The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-06-09
Is the Manure Problem Solved 2

horted to store their manure under
cover, and they have built costly cellars
and sheds, some of them at least have
done their best to take good care of
their stable manure. But the latest
thing in manure handling is the draw
ing it directly to the field as fast as
made. Let us see how this works in
practice. In the first place you then
need no sheds, cellars, or costly COW
cred yards. You need to have the
stable 30 arranged that team can be
backed up or in where it can be con-
veniently loaded with the manure.
For large number of cattle the best
arrangement is stable wide enough TO
tie two rows heads out, and have the
manure cutters far enough apart to
allow of the wagon being driven through
the stable between them. But when
one has only few head of stock,
wagon or sled box can be placed under
cover by the side of the stable where
the manure can be thrown out directly
into it. If one has wagon or sled
which he can keep for the purpose, he
will be we'll equipped for caring for the
manure in this way, but if not then the
box must be 30 placed that it can be
loaded and then dumped upon the
wagon or the box lowered upon it. But
then arises another difficulty. In win
ter if the box is left exposed to the
frost, the manure will be frozen 80 that
it cannot be spread. These are very
practical objections 10 the plan for
small farmers. 1t needs q place to
keep the manure where it will not
freeze, if one has not cattle enough to
make load every day. But when a
man sets out to do any thing, he can
generally find way to do it. The
thing is to find out what is best, then
try as hard as you can to do it. Better
do almost any way than to throw the
manure out under the caves of the barn
to leach. Then the liquid must be taken
care of or there will be, great loss.
There MUST be tight stable floors !;
leaky floors are more wssteful than leaky
roofs, bad as the latter are. Every
body wants better crops, and the ma
terial to grow them is in your manure,
and the liquid is worth more than the
solid. There needs to be litter, bed
ding, absorbents, something to soak up
the liquid, or else it must be run into a
tight box or tank and distributed upon
the land. No matter how but somehow
get the manure, liquid and solid, on to
the land. Then remember that manure
does not for most crops grow any bet
ter by keeping. There are crops like
squashes, melons, ETC., which the books
say should be MANFRED with well-rotted
manure. But for all such crops as
corn, potatoes, and the like, the sooner
it is put on to the ground the better.
Then manure stored in the cellar un-
der the COWS is bad thing for the
health of the animals. If stables are 30
constructed that stock can be bedded
and allowed to tread down the bedding
with the manure so as to pack it down
solid, it can be kept without much loss.
One of the most practical difficulties
connected with the daily drawing out
of manure is the question of where to
put it. Crops are ordinarily put in in
the spring, and the manure is put on
the land then. What shall it be put on
to six days in the week all the year
round? Well, this is real difficulty,
but we venture to say that if your
father and grandfather had spread ma
nure daily you would be found doing
the same thing. You would find a
place to put it somewhere. We will
make one suggestion. Sow peas and
oats early in the spring. Cut them in
July. Plow the land, putting on a
dressing of manure. If the pea and oat
crop is cut day by day the manure can
be put on day by day as the crop is re-
moved. Sow winter rye and barley.
This will be ready to feed late in the
fall at that time when your COWS want
something green, and when most green
things are killed by the frost. The rye
and barley will stand good deal of
cold and keep in good condition to feed.
Then early in the spring, say the second
week in May to end, or into June, you
can cut the rye to feed to the COWS 30
as to let the pastures gain all they can
before the cattle are turned out. Spread
on more manure, pillow and plant to
corn, Thus you can get four crops in
two years. This is one of the ways to
use manure.
FOOD enough for only one steer will