Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-10-21
Manurial Value OF Feeding stuffs.
CAN THIS BE RECOVERED (coNsERvED)
ON ORDINARY FARMS?

The proportion of the total nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash Of feeds
which may be recovered In the manure
depends upon the age and kind Of AMI
NAL. Considering the young growing
animals, those giving milk and those do
Ing work 1t is common text book esti-
mate "that from the feed supplied farm
stock about 80 per cent of the nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash is ordinarily
in the feces and the urine" How much
OF this may actually find its way back to
the soil Is OF prime Importance in eco-
nomic farming.
In the experiment in sheep husbandry
begun In 1914 at Highmoor Farm by the
Maine Agricultural Experiment 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, an Is ordinarily prac-
ticed everywhere. As the value of the
manure is of great importance In the
margin between profit and loss an expert
ment was conducted 80 that the manure
would be stored under what seemed to
be the best conditions practicable for an
ordinary farmer. The plan was to keep
account of all food eaten, store the ma
nure In water-tight manure platform
and keep 1t worked by swine so as to
prevent fire-fanging. 1t was arranged
so that, If the surface dried, liquid from
the lower part Of the platform could be
pumped over the top, or 1t could If
necessary be wet with water from the
hose. As there are two cows and three
horses kept during the winter at the
farm, the manure platform was built in
two sections so that an experiment with
this mixed manure could be carried on
at the same time as that from the sheep.
The feed aud bedding used by the
about 100 sheep consisted of 52,575
pounds Of mixed hay, 7,075 pounds oat
straw, 5000 pounds Gull apples, "a, $50
pounds rutabaga turnips, 4,700 pounds
bran, 900 pounds middlings, 1900 pounds
corn meal, 2,160 pounds oat, 475 pounds
linseed meal and 200 pounds of gluten
meal. The cows and horses used "a, $50
pounds mixed hay, $3.50 pounds straw,
l 900 pounds bran, 1900 pounds corn
meal and cracked corn, 4,625 pounds
oats, 800 pounds gluten meal, 300 pounds
linssed meal and 100 pounds middlings.
A bunch of swine were kept on the ma
nure so that they could so from one
part of the manure platform to the
other. They were fed 10,S50 pounds
1,700 pounds corn, 1000
pounds middlings and 500 pounds 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 sampled
and analysed but their plant food con-
tent was computed from average analy-
ses of similar materials. The manure
was weighed when 1t was drawn to the
fields and each load was sampled. The
finsl composite sample Of each kind OF
manure was anslyzed.
The feed Qncluding that of the swine)
and the bedding for the sheep carried
approximately lit pounds nitrogen,
564 pounds phosphoric acid and 14S5
pounds potash. The sheep manure
weighed 125, ,705 pounds and carried 93l
pounds of nitrogen, 400 pounds phos
phoric acid and 1907 pounds potash.
The feed and bedding for the horses
and cows carried 529 pounds of nitrogen,
207 pounds phosphoric acid and 576
pounds potash. The mixed manure
weighed 76,s70 pounds and carried 351
pounds of nitrogen, 146 pounds pbos-
phoric acid and SS4 pounds potash.
Seventy nine per cent of the nitrogen,
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,
SO per cent of the phosphorid 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 recov-
cry 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 absorbents used to
take up all the liquid excreta. Also the
horses were used more or less upon the
road and their droppings when they
were out of the barn were lost.
These trials with the manure platform
and swine indicate that by little care
most of the plant food can be 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 diff
ference between keeping livestock at
a profit and keeping them at loss.
The manure platform which was built
for handling this manure in an economi-
cal way is working satisfactorily. 1t
can be cheaply installed and will pay Its
cost the first year. II will be described
in another letter in this series.-Chas.
D. Woods, Director.