The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1916-08-11
SOILS AND SOIL FERTILITY
No. 7. Farm Manure.
BY De F. Hungerford, Assistant Agro-
nomist, University of Arkansas.

the best fertilizer the farmer can put
on his land The Oldest experiment
station in the world, located at Roth.
amstead, England, has conducted ex-
periments for many years comparing
manure with various amounts of COM
mercial fertilizers In one of these
tests the plot receiving no manure or
fertilizer OF any kind yielded 1871
bushel of wheat as an average for
fifty years. The plot receiving IA
tons OF manure per acre each year
yielded 1856 bushels as the fifty year
average. Another plot was treated
each year with fertilizer costing s15.25
per acre and produced 239 bushels
of wheat. The only plot in the test
which produced as much wheat as the
MANFRED plot was one which received
each year fertilizer at cost of S29S5
per acre. This plot averaged 36s
bushels of wheat per acre for fifty
years. Countless other experiments
have shown that manure is valuable
fertilizer and should be preserved
and used accordingly.
The reasons for the effectiveness OF
manure as fertilizer are apparent
when its composition and action in
the soil is understood Plants require
certain substances to make them grow
just as animals must have food. The
most important of these substances
are nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot
ash. These are commonly called plant
foods because they serve as food Tor
plants A ton of average manure
contains 10 pounds of nitrogen. five
pounds of phesphorie acid and 10
pounds of potash. These quantities
may seem to be insignificant, but
plants do not require very large
amounts although little Of each is
absolutely essential. # these mater
ials are bought in commercial fertiliz-
ers they are expensive. At the GUS
tomary price for fertilizers the con-
stituents in one ton of manure would
cost S2S5. The cost would be very
much more at the prices now pre-
vailing.
what with the feed the animals re-
eeive. The richer the feed is in pro-
TEN the more nitrogen is contained in
the manure. For this reason the ma
nure from animals fed on cotton seed
meal, bran, alfalfa hay or other rich
feeds is especially valuable. Nearly
all of the nitrogen fed to fattening
animal is returned in the manure
Manure is valuable for other rea-
sons besides the plant food it con-
tains. In every ton of average manure
there is about 500 pounds of organic
matter. This has a very beneficial IN
f1uence on the physical condition of
the soil. II makes heavy clay soils
more mellow and open, and It binds
the sand grains together in a sandy
soil making a firmer seed bed and en-
aiding the soil 10 store up more water
against time of drought. One of
the greatest needs of the soils Of this
state Is larger supply of organic mat
ter. The organic matter supplied In
manure also furnishes food for the
bacteria which are essential to the
best growth of crops Some of the
bacteria fed by the manure are able
to take nitrogen from the air and
make it available for crops in much
the same manner as do the bacteria
which live on the roots of legumes
Others cause fermentation of the or
gaSic matter TO take place with the
liberation of carbonic acid which ren,
ders the mineral matter of the Soil
available
Since manure is valuable in SC
many ways, great care should be exer-
/ cised to prevent unnecessary losses
/ Some OF the valuable ingredients are
soluble and others are lost by expos
ure TO the air Leaching should there
fore be avoided as much as possible
The manure is frequently thrown out
Of a window in the stable and allowed
10 lie under the caves until most o.
the plant food is leached out. The
dark brown liquid often seen about
barnyards is rich in the elements
needed by crops If the manure is al
lowed to lie in loose open heaps
where the air can circulate freely
through it the insoluble nitrogen
changes to soluble forms and is ther
lost by teaching. In this way manure
left out in the open subject TO alter
nate wetting and drying, quickly loses
much of its value.
In order 10 reduce losses to a min'
mum manure should be spread on th'
land as soon as produced. Then tn
rains will wash the soluble part Int
the soil where it is needed. If it i
inrractical TO spread the manur
every day losses can be kept down o
storing in large. moist compact heap
under a roof A basin-shaped cemen
floor under the heap will prevent mos
| of the teaching. A very economical
| method of storing manure is TO kee
| the stock in deep stalls and allow ii I
| accumulate under their feet Tn
( animals can be kept dry with bedding