Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1911 — Winter Months on the Farm [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Winter Months on the Farm

How to Improve Them

i i. .ll How to Care for Manures Method* of Handling, Storing eqd Applying, to ' Cowave Fertility end Get Mod Profitable Returns

By PROF. E. B. HART

H'bceorfn CoO*. of Agrkakun

The waste of fertilizers through the careless management of farm manures throughout the United States Is enormous. ' The estimated value of manure produced In the entire country from all classes of" live stock Is $2,225,700,000. At least one-third of this is totally lost, which means that a value of $750,000,000 annually drains away from the manure heaps, passes In ammonia vapor into the air, or is otherwise lost beyond recovery. All of this may be prevented by observing some simple principles in the care of stable manure, which will prevent these losses by heating and leaching. The methods of handling manure have Improved to a great extent during recent years due to the introduo-

tlon of Improved machinery, such as manure carriers and spreaders, which make It possible to handle jnanures with less labor. The improvement of sanitary conditions, especially on dairy farms, which require the frequent cleaning of stables and the use of considerable amount of litter has also Improved the methods pf handling manure. The greatest waste occurs, however; in piling manure carelessly, allowing It to heat, and thus lose the nitrogen by leaching out rains and drainage waters. Our streams and rivers are rich with leached fertilisers. This Is impossible to recover. Another 'great waste, particularly in the United States, Is in liquid manures, for which. In many cases, no method of preserving Is practiced. In European countries liquid manures are very carefully saved and taken to the fields, being stored in cisterns or absorbed with good absorbent litters. Best Absorbent to Use. The principal value of an absorbent or litter in a stable Is to retain liquids and thus keep the animal and the stable clean. A sufficient amount of finely cut litter should be used to entirely absorb the liquids and not pack down In a wet soggy condition. A tight gutter with plenty of litter will solve the problem of saving liquid manures without the need of a cistern or drainage pipes, which are difficult to keep dean. When straw Is used for bedding it Is best to cut it in short lengths so that

it la a good absorbent. Shredded corn stalks are very effective, which Is another argument In favor of the use of silage, particularly in dairy cattle. ▲ quantity of the heavy stalks is usually not eaten by the animals and makes the very best bedding. Shavings are quite frequently used and are a good absorbent Farmers sometimes complain of the bad effecta of manures containing shavings upon some crops, and to prevent Injury of this character. It Is best to thoroughly rot the manures containing shavings. Tight floors are essential to save liquids, but most Important Is to ups plenty of bedding. .Haul Manure Dally. The regular spreading of farm manures In the fields dally saves the greatest amount of fertilisers, as there Is practically no loss from 1 sacking. Manure ArnU set be spread upon frozen ground anises it la level, or upon hilly land where washing rains are likely to carry it away. On a fiat level field manure may be spread on enow with no danger of

loss. When applied to the fields marl nure should be spread uniformly over' the land and not in small heaps, as; the latter method Is wasteful of fertilizer materials. It also Involves, more labor to spread these piles later' In the season, and the pile of manure can never be so effectively distributed as when freshly hauled. The rate of application of manures Is frequently too heavy. It Is much better to apply a light application frequently and to put the manure on thickly once in several years. Over eight to ten tons should never be used for In such cases a large amount of the fertilizer is lost and Is not saved up for future crops. Greater yields will— be secured from a given amount of manure by applylngl

It moderately to a large area than It it is applied thicker on a small area. Loss from drainage Is very heavy where the application is excessive. Storing Manure In Piles. Contrary to the belief of many farmers, It Is an easy matter to pile manure In the open In a way that will allow no loss of fertilizing elements. The trick of this consists in making a square or rectangular pile with perpendicular sides and the top sloping toward the center so that the manure will always he kept moist Only dry manure heats and loses ammonia, moisture counteracting this loss. The pile should be made deep enough, so that the heaviest rains or snows will not wet dear through to the bottom and cause leaching. This Is not difficult since a pile three or four feet deep will absorb even the heaviest rains. Such piles may be placed upon a tight board floor or a piece of puddled clay or even ordinary soli without danger of loss. The essential factor Is to keep the top of the pile hollow so that moisture funs into the manure, Instead of off of It, as occurs la the ordinary cone-shaped pile, which we so frequently see behind the barn Storage of Manure In Sheds.

A combined manure storage shed and shelter for stock may be used to advantage on many farms. Where the manure Id so stored it must be kept moist, since drying out will result In fire f&nglng. A tight floor in such a shed Is unnecessary, providing moisture is not excessive, and sufficient Utter being used In the stable. Where manure Is stored In the stable and becomes dry, It should be thoroughly wet down to prevent further loss of ammonia. There is no damage to the manure from animals walking over It, providing it is kept sufficiently moist. Supplementing farm manures with other fertilizers by mixing them in the stable is very generally practiced with good results. One pound of rock phosphate or floats per day for each animal, sprinkled on the manure in the stable will generally provide sufficient phosphate fertilizer to make the manure Ideal for most crops. Other absorbents, such as gypsum or land plasters, are quite generally used, since they aid somewhat in absorbing liquids. Avoid Ashsa With Manura. Farmers need to be cautioned generally against the use of wood ashes and lime with manure. The ashes and lime produce an alkaline condition, resulting In the loes of the ammonia which carries off the nitrogen. This point has not been sufficiently emphasised, and many well meaning farmers have used ashes and Urns with manure to disadvantage. The Ume and ashes, if needed by the soil, should be put on In other years than those In which farm manure is applied. On light soils, where coarse manure Is likely to make the soli atlll lighter, rotted manure should be uaed. Manure may be rotted under sheds by keeping it always moist If a fesd outtar la available, it should be used to cut the litter, as the manure may be handled easier and its absorbing power will be increased.

Over $750,000,000 worth of fertility annually drains away from the manure plies behind the barns of American farmers. This loss could easily be prevented by good care.

The manure pile should have a hollow top which will hold moisture and keep the pile wet.