The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-02-22
farm Wews.
The Care of Stable Manure.

Those who have read what have writ
ten through the past years know that
have invariably favored the getting of the
manurial accumulations of the farm out on
the land as fast as possible. There will be
some loss in manure, no matter how care
fully it is preserved and the safest place for
it is on the soil, where the absorbent power
of the soil will hold it for the crops.
But it is also true that while this is all
right in theory it is seldom always practi-
cable to get the manure out as fast as
made. The ground, especially in winter,
is not always in condition that will allow
hauling over the fields, and the winter
SHOWS in the North will generally prevent
this desirable method of handling the ma
nure. One the other hand there is some
reason for keeping manure in the barnyard
or stables or better, under covered ma
nure shed. The manure is not as complete
fertilizer as desirable. This is especially
true when care has not been taken to pre-
serve the liquids, for it is in the liquid
excavations of the animals that the mineral
elements, especially potash, are found.
But even where the best care is used stable
manure and the manures of the barnyard
are largely nitrogenons in their character
and it is of advantage to amend this. Not
only is this essential, but it is also needed
as a means for the prevention.of loss of the
ammonia which is so abundant an ingre-
dient in manure. Therefore where it is
desirable to preserve manure we should
adopt the best means for its preservation
and at the same time its amendment by the
addition of the materials which are present
in it in deficient amount. The. old prac
tice was to mix plaster or sulphate Of lime
in the manure. Where this is thoroughly
moistened in the manure, SO that chemical
action can take place, it does have some
effect in preventing loss Of ammonia. But
still it does not add the phosphoric acid
and potash that the manure especially
needs.
Modern practice has changed this and
now we use the materials that not only
preserve the ammonia in less volatile form
than it would assume if left to ordinary
fermentation, but which also make bal
anced ration for the land of the manure,
by adding those elements that are in def
cient quantity in the manure naturally.
1t has been advised to mix in the ma
nure the pulverized phosphate rock, called
''hoats' in order that the floats may have
the effect of retaining the ammonia and at
the same time be rendered soluble for plants
through the action of the manure. This
is good practice. But we can better even
this and make the manure still more of a
balanced ration when applied to the soil.
We can do this by adding to the pulver-
lied phosphate rock an equal amount of
kainit or crude potash salts. This will
materially aid the floats in the retention of
ammonia both through the salt that is in
it attracting moisture and the action of the
sulphate of potash it contains, and we will
also be adding potash as we'll as phosphoric
acid.
We would not put these under the ami
mails, but in the cutters behind the stalls
abundantly, mixing the floats and the
kainit in equal parts, and every morning
when the stables are cleaned out the mix
ture will go out in the manure and become
completely Incorporated with it, Then at
once apply another thick coat to the cutters
to 60 out in the same way the next day.
Then by all means keep the manure under
cover till you have have a chance to load
up the manure spreader and haul it out to
the fields. We will warrant that if yon
spread manure made in this way alongside
that made in the usual way, the effects
will be such that you will never hereafter
be without the mixture of floats and kainit
in the stables.