Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-08
MlNuRIAL VALUE
OF FEEDING STUFFs


Can This Be Recovered (Con-
served) on Ordinary Farms!
Observations at Highmoor
Farm.
Orono,, Me-. oct. s.-The following
was nsade public today by Charles =.
Woods. director Of the Maine Agri-
cultural Experiment station at the
University Of Maine:
The proportion of the total nitro
gen, phosphoric acid and potash OF
feeds which may be recovered IN the
manure depends upon the age ana
kind of animal. Considering the
young growing animals, those giving
milk and those doing work 1t Is
common text book estimate that
from the feed supplied farm stock
about so per cent of the nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash is ordi-
nariliy in the feces and the urine.
How much Of this may actually ma
its way back to the soil is Of prime
importance in economic farming.
In the experiment in sheep hus-
bandry begun in 1914 at Highmoor
Farm by the Maine Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station an apparently large
waste Of the plant food contained IN
the feeds was observed. The manure
was kept under the sheep during the
winter, as is ordinarily practiced
everywhere. AS the value Of the
manure is of great importance in the
margin between profit and loss an
experiment was conducted so that
the manure would be stored under
what seemed to be the best condi-
tions practicable for an ordinary
farmer. The plan was to keep an
account of all food eaten. store the
manure in a water-tight manure
platform and keep it worked by
swine so as to prevent fire-fanging.
It was arranged so that. II the sur
face dried. liquid from the lower part
of the platform could be pumped over
the top, or it could if necessary be
wet with water from the hose. AS
there are two cows and three horses
kepe during the winter at the farm,
the manure platform was built in
two sections so that an experiment
with this mixed manure could be car
ried on at the same time as that from
the sheep.
The feed and bedding used by the
about 100 sheep consisted Of 52,575
pounds Of mixed hay, 7,075 pounds.
cat straw, 5000 pounds Gull apples,
"a, 150 pounds rutabaga turnips, 400
pounds bran. 600 pounds middlings,
1900 pounds corn meal, 2,160 pounds
oat, 475 pounds linseed meal and 200
pounds Of gluten meal. The cows
and the horses used 24,650 pounds
mixed hay. $3.50 pounds straw, 1000
pounds bran, 1900 pounds corn meal
and cracked corn. 4.625 pounds oats,
300 pounds gluten meal, 300 pounds
linseed meal and 100 pounds mid
dlings. A bunch Of swine were kept
en- the manure so that they could go
from one part of the manure plat
form to the other. They were fed
lO,s50 pounds rutabagas. loo pounds
corn, 1900 pounds middlings and 500
poands bran. AS the droppings from
the swine were for the most part
made on the sheep manure part of
the platform, the plant food in their
feed was added to that Of the sheep.
= The feeding stuffs were not sam
pied and analysed but their plant
food content was computed from av-
erage analyses Of similar materials.
+ The manure was weighed when it
was drawn to the fields and each load
was sampled. The final composite
sample of each kind of manure was
analyzed.
The feed 'dncluding that of the
swlne) and the bedding for the sheep
carried approximately LIT pounds
nitrogen. 1854 pounds phosphoric acid
and LASS pounds potash. The sheep
manure weighed 125,705 pounds and
carried 931 pounds Of nitrogen, 400
pounds phosphoric acid and 1907
pounds potash.
The feed and bedding for the
horses and cows carried 529 pounds
Of nitrogen, 2o7 pounds phosphoric
acid and 576 pounds potash The
mixed manure weighed 1880 pounds
and carried 551 pounds Of nitrogen,
1916 pounds phosphoric acid and 3s4
pounds potash.
Seventy nine per cent Of the nitro
gen, 81 per cent Of the phosphoric
acid and 81 per cent Of the potash in
the feeding stuffs used were found
in the sheep manure and 81 per cent
OF the nitrogen, Sc per cent of the
phosphoric acid and 81 per cent of the
potash in the food and bedding given
the cows and horses was found in
the mixed manure. The recovery of
the plant food. in the case of sheep
was as high as one could expect and
agrees with the theory very we'll in
deed. In the case Of the manure
from the horses and cows the trough
behind the cows was not water tight
and there were not sufficient alb
sorbents used to take up all the LIQUID
excreta. Also the horses were used
more or less upon the road and their
droppinss when they were out Of the
barn were lost
These trials with the manure plat
form and swine indicate that by a
little care most Of the plant food can
he conserved and that the profit on
the swine will make good returns on
the Investment and the added plant
food saved will all be clear profit
And this conserved plant food will in
many cases be the difference, between
keeping livestock at profit or keep
ing them at loss.
The manure platform which was
built for handling this manure in an
economical way is working satisfac-
tOrfly. 1t can he cheanly ;pe<,NoS