Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-08-12
agricultural.
Wasted Manure.

though we would desire TO do so. AS u
il done in actual practice, the manure
is thrown out of the stables and gener-
ally scattered over the yard to remain
until needed or a convenient time comes
to haul it out on the land. The sky is
the roof, and the rains and SHOWS de-
scend and leach away the very best and
most valuable Ingredients. Rooted or
covered manure yards were not approved
of BY our older authorities. Even SO
great an agricultural authority as Prof
Storer speaks in rather depreoatory
way of covered manure sheds. Of late
there has been a general revision of
opinion along this line, since intelligent
practice by actual farmers has proved
the contrary Of the general preconceived
opinion.
"Quite a number Of experiment sta
tons have investigated the matter and
reported some rather startling results.
At Cornell the los varied with the rain
fall and othe condi ions, but ranged up
to 90 per cent The Geneva station re-
ported loss of 46 or cent, the Kansas
station so per cent, and the Ohio station
about the same. At the Massach usetts
station the teachings, though SO per cent
water, we're worth 1924 per ton. Thus
| might continue to cite many more in
stances pointing to the fact that about
so per cent, or one.half Of our yard
manure, is annually wasted The worst
part of the matter is that the best half
the half that is readily soluble in water
aud could be used by the plants imme-
diately-is wasted. The manure made
on my little farm was worth over $500,
80 if carelessly handled and thrown out
into the open yard to leach and ferment
until the end of the season the loss
would foot up at 5000 or $3.50, or, in
other words, l would have to purchase
plant food ingredients to that amount to
replace what passed of in gas or went
down stream or into the rocks as leach
ings. If an item Of that size is not worth
looking after in these TINES of close COM
petition, when there arc thousands of
farms barely holding their own, then l
would like to ask how large leak has
to be to demand attention This can be
remedied quite inexpensively by con-
structing a roof over the yard, or part
of the yard, to keep the manure under
The reason such shelters we're not recon-
mended in the past is because the ma
nure was not properly handled and
would fro fang or burn up from over.
rapid fermentation.
A writer in Country Gentleman, who
has the foregoing to say about what he
characterizes as "the greatest leak" on
the farm, mentions also the requisites
for bringing out manure in the most
perfect condition for plant food aud soil
improvement
The manure must be compacted as it
is put on the yard. If the cattle are
allowed on it, they will do this to per-
fiction.
All the liquid manure should be in
corporated with the solid and the bed
ding to produce an even and proper fer
mentation.
Some land plaster should be used in
the stable and on the yard to absorb the
odors Dissolved South Carolina rock
can be substituted, as it is in fact land
plaster with IL to ID per cent of avail
able pbosphoric acid. Plaster generally
costs SO to 81 per ton, while the dis
solved rock can be bought close to sea-
board for $40 to 81 per ton, and by
using it in this way it balances up the
manure better, as it otherwise has an
excess of nitrogen, and the phosphoric
acid costs only / 2-3 cents per pound.
counting the plaster at 81 per ton. This
plaster or rock will capture and hold all
the ammonia that might otherwise es-
cape during the process of fermenta-
ton.
Manure made and cared for in this
way is valuable enough to be applied
with care, and four tons per acre prop
erly distributed is sufficient for any or
binary farm crop, and each crop should
have about that much, which would
make IL tons in the course of the three
year rotation. By using the manure
spreader this can be so evenly distrib-
uted that each plant will get its share of
food, and none will get an overdose
Top-dressing is preferable whenever it
does not interfere with the tillage Of an
intercultural crop. BY having the ma
nure sheltered we can apply it just when
the crop is most in need Of it or when
most convenient TO ourselves. Let MS
not forget the manure crop while we
care particularly for all other crops and
tools. tirr aud shelter here pay as
well as with any Of the others.