The Little River news., 1916-08-05
SOILS AND SOIL FERTILITY
NO. z. Farm Manure.
By De F. Hungerford, Assistant Agro nomlst, University of Arkansas.

cHe pest fertilizer the farmer can pu. on his land. The oldest experiment station in the world, located at Roth amstead, England, has conducted ex perlments for many years compartue manure with various amounts of com merclal fertilizers. In one of tnes= tests the plot receiving no manure or fertilizer of any kind yielded 131 pushei of wheat as an average for n1ty years. The plot receiving l4 tons ol manure per acre each year yielded 355 bushels as the fifty year average. Another plot was treated each year with fertilizer costing $1525 per acre and produced 23.9 bushels of wheat. The only plot in the test which produced as much wheat as the manured plot was one which received each year fertilizer at a cost of S29.85 per acre. This plot averaged 35.J bushels of wheat per acre for fifty years Countless other experiments have shown that manure is a valuable fertilizer and should be preserved and used accordingly.
 The reasons for the effectiveness os manure as a fertilizer are apparen, when it's composition and action in the soil is understood Plants reuu.ra certain substances to make them grow just as animals must have food. The most important of these substances are nitrogen, phos phoric acid and poi ash These are commonly called plant fools becaugc they serve as food TOY plants. A ton of average manure contains 10 pounds of nitrogen, five pounds of phosphoric 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 If these mater fals are bought in commercial fertiliz CTS they are eXpepslve. At tie cus tomary price for fertilizers the con. stituents in one ton of manure would cost s2.85. The cost would be very much more at the prices now pre- vailing.
 The value of manure varies some, what with the feed the animals re- ceive. The richer the feed is in pro- tein the more nitrogen is contained in the manure For this reason tho 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 tho manure
 Manure is valuable for other req. sons besides tho plant food it con tains. In every ton of average manure there is about 800 pounds of organic matter. This has very beneficial t1. fluence on the physical condition ot the soll. IL makes heavy clay soils more mellow and open, and It binds the sand grains together in sandy soil making @ firmer seed bed and en, abling the soil to store up moro water against time Of drought, One of the greatest needs of the soils of th,s state is larger supply of organic mat ter The organic matter supplied in manure also furnishes food for tho bacteria which ace essential to thn best growth of crops Some of tha t1aCToGid Itfl By ttit NifD u - dIF ID4-' 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 leGumas Others cause Fermentation Of the or garc matter to take piaca with tha -if,>fz.e. 0n of earboair acid which ren, ders ihe mineral matter of the soil available.
 Since manure is valuable in so, many ways. great care shnad ba eyar ciscd to prevent unnecessary losses, Some Of the valuable Ingredients ars seIuhe and others are lost by expos. ure 10 the eir I.eaching should there. fore be avoided as much as possible The manure is frequently thrown out of window in the stable and allowed to t:A under the caves until most O. inc plant food is leached out Tie dark brown liGuid often saen about barryards is rich in thc clements needed by crops. If the manure is al lowed to lie In loose opca hea,s where the air can tjccU!25e freely through 1t the insOMhla nitrogan changes to solublo forms and is tnan lost by teaching, In this way manure Jeff cut in the open subject to alter nate wetting and drying, quickly loses much of it's value.
 Tn order to reduce losses to a mini. mum manure should be spread on the land as soon as produced Then taa rains will wash the soluble part into the soil where it is needed. If il is impractical to spread tha manure every day losses can be kept down oy storing in large, moist. compact heaps under roof A baSi1-shaped cement floor under the heap viii prevent mos. of the teaching. A yay oc on0;nicai method of storing maIu"o Y f" hany the stock In deep stalls and allow i: ro accumulate under their feet. The animals can Dc l2y, dry with bedding,