The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-02
Manure and lbs Management.

Prof. Georgeson of the Kansas expert
ment station very correctly says:
THE best way to use manure is to
draw and spread as made. That avoids
all difficulties and all losses. If the barn
is so arranged that wagons can be driven
in behind the stock in stables, and their
droppings be loaded each day to be drawn
to the fields, all extra handling of ma
nure is saved. This, however Is only
practicable for very large farms, where at
least enough stock is kept to make a
wagon load of droppings each day.
If manure cannot be hauled out each
day il must be stored. The problem is
how to do this with least loss. Throwing
the manure in heaps in the open yard is
needlessly expensive 1t heats and when
exposed to rains its soluble portions are
washed away and lost There is also CON
siderable loss by wastage of the ammonia
from the heaps in the air.
A third way is TO have the manure
tramped down by cattle as it falls This
is practiced on some dairy farms in Den
mark, where the stables are made of
brick or stone and are very roomy. The
posts are of iron, plenty of bedding is
given, and as the manure accumuates
the fattenlng and feeding racks are rails
ed. This plan is only practicable where
cattle are fed in large, loose boxes 1t
is quite commonly used, however in fat
tening sheep, the animals accommodating a
pile of manure two to three feet in depth
during a single winter The manure is
kept tramped so that II does not ferment,
and this plan preserves all the LIQUID eX-
crement, which contains usually more fer
tilizing elements than the solids These
heaps of trodden manure heat very randi
ly when broken up and piled in loose heaps
in the spring. The only objection to the
plan for cattle Is that too much room will
be needed. Unless dehorned each amt
NAL should have its separate box; and If
the horns are Off considerably more room
will be needed than is required when cat
tie are stabbed and kept in place by stan
chions.
The method which Prof. Georgeson most
faVorS requires little, expense and nre-
serves most of the valuable parts Of the
manure. That is to scoop out in the barn
yard a basin of sufficient size to hold the
winter denominations of manure and nile
these into il as fast as made. The drain
age from the barn roofs must be kept out
of this basin or the manure will be wash
ed away. The ordinary winter rain fall
will only keep the manure in good condi-
The professor says from experience: Il
can recommend this simple. plan for re-
ducing the waste Of manure. Something
more than year ago the college barnyard
was improved on this plan. Previous to
that time the manure was piled in a heap
in the yard. and every rain washed out no
inconsiderable portion of the soluble fer
tilizing materials, and the manure suffered
all the waste attendant on exposure to
the elements A large basin was then
Scooped up, some fVe feet deep in the mid
die and gently sloping to~all sides 50 that
a heavily-loaded wagon can be pulled up
without unduly straining the team The
bottom was found to be of a ciayey nature.
so that seepage could not take place. The
whole was done in satisfactory manner
by two men, in a couple OF days time. So
the expense connected with the improve
ment was merely nominal. believe ] can
say that the manure has doubled in value
since we began piling II IN this basin
There has been no waste from drainage
and there 81 less actual shrinkagc due tO
the decomposition than in "A heap lying
high and dry"