The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1951-02-22
NOBLE SOIL
CONSERVATION NEWS
WYNTFP CONSERVATION

H4N1LA So1NoER n kOTN
Many of us consider the art
of Conservation a new one. This
is not true, because we know that
since the day when primitive
man first broke the virgin soil
with his wooden plow, Mother
Nature has constantly fought
soil depletion.
The art Of conservation is not
new. 1t has been practiced for
centuries, but conservation has
never been able to keep pace
with soil depletion. Consequent
ly erosion has been taking q
heavy toll of the broad acres OF
rich black land.
During the cropping season we
employ such practices as contour
strip cropping, pasture improve
ment, woodland management,
and the application of lime and
fertilizer, but during the winter
we are content to tend the live
stock and await the coming OF
spring.
There are many things we can
do during the winter months to
help our conservation program
The most common one is the
handling of manure. BY pro-
perly handling manure we give
back to the fields each year a
large share of the basic soil
nutrients, such as Nitrogen,
Phosphorus acid, Potash and
Organic Matter. In addition to
producing increased yields, the
use of organic fertilizer, such as
barnyard or artificial manures,
are thought to assist growing
crops in developing increased re-
sistance to disease, and to help
them provide more nearly COM
plete nutrition for animals and
for man.
All animals produce a certain
amount of manure. The annual
Weld of manure per 1000 lbs. of
weight are as follows: Cow, Is
tons; Steer, 812 tons; Horse, 9
tons; Hog, Is tons; Sheep, 6 tons;
and Chickens, Az tons: This
amounts to quite a large sum at
1884 per ton. Of course, about
l-3 is dropped in pasture, and a
part is lost in paved lots and
lanes.
Each ton of fresh barnyard
manure contains about the
equivalent of 100 lbs. of 10-5-10
fertilizer, and an ordinary pile
of manure will lose about 500 of
it's value in ga months, this
means we can easily lose several
hundred dollars from an average
farm. This loss of plant food is
washed out by rains, lost as gas,
and through decay.
There are many ways we can
save manure, first of course, is
to have tight floors and plenty
of bedding, with these two we
can utilize the maximum amount
of both solids and liquids. The
use of Superphospate in the gut
ters will prevent the escape OF
Nitrogen as Ammonia Gas, and
also help to balance the fertiliz-
er application. Even on frozen
ground there is little loss in
value.
By spreading manure daily we
not only divide the work so it
never becomes major task, but
it is the simplest and most eff
fective way to prevent loss of
the fertilizer elements.
When manure must be stored,
losses can be held to a minimum
if kept in moist tightly packed
piles. Also where terrain per-
mits, the droppings in pastures
should be spread with a harrow,
this will prevent accumulations
and uneven grazing.
Top dressing small grain
should be given top priority, for
here added fertility will increase
Yields especially on heavier
soils, but it is a good practice to
apply manure on pastures and
meadows to stimulate better
growth.
In spreading manure there are
a few things to watch-Avoid
heavy applications on grains ii
there is a tendency to lodge,
Because of the accident hazard
and implement tracks, do not
attempt to put manure on steep
hillsides and ice sheets. Fresh
hog and horse manure will
sometimes cause scab and worm
injury on potatoes, this would
be a suitable place for decayed
manure. Bedding from other
farms should be watched closely
for this is good way to in
troduce weed seeds. Too much
slow acting manure sometimes
delays maturity of crops, apply
strawey manure early. Manure
is only part of balanced pro-
gram of soil management. II
cannot replace lime, nor can il
replace good tillage.
Lets remember "Soil, water
minerals, vegetables and anima
life-those are the basic of oui
existance and the measure Of
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