Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-23
ONE OF THE VALUA-
Bile FARM ASSETS,
THE BARN MANURE

The probable shortage of potash for
fertilizers in 1915 has led to the re-
ceipt of many letters of inquiry by the
Maine Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton. A recent letter in this series
pointed out ways in which it would be
probably possible to get along with
much less potash for one or two
years than we have been using in the
past.
With the introduction OF CONNER
ciai fertilizers there has been an in
creasing apparent indifference to farm
manure as Nan agricultural resource.
Too many of our farmers lose sight
of the fact that commercial fertilizers
should supplement rather than re-
place the manurial supply of the farm.
It is the purpose of this paper to call
attention to the value of farm manures
in Maine, and particularly to Farmers
Bulletin 1872 on Barnyard Manure
which Is published by the United
States department of Agriculture,
copy of which may be obtained by
anyone writing to their Congressman.
According to the State Assessors
report for 1913 there were in the
State, in round numbers, 10000
horses; 100000 head of neat stock;
10000 swine; 10000 sheep and 2,000,-
900 hens, ducks and geese. If all CT
the manure was saved from these ami
mails it would amount in a single year
to nearly 100000 tons and would
carry approximately 10000 tons Of
nitrogen, 10000 tons of phosphoric
acid and $4,000 tons of potash. This
plant food in the worlds marke,
would cost about s1o,000,O 900, or suf-
ficient to buy 100000 tons of high
grade commercial fertilizer. 1t Is
doubtful if by present methods of
management one-half of this plant
food is actually returned to the soil.
The intelligent farmer recognizes
that when he sells meat, milk, grain,
hay, fruit, vegetables. ETC., from his
farm or neglects to save and use the
manure produced, he removes from
his soil a certain amount of potash
phosphoric acid and nitrogen that
must be restored sooner or later if
production Is 70 be maintained. If
the farmer instead of selling off his
crops feeds them to live stock on ths
farm, large proportion of this fer
tility is retained on the farm, and If
the business of stock feeding is car
ried to the point where feed is pur
chased in addition to that grown on
the farm a considerable addition may
in this way be made to the fertility of
the farm at almost nominal cost
1t is this indirect purchase of fertil-
izers practiced largely in Europe that
to quite degree accounts for tho
profits of stock raising abroad. Oh
course these advantages will not oe
secured unless the manure produced
Is carefully saved and used.
1t seems to be difficult for the aver
age farmer to really grasp the idea
that manure should be as carefully
preserved from unnecessary losses a.
any other product of the farm. The
large bulk of the material. the IN
sidious losses, the ease with which
commercial fertilizers can be had, the
expense of properly providing for
storage and application of manure to
land, and the lack of proper UNDER
standing of the value of the manure
and of the large losses that prevail
under ordinary farm management, are
among the reasons that have led to
this neglect.
While 1t is customary to compare
farm manures with fertilizers on the
basis of their content of nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash, this COM
parison is not adequate for deternin-
ing the relative value, since manures
serve certain purposes fertilizers can
not serve. Farm manure is of
very complex composition. 1t con-
tains more or less of all of the eIe-
ments contained in the foods given 10
the animals and in the litter. 1t is
rich in organic matters, being COM
posed chiefly of vegetable substances.
Organic matter is the source of
humus to the soil and is of much
value. Soils need humus and it can
only be supplied by the addition CT
organic matter in farm manure or by
blowing under green crops. Com
mercial fertilizers do not supply
humus.
The urine is by far the most valu-
able part Of the excreta of animals.
1t is not sufficient to save the solid
droppings but the liquid should be col
lected as well. The amount of fer
tilizing constituents in a manure
stands in direct relation to those in
the food. The nitrogen in a food ex
erts a greater influence on the quality
OF the manure than any other con-
stituent. 1t Is the most costly fer
tilizing constituent. 1t undergoes
more change IN the animals stomach
than the mineral constituents and
rapidly escapes from the manure in
fermentation. Even if all the manure
Is saved and proper absorbents are
used, sparnyard manure is still an un-
stable product. 1t rapidly undergoes
changes. The deteriorations of manure
results from fermentation, and from
weathering or teaching Farm
manure loss from destructive fer
mentation may be largely prevented
by the use of proper absorbents and
by keeping the manure moist and
compact. The loss from teaching may
be prevented by storage under cover
or In water tight bins.
If practicable, manure should be re-
moved and spread on the field at short
Intervals and in that case the loss of
valuable constituents is not very great
When the manure must be stored for
Soma time tho difHcyltiao of ,raso~