The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-09-25
Fall Work on the Farm.


the most important work at this sea-
son j. the management Of the manure.
II is the farm savings bank, and pays
good interest il the manure i handled
in manner 70 prevent loss No man
uTe can b. of service until all the ingre-
dients are reduced by decomposition,
and to spread coarse manure on the
ground in the spriag Is TO take the risk
of large portion Of it remaining in
the soil beyond the time when the
crops may need il most. In early
spring the manure can not be quickly
dceOmpOsed, as decomposition il slow
when the weather is cold, and the best
period Of the year for making manure
and preparing il as plant food, is in the
fall and winter. The exposure Ofman-
ure 10 the effects Of winds, rains, and
sun leads To a loss Of "A large proportion
of it, plant food, aud the addition of
coarse material Ia the heap without
handling the manure i'm manner 10
decompose all of the material is a loss
Of time. The real value of the manUre
is not in the quantity of coarse matter
it contains, but in the proportion of nj
trogeu, phosphoric acid, and potash
therein, aud they may be- ins0luble and
unavailable or they may b. gradually
bleached out by rains as fast ~ they he
come soluble in the heap.
THE LQUfDs.
The most valuable portions Of man
ure are the liquids. Enterprising farm
ers are careful to save this, and with
suitable drains carry it to the manJre
heap to be absorbed by the solid por-
tions, but such is not the rule with the
majority Of farmers, who are careful To
save the solids, bat permit the liquids
tO iinw away, some of them making
bitches to carry of the black liquids
which overflow the barnyards, instead
Of filling the barnyard with an abun-
dance OF material for absorbing them.
The centre ofthe manure heap is where
the heat i generated, and when liquids
are added 10 tine heap they hasten de-
composition. As long rs there i no
danger of overheating or ''fir,-fang-
ing" il is an advantage to have the
heap in this condition, but when the
centre of the heap is we'll decompOsed
the manure should be handled, the en-
tire mass turned over, and the coarse
material on the top thrown To the cen
tire, saturating it with the liquids
which will at once cause the materials
to decOmposc.
ABSORBENT MATERIALS.
One OF the advantages of manure i
its even distribution over the soil.
Manure spreaders do this work in an
excellent manner, bat when all absorb
ent material Is first rendered fine the
capacity Of the solid matter % absorb
liquids is greatly increased, aad the de-
composition j. more perfect, while the
loss of ammonia is likewise reduced 10
a minimum fall bedding i cut, and
all coarse foods reduced with Il cutter,
the increased value of the manure will
pay for the labor Of - doing. The
winter work should include manure
making-nOt simply adding materials
20 the heaD-which demands the ia
dicioJ5 Use of ab,nrbeuts - a 10 save
the valuable liquids, and to prevent
loss of plant food, a. well as reducing
the manure to condition approaching
availability as nearly u possible. Fro
zen manure Will not decGmpose, and the
heat in the heap should he maintained
uniformly. II may require stalks q
year 10 rot in the soil, bJt this Is squicIS-
ly accomplished in the heap. Keep in
view the fact that in making manure
the process i one Of preparing avail
able plant food.