The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-08-24
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THE MANURE QUESTION.
4 Simple. Lucid and Interesting Elk
position of Its Chemistry.

| class of bacteria live and breed IN
enormous numbers. They feed on the
oxygen of the air and the heterogeneous
portion of the manure and in their ex-
crements give off large quantities of
products of the oxidation of nitroge-
nous organic matter anywhere, whether
In the bodies of these bacteria or not.
These nitrates, being very soluble in
water, drain down into the interior of
the manure heap, just as they drain
through the soil But instead of all
going off in the drainage water and be-
coming lost, as they often do in the
soil, they are chiefly lost by an entire
ly different process.
In the interior of the heap, shut
away from the air, these nitrates fall
prey to another class of bacteria
known as nitrate destroyers' They
completely undo the work of the other
bacteria. or nitrate formers Tie
nitrate destroyers" live on the non
heterogeneous constituents of the straw
and leaves and the oxygen of the
nitrates This liberates the nitrogen
in the form of gas, which escapes into
the air and is lost to the farmer The
process also consumes the nltrog-
enous portion, which is chiefly the
remainder of the litter. 1t is formed
into water and carbonic acid gas,
which escape into the air and thus
diminish the bulk of the pile. While
the nitrate formers" live near the
surface of the manure and require air
for their work, the nitrate destroy
ers' live from the air and do not need
1t. They are dependent, however. on
food of n certain kind and must have
plenty of 1t. otherwise they become in
active and can do no damage, though
millions of them may exist in the in
terror of the manure pile. One of their
principal foods, the nonnitrogenous
material of the litter, they cannot use
as food until it has been made soluble
by a third class of bacteria, which
causes the rotting of the litter, Ntrates
are also Indispensable for their nour-
ishment. If, therefore, they are de
priyed of either one Of these consttu-
ents Of their diet, they either die or
at least become harmless
The work of the nitrate formers
is beneficial. 1t converts organic nj
trogen into nitrate, most available
form of plant food Half rotted ma
nure contains nitrogen largely In this
form. The work of nitrate destroy
ers" Is destructive. - 1t removes the
soluble nitrates from the manure. 1t
converts half rotted manure into well
rotted manure. In this way the differ
ent effects produced by manure in its
three different conditions are explain
ed. The nitrogen In fresh manure is
largely organic and not immedtely
available. 1t therefore has a slower
and less effect than half rotted ma
nure. The nitrogen In half rotted ma
nure Is largely In the form OF ntrates,
and this is available. The nitrogen in
we'll rotted manure has all been con-
verified into nitrate also and was once
available, but has subsequently been
lost in the air. This is why the well
rotted condition is the least valuable
of the three.
In handling manure the farmer
should strive to place 1t Mt the DISPOSE
ton Of the growing crop just at that
moment when the most nitrate has
been formed and before any has been
destroyed. The most favorable condi-
lions are obtained when fresh manure
Is packed rs tightly as possible away
from the air and kept In that condition
till half rotted and then plowed under
just before planting or sowing. Under
these circumstances, although the
third class of bacteria have In the rot
ting of the litter made soluble food of
one kind for the nitrate destroyers,"
, the latter have been deprived of their
other necessary food the nitrates, for
none could be formed In the tightly
packed mass, and they have remained
harmless. But the heap has become
half rotted without them. After the
manure is plowed in, the nitrogen
formers" now having plenty of air.
rapidly produce nitrates, which are be-
yond the reach of the destroyers; for
by this time all their soluble nonnitrog-
enous food has been decomposed and
has gone into the air. leaving them to
die. The growing plants in the mean
time absorb the nitrates.
If fresh manure is plowed in di-
rectly before seeding, poor result Is
obtained, for the nltrates are not
formed until after the plants have
passed their growing period. and they
consequently starve. AS might be
supposed, winter crops fare better
than spring crops with this proceeding
BY blowing in fresh manure several
months before seeding a much better
result is obtained, because the nitrates
are on hand and are being formed at
the growing period of the crops. En-
perience has abundantly proved that
II Is better to pillow manure Into the soil
and allow 1t to lie there rather than In
manure spread upon the surface of
the land, rather than to pillow it in or
leave 1t in the pile, depends chiefly on
the amount of loss caused by surface
drainage.
The foregoing paragraphs are ex-
tracted from an article which appeSrs
10 fill a waat-that of inexperienced
farmers and practical farmers who
have scant time for the literature of
their vocation. for a brief. compact
and lucid presentation of the manure
question. The article is modestly D.