The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-11-17

left there for six months, loses at
least 40 per cent of it's value and yet
this is exactly the way the majority
of our people are handling what
manure is being made on their
farms. I wish you, my reader, would
do a little experimenting along this
line yourself and see for yourself, on
your own farm, the vast difference
there is between the results obtained
from the use of carefully housed
| manure and manure made from feed
| ing the same class of products and
| left exposed to the weather for sew
eral months. Don't experiment on
too large a scale, however, for when
you see what a difference there is in
the results obtained you will feel like
| employing strong man, or a we'll
| fed Angus heifer to kick you all
round for quite a while because YOU
| have been so slow in learning you1
| lesson.
When L hear men talking about
making barn yard manure" i,
makes me feel like getting up on a
| high place and following, Don't"
with all my might, for 1 have seen
enough of it to know that it is the
poorest kind of economy to make
yard maure when the same product
may be made under cheap sheds al
| practically no greater expense and
with no harm to the animals so con-
| fined.
Here Is the practical way to handle
the matter in the South as We have
found it: Provide a cheap shed, COW
cred with any sort of good roof, hav-
| ing the south side enclosed only by
gates, or a tight four-foot fence, the
other three sides closely boarded up
Have this shed of ample size so the
| cattle will have abundance of room
to walk about. Have the cattle de-
horned, Of course. Arrange a man
ger along the back Of the shed. This
shed had best be two stories high, OF
course, so that the one roof may COW
er both feed and cattle. Bed the
shed we'll before bringing in the cat
tie and furnish bedding as often a.
necessary to keep the floor dry and
comfortable. When the cattle are
let out of this shed for water or exer-
else, let them go direretly into a per-
| manent pasture Or other sod field that
is to be plowed later in the winter
Having the shed Of good height-not
less than nine feet in the clear. ter
is better-the best ventilation is pro-
vided and the forenoon sun will shine
all the way across. You will find the
cattle lying there in the sun as con-
tented as cattle ever can be: and
there will be practically nc waste OF
valuable plant food. When the wealth
| er is pleasant turn the cattle out or
the pasture. Drive right into the shed
and get the manure on the land where
it is to be used, spreading it as haul.
| ed. Bed the shed again and repeat
the process.
Where money is not available fol
the purchase OF good, permanen,
roofing, bundles Of corn stover ma,
be used by making the roof of steer
pitch, laying the bundles as singles
are laid. This roof will need to be
renewed each fall, Of course, but as
the stover is only valued at around
IS per ton, and not valued at all BY
thousands Of Southern farmers, the
| cost is very little except the work OF
laying the bundles, and two men can
easily cover large shed in one half
a day. light pole laid crossways OF
each layer Of bundles will serve to
hold them in place during windy
weather:
Now is the time, my friends, to
construct these sheds SO they will be
ready to protect the cattle when the
first cold, sleety rains come. Try this
way Of saving the manure and see if
the Sunny Home" farmer hasn't
helped you some toward better crops
the coming year.