The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-01-04
Home Manure.
Home and Farm. |

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The fertilizing value or quality of
home made manures varies immensely
according to the care taken of them
while in bulk, and the kind of feed
that the animals consume. Manure
that is exposed out of doors to all
sorts of weather that comes, can not
fail to have much of its life and
fertility washed out of it by the rains
and extracted from it by drying winds.
The soluble part, that which imparts
color to water, is the part of most
value and immediate benefit to crops,
and hence animal manures should be
kept out of the rains until put upon
the land where they are to remain.
1t is true that where the piles of
manure are large much Of it is not
directly exposed to the rains, but the
injury arising from firefang that takes
place in large heaps of manure is al
most as great as that resulting from
washing rains. Unless a good deal Of
straw or leaves 60 along into the piles
with the manure it is sure to heat and
burn, by which the quality is much
impaired. Woods mold and litter
are about the best absorbents to put
with any kind of animal manures to
prevent heating. The quantity of the
manure is also greatly increased with
out much impairing of its value.
But the kind of feed that the ami
mails consume has also a controlling
effect upon the quality of manure-its
richness and value as fertilizer. Oat
and rye straw, top fodder, marsh hay,
and other coarse stuff are very poor in
fertilizing elements, while such feeds
as cotton seed meal, ship stuff, and Git
is said) gluten meal, are worth for
manures almost as much per ton after
being consumed by the animal as be-
fore.
The manurial value of ton of blade
fodder is estimated at S2.25 ton of
corn-stover S3.25; ton of oat-hay
$500. Clover-hay, nicely cured, is
reckoned to be worth $1,000 for man
urial purposes. Timothy hay is esti-
mated at $500, which would indicate
that timothy yields more nutriment to
the animal than clover.
1t is estimated that the manure
from ton of bran is worth S14.oo,
but as bran is not, or should not be
ted alone without hay ration, we
conclude that some of this amount
should be credited to the hay con-
sumed by the animal. Both expert
ment and observation indicate clearly
enough that the character OF the feed
exerts very decided influence upon
the quality of the manure voided by
the animal. Of course, to the general
farmer having stock to feed and fatten,
the question of the nutrition of various
foods must come in for consideration,
and this generally has more bearing
with the farmer than the quality of
the rejecta left by the stock. And
yet, in the study of which are the
most economical foods for stock, this
final question of the value of the
manure for producing other crops can
not be properly ignored. Hence it is
we'll to be able to determine at least
approximately, the fertilizing value of
manures derived from any given
product.
1t is, moreover, of great importance
to be able to know how to handle
manures, SO as to make them retain
their values till applied to the soil.
This subject of the quality Of manures,
as affected by the care taken of them,
and the kind of feed that the animal
eats, is large and very practical one
and needs much more investigation by
farmers than it appears to have re-
ceived