Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-10-18
HOW PENSY FARMERS
CONSERVE BARN MANURE
Methods of Collecting and Utilizing
this Valuable Plant Food De-
scribed by Dept. Of Agriculture

Farmers who are confronted with
the problem OF maintaing soil fertlil-
ity-important in carrying out in
creased food production-will find Il
profitable. the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture suggests, to study
the methods of handling barnyard ma
nure practiced in parts OF EASTERN
Pennsylvania where excellent results
in adding to crop yields have been Sc
cured These me .hods are described
in Farmers Bulletin 97S. recently
published by the department. For
over a century il has been the custom
in this region to store stable manure
in a walled manure yard, partly or
wholly covered, in which the stabbed
animals are allowed to exercise du-
ring the day Manure thrown into
such a yard and thoroughly tramped
by stock, according TO the depart
ment's bulletin, loses much less
through heating and teaching than
does manure piled in the open.
Nearly all manure produced on the
farms in the region to which the bull
letin refers accumulates in the ma
nure yard. All eornstalks, straw, and
other roughage not used as bedding
are added as needed to take up ex-
cess liquids. In this way the covered
portion of the barnyard not only af
fords a dry and comfortable shelter
for the live stock during the winter
months, but it protects the manure
so that no teaching occurs. In some
instances the corn fodder is run
through a cutter, which increases its
power of absorption and makes the
manure easier TO handle. The tramp
ing of the stock packs the manure, so
tina. an even temperature is obtained,
which seems to favor proper fermen-
tation, as is evidenced partly by the
strong odor of ammonia in the vi
entity when the manure is being re-
moved. and partly by absence of dry
combustion, or "firefang," so common
in manure piles to the weather.
Occasionally farmer is found who
sprinkles land plaster on the manure
at intervals, the amount ranging from
to tons year, applied at the rate
of bushel a week. Disintegrated
feldspar rock, common in the vicinity,
has been used with good effect but
as a general thing the manure is no.
treated with chemical fertilizers.
The manure is hauled to the fields
twice year on the majority of farms.
Many farmers apply it during the win
ter when the ground is frozen and
hauling is easier and when there is
more time for this work. but this
should not be done on hillside land
or where there is danger of the ma
nure being washed away when the
snow melts and before the ground is
sufficiently thawed to allow the sol
uble material to sink in. In general
practice the sod is usually MANFRED
in the early spring at the rate of s to
10 tons an acre and is Immediately
plowed and rolled. In the fall manure
is applied to oats and corn stubble
land. The barnyard is so arranged
that the fall that the team and
spreader can be driven into any part
of it, including the covered portion,
where loading can be done directly.
The bulletin describes in detail the
crop rotation plan and methods of
handling manure on ten Chester
County farms, on each of which the
yield of corn is maintained at rs bu-
shells or more an acre and where high
yields are being made at no sacrifice
of profit. These farms offer flood ex-
amples of the way in which manure
should be handled and utilized to Sc
cure the greatest possible returns