The Penn's Grove record., 1914-09-25

For maintaining or restoring the
fertility of the fields there is nothing
better than barnyard manure By the
ordinary methods of piling anu on
the ground or storing it in wooden
pens or boxes, 80 to so per cent OF
it's fertility is lost, according to the
U. S. Department of Agriculture.
This loss is brought about in two
ways: First, by teaching or washing
due to heavy rains; second, by Ter
m~entation or heating caused by lack
of sufficient moisture. Since concrete
pits are waterproof, manure may be
kept in them as moist as may be
necessary and such an enormous
waste in the fertility of the manure
may thus be entirely prevented. One
load of manure from a concrete pit
is worth IL to 2 loads of manure as
usually stored. Moreover, with con-
crete pits the supply of manure is
increased by all the liquid manure,
the richest part, from the barn gut
tiers and feeding floors.
oudllOW 1ldlu1O plLo w NOAJ -
where the manure can be frequently
hauled to the fields. The walls and
floor should be 5 inches thick. The
clear dimensions of the pit are
Depth, 3 feet; width, 6 feet; length,
u feet. Dig the trench 8 feet 5 inches
deep by 6 feet 10 inches by II feet
10 inches. By keeping the sides YER
teal only an inside form will be
needed. Frame the sides and ends
separately. For the sides cut the
Inch siding u feet long and nail
it to the four 2 by 4 inch uprights 3
feet long and equally spaced. The end
uprights for the sides are 2 by 4 inch
pieces nailed fat to the siding; the
others are also 2 by 4 but are nailed
on edge. 1t is not necessary to cut
these uprights to exact lengths; they
may be allowed to extend above the
siding. Make the siding for the end
sections of the form 5 feet 2 inches
long and at the ends nail it to the
edge of two 2 by 4 inch uprights.
Place a single 2 by 4 upright between
each end pair. Cut foul cross braces,
5 to 10 inches long, from 2 by 4 inch
timbers. Have enough sections of
~woven-wire fencing. 7h feet long, to
cover the bottom of the pit.
Set up the forms on the finished
floor so as to allow a 5-inch wall on
all sides. Join them by mailing to-
gether the 2 by As at the corners of
the sides and ends. Do not drive the
nails home. Cross-brace with 2 by As
and with Inch boards from each GEN.
trail end upright to the second side up
right.
Quickly begin filling the forms with
concrete almost wet enough to pour,
and keep it practically the same
height On all sides. Puddle the con-
crete by running a long paddle up
and down next to the form. Do not
punch the earthen wall. Dirt in the
concrete may make a poor wall. If
the top of the earthen wall tends to
crumble, hold it back with Inch
boards braced against the forms. To
keep out floor water, the pit may be
extended 6 inches above the ground by
using the lower half of a 1-foot board
to hold back the dirt, by allowing the
remainder to project above the ground
level, and by adding 6 inches to the
height of the inside form. Remove
the forms after the concrete has set
four days by first drawing the nails
in the corner 2 by As. The pit may
be used after 10 days.
Where the manure must be stored
for a considerable length of time,
larger pits or basins are required.