The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-11-11
RALEIGH, N C., TUESDAY, NOVEMBER H. 1902

fortyeight pounds, worth seven cents
These values are calculated on the mar
ket prices of commercial fertilizers.
Probably these valucA are too high be
cause Of the fact that the plant-food in
animal manure is not so completely and
readily available as in high grade COM
mercal fertilizers, but making liberal
allowance for this and other considera-
tions, Professor Roberts, one OF the most
reliable and experienced investigators OF
this subject, estimates that the value of
the manure produced ON small farm,
carrying four horses, twenty cows fifty
sheep and ten pigs during the seven
winter months. amounts TO about $3.50.
Now, how many farmers having such
farm and owning such number of live
stock, cxpend $3.50 per year in CONNER
cial fertilizers, and even if they do they
Will certainly not get as great a return
in the long run from the application of
this quantity of commercial fertilizer
every year as they Will from the appl-
cation Of the farm yard manure. The
value, consisting of the carbohydrates,
protein and fat in Che food; the other,
the manurial value consisting of the
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash in
the food. When the animal takes and
appropriates the food value it does not
exhaust the manurial value From 10
to 90 percent of the latter value is cX-
creted from the animals body in the
dung and urine it VCids. The urine is
especially rich in nitrogen and potash,
the solid dung in phosphoric acid. Not
to save both these excreta is wasting
from IS to so per cent. of the food given
to the animals, and this with no result
ing profit from the keeping OF the stock.
The richer the fOoo fed to the animals
the greater the loss in the manure.
Gotten seed meal flax seed meal, gluten
meal and bran make the richest manure.
Glover, peas and the leguminous crops
generally the next richest Corn, oats
and the cereal crops the next, and the
root crops the poorest. Having thus
pointed out how easily it is possible to
save q large quantity and value of man
ure, even where only a small head OF
stock is kept let US now see what effect
even q small application of this manure
can secure. A recent bulletin of the
Ohio Experiment Station will very we'll
illustrate this point.
one hundred and fifty tenth acre plots
! arranged III five sections Of thirty lots
each have been cropped with corn, oats
and wheat grown in succession, followed
! by two years in clover and timothy
/ mixed the cropping being SO planned that
/ each crop is represented each season. The
test was begun in 1894, and eight crops
each Of the cereals and seven hay crops
of the first year and six OF the second
year have now been raised. On plot is
of this test barn yard manure is applied
to the corn and wheat crops at the rate
Of eight tons per acre TO each crop, and
on plot 20 the same kind of manure is
used at the rate Of four tons per acre
on each crop there being total applica-
tion every five years of sixteen tons or
manure to plot IS and eight tons 70
plot 90 The manure is taken from fiat,
, open Yards where it has accumulated for
several months during the fall and win
ter and has been subjected to the con-
ditions which affect the ordinary open
yard manure of the average farm, condl
lions which involve very considerable
loss. For both corn and wheat, the ma
nure is applied as a top dressing, and is
put on with the -SDreader. The
results of this test are as shown in the
following table, which gives the average
manured yield for each crop for the pc
riod over which the experiment has been
conducted. he mean unfertilized yield for
the samc period of the two plots nearest
the manured plot, the average in yield due
TO tho manure, and the value OIL thls IN
crease. counting corn at 33 Is cents per
bushpl eats at % cents, ana wheat al
Sc 2-3 cents corn stover al $3 per ton
straw at 50. and hay at $6.66 2-3 per ton
~ pAp> y,PD MaNITEF IN FIVE