St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-04-06
FARMER AND PLANTER
BARN YARD MANURE.
A Source of Fertilizer Not Generally
Appreciated.

There is no fertilizer that can be
more proftably used On the farm than
barn yard manure, the resulting by
product in feeding live stock of all
classes. The solid and liquid excre-
ments of animals, together with the
litter used as bedding, constitute
source of fertilizer that is not gener-
ally appreciated as it should be. The
fertilizing value OF the manure may
be increased very considerably by
feeding such concentrates as gluten
meal, linseed meal and cottonseed
meal. It is for this reason that dairy
farmers and those extensively en-
gagged in live stock industries have
been able to maintain the fertility of
their lands for indefinite periods, and
often conclude that commercial fertil-
iZers cannot be u7ed to advantage I'M
der the conditions This is frequently
! mistake. and their lands often be-
come overabundantly supplied with
humus as compared with the mineral
elements Of plant food, which are re-
garded as essential for the successful
growth and development of all farm
crops AS a carrier of available plant
food farm yard manure is not espe-
cially valuable, as ton Of it only
contains from to Is pounds of nitro
gen, to 8 pounds phosphorus and 8
to 10 pounds of potash. Its greatest
benefit to the land is an indirect fertil-
izer 1t adds organic matter, which
provides humus, thus increasing the
water holding capacity of the soil. 1t
benefits the texture and makes heavy
soils, especially c1ays, more porous.
It tends to make sandy soil more re-
| tentive of moisture by adding vegeta-
BILE matter. Through it's decomposi-
| ton it adds heat and increases the
notwithstanding powers of the land;
carbonic acid is also formed and this
| increases the solvent power of the
watar contained in the soil. It is thus
easy to see that while farm yard ma
nure is not a rich carrier of plant
| food, it eXerts SO many beneficial in
f1uences that it is properly entitled to
the measure of praise which it has re.
ceived in the past, and should receive
much more careful consideration at
| the hands Of farmers than has been
the general practice on the American
farm. It is also evident that a special
effort should be made to save and util
ize the liquid portions of the manure
through the use of large quantities OF
suitable absorbents.
That there is a lack of farm yard
manure is shown by the facts present
ed in the foregoing paragraphs giving
the available plant food it contains
It is evident, therefore, to all thought
full men that phosphorus and potas
SUM in particular should be and car
be applied along with farm yard ma
nure with the most advantageous re
suits. For instance, 6 tons of farm
yard manure would supply the nitro
gen required for a 40-bushel crop O.
corn, practically IL tons would be re
quired to furnish the phosphorus an(
or tons of the potash It is thus
an i'll balanced food, richer in proper
ton in certain elements than in 9th
ers, which must be supplied in com
merciaI form in order to balance /
properly. Floats can be mixed adVan
tageously with farm yard manure a
the rate Of so to 100 pounds per ton
or acid phosphate may be used Oh
land to which manure has been ap
piled in previous years. twenty-five
pounds muriate of potash will not b.
too much to apply with each ton o
farm yard manure. In other words 5
ITO $50 pounds muriate Of potash pc
acre on land heavily covered wit
farm yard manure will, as rule
prove profitable; on crops to whicl
chlorine is Objectionable, use sulphat
Of potash Many farmers who hav
user farmyard manure exclusively a
fertilizer now complain of their ina
bi1ity to raise large crops of Irish pc
tatoes and truck crops as satisfactor
~ as they formerly did. This is du
to the insufficient supply of phosphol
Gus and potassium returned to tn
land by the manure. This is ma
ter of far-reaehing Importance, an
the lack in farm yard manure, If NOR
widely appreciated, would enable tn
! farmers to raise larger crops throug
supplying the necessary elements
mineral food which are likely to b
? deficient in the soil.-Southern Farl
Magazine.
had the occasion not long since {