Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-08-31
THE MANURE QUESTION.


F1G MANOHE CUES TtON.
a staple. Lurid and Tnf~r--tfmm En-
ps~tttaa of Et- th~mf~sry-
In t.ose portions - the manure
which are accessible 10 the air one
class of bacteria 1--we and breed IN
enormous numbers They feed on the
OK gen % the air aud the ultroEenous
portion of the manure anI I'm their en-
crruentz give OF large quantities nc
nitratcs. the latter being the dire~F
prosluets of the oxislatson % nirroge-
nous organic matter anywhere. whether
IN the bodies - these bacteria or not
These nifrates. being very soluble i'm
water drain down into the interior nc
the manure heap. Just - they drain
through the soil But Instead of aIl
going OF IN the drainage water ami be-
coming Ioss. as they often do IN the
soil they are chiefly lost By an entire
IL Different process
In the Interior % tine heap. shut
away frUm the afr. these nltrntss fMll
prey O. another class q hmctrrim
known a. ~nltrate dsstroyerSL- They
completely undo the work 0f the other
bacteria. or nitrate formers The
nitrate ds.stEoyers~ I've on the nnn-
nltrr-enous constituents % the straw
and leaves and tina oxywsn 0f th@
nitrates. This uberafes the nifru~wm
In the form % Eas. whlch escapes into
the air and = lost 20 the farmer. The
process also consumes the nirrogs
enous portion. which - chiefly the
remainder ~ the litter IL is fornnRsf
into water and carbonir acid Ems.
which escape into the afr and thus
diminish the hulk % the pfle. While
the nitrate formers I've near the
surface - the manure and require afr
for their work the nitrate destroy
ers~ live from the air and DO mot need
H. They are dependent. however. Un
food of n certain kind amt must have
plenty % Il. otherwise they become In
active and can DO M damage. though
millions af them may exist IN the IN
terror % the manure pile one of their
principal foods. the nonnitrDgwmDms
material q the hitter. they cannot uSe
a. food until 10 has been made SOLUBLE
by n third class % bacteria. whAeh
causes the rotting % the litter. Nltrates
are also Indispensable for their nour-
ishment. II. therefore. they are d.
privesI Of either one % these c0nstiru-
ents of their diet. they either dlm nr
at least become harmless
The work or the nitrate FORMERS
is beneficial IL converts organsc nA-
troeen into nitrate. n most available
r Fwfe
nure contains nitrogen largely m this
form. The work % nitrate destroy
ers'' il destructive. Ir removes rh@
soluble nltrates from tire manure lt
converts half rotted manure into wen
rotted manure. In this way the difrer-
ent effects produced By manure m -
three different conditions are explain
ell. The nitrogen In fresh manure I'M
largely organic and mot immedHfrly
avaIlable. II therefore has n shower
and less effect than half rottcd ma
nure. The nitrogen N haIf rotted ma
nure - largely In the form % nitrates.
and this ~ available The nitrogen I'm
well rotted manure has an been con
verred into nitrate also and was once
available. but has subsequently, been
lost In the air This ~ why the wei
rotted condition is the least valuable
of the three.
In handling manure the farmer
should strive 10 place 10 &C the dtsp~si-
rion OF the growing crop just ar that
moment when the most alfrnte has
been formed and before any has been
destroyed The most favorable condi-
lions are Obtained when fresh manure
Is packed as tightly a possible away
from the air and kept TN that condltinn
TIL half rotfed and then pIowet under
Just before planting or sowing. CnsI~r
these circumstances. although the
xir,i class Of bacteria have IN the rDt-
ting of the Hitter made soluble food %
one Kind for the nitrate destroyerS.
the latter have been deprived OF their
other necessary food. the nltrMte~. f1r
none couaI be formed Tn the tightly
packed mass. and they have remained
harmless But the heap has become
half rotfed without them. After the
manure Is plowcd In. the Nitrogen
formers now having plenty Of mir.
rapidly produce nitrates. which arc h.
yond the reach of the destroyers. for
by this time all their soluble nonnitruG
euous foof has been decomposed amt
has gone into the MFR. leaving them %
die. The growing plants IN the mean
time absorb the nitrates.
II fresh manure - pl0wed Inn dt
rectIy before seeding. poor result ts
obtained. for the nitrates are more
formed until after the plants have
passed their growing period. and they
consequently starve- As might ~
supposed winter crops fare better
than spring crops WITH this proceeding
ny plowinE I'm fresh manure several
months before seeding a much better
result = obtained. because the nitrates
are On hand and are being formed -
the growing period % the erOps Ex
perience has abundantiy proved that
b H. better a. plow manure into tine suH
ami allow IL t0 lie there rather than im
the pile Whether n y better 20 leave
manure spread upon the surface -
the land rather than - plow q IN -
leave II IN the Pile. depends chiefly On
the amount ~ loss caused by surface
drainage
The foregoing paragraphs are err
trncte,l from an article which npp~n-s
q hH a want-thaf - iuexperi~ncesi
farmers and practical farmers WIZ
have scant time for the hteraturs
their vocation. Tor a brief. comp
AMI lucid presentations ~ the mHnn~~
question The artirir II me.irStly
pended O. bulletin Va. = 20 f.e
Hatch Mass statien a notes fa
the proper handling q haruyard usi
uurc ~ g. Wellington
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