Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-23
A MANURE PIT At
H|GHM00R FARM
An Experiment on the Winter
Handling of Manure.

AS already noted in this series of
letters. the Maine Agricultural Expert
ment Station began in 1914 an expert
ment as to whether sheep were profit
able in Maine as handled by the or
binary farmer. In examining the data
it was found that the plant food in
the feed consumed while the sheep
were confined to their winter quarters
was worth at ordinary fertilizer prices
in the neighborhood of two hundred
dollars and that the manure from the
sheep was valued by the farm superin-
tendent as worth about one-eighth Of
that sum. The manure was left under
the sheep in the same way that is
practiced by farmers everywhere. 50
far as the writer knows, in the East
and the Middle West. The opinion
seems to be commonly held that the
compacting of the manure by the tread
Of the sheep and its moistening by the
liquid excrement prevents fire. Hanging
and all other losses. In the case of
the sheep at Highmoor Farm there
were losses evident to the careful OBJ
server from fire-fangins and perhaps
in other ways. Inquiry among sheep
men discloses the fact that they are not
sure about the losses that may result
from this method of handling sheep
manure
The attempt is being made at High
moor Farm this season to know the
value of the manure and to protect it
| from the chance of the kind of losses
that occurred in 191415 by storing the
manure in Water-tight compartment
keeping it moist with water, if neces-
sary, and compacted and worked over
! by hogs. In the spring the manure will
be drawn from the pit. weighed.
sampled ard analyzed. In this way the
exact amount of the valuable plant
, food in the manure will be known.
The difference between that and the
amount in the feed used will accurate
ly indicate the loss. A similar test is
being made with the manure produced
by the cows and horses wintered at the
farm. Incidentally the profit or loss in
handling swine on manure will be
learned. The cost Of the pigs. the feed
used and the hours spent in their care
will be the debtor side and the value of
the grown hogs at the end of the test
will be the credit side. The difference
will show the gain or loss.
The manure pit. if structure above
ground can be called pit, is built
beneath the shed. 1t is of cement con-
struction: 80 by 80 feet, with walls of
cement IS inches high above the floors.
A partition wall of the same height di-
vides the pit into two equal parts
One-half is being used for the expert
ment with sheep manure and the other
half for that with the COW and horse
manure. The sides above the concrete
are temporary and made of rough
boarding. 1t is not necessary to carry
the walls higher than IS inches as the
liquid will never accumulate to that
depth. The movable wooden sides
make loading the manure from the pit
easy. The cement floor is 4 inches
thick and the cement walls taper from
eight inches al the bottom to s inches
in thickness at the top. The floor in
clines towards one corner at the mid
die partition where there is depres-
sion so that if liquid accumulates too
fast in the manure 1t will drain to these
pockets. If the top is too dry the liquid
from the manure can be readily
pumped to the dry portions. If the
top is too dry and no liquid has ac-
CumuidleO, the manure is wet WIFI
water from hose.
1t took Is horse days, chiefly draw
Ing gravel and sand for the concrete
work, So l-2 man days and 120 bags
go barrels) of cement to construct the
pit The cost for everything. at prices
that prevailed in the fall Of 1915. was
a little less than two hundred dollars.
II by it's use the losses that appar-
entity existed in 1e14-l5 are at all COM /
pletely overcome it will prove a very !
profitable structure.
CHAS. D. WOODS. |
Director.