Gunnison news-champion., 1916-04-21
SAVING THE BARNYARD
PROFITS FOR THE RANCH
The Manure Wasted Each Year
Would About Pay Farmers
Taxes Says Experts

- ~ AAA-NaA ~ ea8t
We do not understand. and so much thai
We ignore, that We cannot afford TO ig-
more that which We DO understand.
For instance it is only lately that We
have come to appreciate what soil i
made of and how grains and plants man
age To to live and grow. We know now
that We must feed the roots of growing
crops just as we feed growing calves,
and with about as much care.
Without going deeply into Chemistry.
Of this food supply. we have learned
that the plant bill OF fare consists OF
three things. namely: nitrogen, phor-
phoric acid and potash. Where these
foods are available We have good crops
where they are absent or locked up IL
the dry. heavy earth, the plants staFve
Experience has taught us that we ear
set the table, from which the plants vii
get their substance in two ways-either
by buying their food By the pound or by
saving for them our barnyard manure.
Modern chemistry has proven that for
this purpose half ton of fresh horse
manure contains five pounds Of nitrogen,
three and one half pounds of phosphoric
acid; and a similar amount Of COW man
ure contains three pounds of nitrogen
and two and one half pounds Of phos-
phoric acid This includes both the sole
and liquid manure. in fact, the liquid j.
the most important Of the two. Great
care should be taken that the main part
of il should be saved.
The easier the farmer makes it for his
growing plants to gather this food sup
ply, the better crops he can promise
himself. He fattens his crops just a
surely as he fattens his steers. II In
thus fattening his corn fields the farmer
goes TO the store and buys nitratas at
Is cents per pound, and phosphorus ocid
and potash both at cents per poCnd,
he will find that the horse manure In bis
own barnyari on this basis if properly
conserved, is worth S22l per ton; his
COW manure S2.02 per ton, his pig man
ure, 81. - per ton.
This is. however, If it is saved right
and used right 1t has been estimated
that the way manure is handled by the
farmers in this country. that enough Is
wasted each year to pay the taxes of oil
the farms in the United States.
There are two main leaks or avenues
of dissipation in connection with ~
food supply of plants-first at the stAbss
and second in the field. Just as one can
ruin an otherwise good hay crop by not
handling it right, so one can damage .
good manure crop.
Manure is at its best when fresh and
is subject to several demoralizing influ-
ences. Ii cannot stand rain because
water teaches the best part of it away;
it cannot stand dryness because it fer
ments and the nitrogen evaporates; in
fact, it cannot stand at all. Fresh man
ure should be spread fresh.
The manure found in the barnyard ia
the spring or that found in little heaps
in the field is only half as good for plant
/ food as the same manure would have
been had it been pitched on spresdel
land as soon as the load was completed.
Next to spreading it fresh, the I'M
portant thing is to spread it finely pull
verized and evenly. This must be done
with mechanical pulverizer, because
the hand that wields the fork from the
wagon can do no more than scatter it ID
chunks,
So important is the manner of spread
ing manure essential to its preservation
that the University Of Wisconsin, in
Bulletin No. 22l. claims that it is advis-
able to apply the manure to field as
soon as made. Even winter spreading
is worth while.
1t is equally vehement in regard TO
pulverization. ITO make itself worth
while manure must come in contact with
the growing plants, to do this it must be
thoroughly pulverized and evenly spread.
The practice of applying the manure di-
rectly after plowing and thoroughly in-
cooperating it with the soil by the use
of disk harrow or cultivator is good
one.
Everywhere it is acknowledged that
the spresder is dividend.paying IN
vestment. and it would seem with taxes
to be paid and other expenses coming
along, that greater care would be taken
to preserve in its entirety the full value
of the barnyard refuse.