances.
1t is well-known that no manure can
supply plant food until it undergoes
change and returns to its primitive ele-
ments. In assumming its first forms the
original substances combine, creating
salts and volatile matter. In the soil
salts decompose and the volatile matter
is either absorbed or assists in creating
salts. AS the manure must undergo these
changes in the barnyard, the energy of
the materials assuming new forms is
made manifest by the presence of heat,
which implies decomposition is not only
the tearing asunder of the atoms but the
creation of new substances therefrom.
In the crude condition, such materials as
cornstalks and straw are of no value un-
til decomposed, as they are insoluble in
water. All plant food must become
soluble to be available. The object in
heaping the meterials, or spreading them
in the barnyard to be tramped, is to have
them become fine and thoroughly disin-
tegrated. Nature, through chemical
agency, by the interchange OF atoms, per-
forms her work in much better manner
than can be done artifcially, and
the process of decay is the farmers
method of rendering materials for the
manure heap fine, soluble and ready for
use as plant food.
But while the manure is made fine and
soluble 1t must not be overlooked that
the process is gradual one, and hence
every rain that saturates the heap carries
downward the soluble paxt ~ inmt ~
the manure is decomposed. The Jet
black liquid which flows off from the heap
is the richest OF the farm, and as it passes
away the ready plant food which is dis
solved in it, is lost, leaving behind mass
OF mattar, often supposed to be the most
valuable because of its bulk, but which
really is not worth its labor of hauling to
the fields. Unless the manure, therefore,
be carefully preserved it will be value
less. 1t should be protected from
drenching rains and the influence of the
heat from the direct rays Of the sun.
Plenty of absorbent material should be
added to absorb the volatile matter, and
water is beneficial to the heap also, pro-
yided it does not drench or flow off. The
coarse material should always be pre-
pared by first being passed through
cutter, or made fine in some other man
ner, rather than by spreading in the
barnyard to be trampled. 1t should also
be worked over once in while in order
to prevent fre-fanging. This may re-
qlIire additional labor, but the saving of
the essential elements of the manure
will be more than compensation for the
time so expended. The principal rules
to be observed are to prevent loss by
rains, preservation of volatile matter
with moisture and absorbents, rendering
the manure fine, and endeavoring to
have it thoroughly decomposed.-E