54 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



6-7 EDWARD Vll., A. 1907 



■would if he allowed the manure to accumulate in piles that receive little or no care 

 and which, therefore, must waste by excessive fermentation or leaching, or both. 



While ground gypsum (land plaster) can undoubtedly be used with benefit in the 

 stable to absorb or fix the ammonia so readily and rapidly formed from the urine, our 

 experiments would make it apparent that when added directly to the manure pile, its 

 action in preventing loss of nitrogen is extremely feeble. 



The question is frequently asked: if manure spread upon the field dries before it 

 is ploughed under, what loss, if any, is there of its nitrogen? Experiments conducted 

 to ascertain information on this point showed conclusively that when manure is 

 spread in thin layers and allowed to dry out, fermentation is rapidly arrested, and that 

 the loss from volatilization of the ammonia is very small and may be disregarded unless 

 the manure is in a state of exceedingly active fermentation when spread upon the field. 



The most recent experiments in the preservation of manure have been those under- 

 taken to learn what changes or losses occur during the winter months when manure 

 is piled in, large heaps (about 12 tons) and small heaps (about 600 lbs.) respectively. 

 The results from this series are not yet ready for publication, but it may be stated that 

 the data furnish most satisfactory evidence that there is no appreciable loss so long 

 as the method of piling and the temperature ensure that the manure remains frozen 

 Under ihe climatic conditions prevailing at the time when the experiment was begun 

 (January) the fermentation of the manure in the smaller heaps was immediately 

 arrested, the manure freezing solid within 24 hours. In the larger heaps, however, 

 fermentation was only temporarily checked on the outside, and after a few days pro- 

 ceeded with vigour, resulting in great loss of humus and nitrogen. 



If, on the other hand, when the large heap is made by daily additions, and the 

 temperature is such that each application of manure is frozen before the succeeding 

 one is put on, no fermentation ensues. The frost gradually left the heap as spring 

 advanced, but at the time when it was considered desirable to spread the manure there 

 had been no heating. 



FOKAGE CEOP: GRASSES, RAPE, INDIAN CORN, ETC. 



The relative value from the feeding standpoint, of the larger number of the 

 native and introduced grasses has been ascertained. The analyses, in all about 200, 

 have enabled us also to advise as to the stage of growth or period at which grasses 

 should be cut for hay, for we have traced by chemical means the general changes 

 that take place in their composition as they approach maturity. In the majority 

 of instances the fact was well brought out that there was a serious deteriora- 

 tion during the latter stages of the plant's life, pointing to the desirability of cutting 

 before the seed has been fully ripened. Examination of many native grasses from 

 the prairies of Manitoba and the Northwest showed that they were highly nutritious 

 and that the naturally cured grasses possessed valuable feeding qualities. 



A very thorough study of the chemistry of the Indian corn plant as grown for 

 the silo has been made. This work extended over several seasons and included the 

 examination of several varieties (both Dent and Flint), the determination of the 

 changes in food value at several stages in the plant's growth, ^d the effect of sowing 

 broadcast, and in drills and in hills. Many lessons of practical value are to be learnt 

 from the results of this investigation, e.g., the desirability of planting varieties that 

 will siifficiently mature before frost; the necessity of plenty of room, both above and 

 beiow ground,- for the steady, vigorous development of the plant — and hence the folly 

 of sowing broadcast; the benefit to be derived by allowing the corn to come to the 

 'glazing' stage before cutting. These, and many other points of practical interest, 

 were brought out by this research. 



In much the same way the life history of rape, sugar beets and other crops has 

 been followed up, sometimes with the view of tracing the feeding value at various 



