Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-11-17

but 1t might well be asked II better re-
turns cannot be secured By Its use than
the majority Of farmers are now getting.
A ton OF manure, under average con-
ditions, contains ten pounds Of nitrogen.
i've pounds phosphoric acid and ten
pounds potash. 1t is low in plant food.
but its va .ue as q source OF organic matter
to the soil is almost as gres: IS its plant
food value.
There are two leading fact crs governing
the composition of farm msnuve. The
first 10 the amount of the solid snd liquid
portions Of the excremens present. The
liquid portion contains one half Of the
nitrogen and two thirds OF the potash OF
the manure, and its fertilIzIns constituents
are soluble and readily available. About
one half the plant food sssue o; tbs naa
ure Is in the liquid portion, and tais snas
b~ easily lost.
Aoout 50 per cent. OF the plant food IN
tie feec is recovered in the manure, unier
average conditions. Therefore. The richer
the feed, the richer the manure will be.
The concentrates are the meet valuab.e
feeds based upon the fertilixing value.
Following them are: the legumes, the
cereals, the grasses, and, lastly, the root
crops. II two feeds cost the same and
have the same feeding vsiue, it would be
economy to buy the one having the most
plant food.
In practice, from one third to one-half
this value Is lost Manure il subject to
loss in three ways. The liquid portion
may be allowed to escape or loss may
ensue from teaching or BY decomposition.
The loss OF the liquid part may b
prevented by having water-tight floors or
cutters in the stable and by using cum
cient beading a. an absorbent.
Lesching occurs " ben manure 10 piled
out Of doors, and the rain runs through
it carrying away the the most soluble and
valuable parts. In six months exposure,
one half the plant food in the manure may
be leached aSay, depending upon the
amount OF water that has run through the
pile. Field experiments show that the
fresh manure gives better returns than
leached manure. In fifteen years work.
the Ohio Experiment station found that
the fresh manure produced six and one
fourth bushels more corn, one and one
half bushels more " heat and seven hum
dred pounds more hay per acre, annually,
than did manure which had been piled in
the barnyard for three or four months.
The remedy is to keep the manure under
cover, il possible, until II is spread on tine
field, when all the leached material will
60 into the soil.
Losa By decomposit. on occurs when the
manure beats in loose piles and means
only . loss OF nitrogen. IL Is impossible
to prevent the loss of some nitrogen, but
through heating, 30 per cent. TO 50 per
cent. Of the nitrogen may be lost. This
may be prevented by keeping the manure
pile compact and moist to prevent fer
mentatiou.
The least loss occurs when manure 10
spread on the field a. soon a. possible
after it il made. The only danger OF loss
in this case is by surface washing. Dur
ing greater part Of tbs time, this il inn
possible, and the manure must be stored.
1t should, il possible, be stored under
cover. II there is no manure cellar, q
cheap shed built next to the barn will
soon pay for itself. water-tight floor
should be provided to prevent leachine.
A cement pit out doors 10 also very
effective in saving plant food, and . roof
10 not absolutely necessary.
Stored manure II mot secured against
loss, for IL it 10 carelessly piled, hot FER
mentation viii occur. The pile should,
BY all means, be kept compact and . SUI
hcient amount OF water added to keep IL
moist without leaching. II the pile IL not
watered, . root IL doubtful help in con-
serving manure. Allowing hogs to work
over the manure will prevent loss Of this
kind. Hog and COW manure contain much
water, and their addition to the pile will
check fermentation.
II the;cAttle are allowed to run loose in Z
shed, the manure is kept trampled down
ana moist, with very little loss. II man.
ure must be piled out-of- doors, the pile
should be kept compact and built high, to
prevent rain teaching through, although q
concrete pit ID the only insurance against
loss.
Manure shoulc be spread broadcast,
when applied to the Land. The practice
OF putting it in small piles means more
labor, loss by fermentation and unequal
distribution, as the soil under the pile
receives all the teachings. II there is
much manure to handle, mansre
spreader will pay for itself, because Of the
more thorough distribution. Ii the sup-
ply OF manure 10 limited, greater returns
per ton OF manure are secured from light
applications over larger area than from
heavier applications ON less ground.
OF all farm crops, corn makes the best
use OF manure. The general practice Of
spreading manure on land that is to be
plowed for corn is very good. Applied
directly to the grain crops, 1t often
causes lodging. Meadows respond to q
top dressing Of manure and experi-
mental work shows that the appli-
cation OF manure to meadows is profita BILE.
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