The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-10-11
R0BB|NC the SOIL
Failure to Use Poultry Oroppings
Impoverishes Land.
RICHEST OF ALL MANURES.
Quick Acting and Available to Best
Advantage In Treatment Of Corn or
Garden Truck-Nceds Addition of
Potash.

Potash.
Very few pcultrymcn make the most
of The droppinGs. which are the richest
of all manurcs because they are rich in
nitrogen and phosploric acid. They
are deficient in potash. hut that can
easily be added. P%oultrymen in south
ern New Jersey who keep from 800 to
1000 laying hens have the droppinGs
gathered from platforms under the
roosts and carefully stored. These are
sold to truckers at from % to 80 cents
II bu>hcl. In many cases this runs
about Is cents Il head a year. In addi-
ton there is the value Of the manure
in the straw on the floor in the laying
house, which, when properly rottcd on
the compost pile. amounts to as much
in value as the %drnppings.
Professor Brooks. after some expert
mrntS at Amherst Agricultural college,
places the value Of the manure made
by each hen at about - cents. Ducks
and geese yield q larger AMOUNT. One
ponltryman showed me n house 10 by
T. feet. where he kept the manure that
WAS gathered from the dropping boards.
1t was kept dry to prevent the escape
Of the nitrogen. lie kept the pile of
manure we'll sprinklcl with plaster.
enough to whitcn the pile. The manure
from this house he sold at 80 cents Il
hushel. The straw aud droppinys are
mixed with earth. land plaster or kalnit
and left tn rot. This makes Il first
class manure and is readily sold or
used by the owncr
+. r. harrington recommends that
100 pounds Of muriatc or sUlplAte of
potash and from BOG to 400 pounds of
acid phosphate be added to each 1000
pounds Of droppin=s, thus maxim" Il
more balanced anurc If kainit is
used during the winter less potash will
he needed. Farmers often mix their
manure with ashes. This is q good
practice when it is spread and used at
once. but ashes aud lime should never
hc used Oh the Ir"ppin" board or mix
cd with manure that is to be stored.
for they allow the ammonia to escape
and thus rot it of its most valuable
element.
Poultry manure is quick acting and
IS used to best advantage on truck q"
corn. Tho best results are Obtained
Wy spreading it Just before the seed is
>oWn. Last year | tried sowing the
manure for potatoes, covering it about
an inch decD with earth in every other
row before planting the seed, says Il
correspondent of the Country Gentle
man. The season was dry md the po-
1atoes in the MANFRED row burnt,
whereas the others did better. This
year l put the droppings in the rows
and covered them about a wcek before
planting time. A few rows have since
bccn given Il light coat mixed in the
earth with the hoe. I have never seen
Il better or more thrifty patch. They
are far in advance of those of my
%nciYhDorS, where horse manure aud po-
1ntO phosphate We're used. Just as the
blossoms were opening covered the
ground next the COWS with the straw
and droppiugs gathered from the floor
of The laying houses. Last year where
tried this the potato tops did not Iii,
so early in the season.
Last year tomatoes treated in this
WAY yielded nearly half rs much more
than others that were untreatcd.