DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 299 



and loss by leaching is prevented. One disadvantage is that 

 the manure may dry out and heat and thus suffer considerable 

 loss. This is especially true of horse manure. If hogs were 

 allowed to work it over, there would be little danger of loss on 

 this account. Unless manure stored in this way is kept com- 

 pact and moist a roof is of doubtful help. That is, there is no 

 advantage in placing a roof over a manure pile, if we are to 

 allow it to heat. The spout from the gutters could be fixed so 

 that it could be turned upon the manure pile in case it began to 

 heat, but it might be necessary to apply water sometimes to 

 prevent all loss. 



The manure pit is of considerable value in conserving manure. 

 By this, I mean a cement pit wnthout a roof in which the manure 

 is placed. The advantage of this is that there is no loss by 

 leaching, and the rain keeps the manure moist and prevents 

 fermentation, but it may be necessary to handle an excess of 

 water. Both of these seem to be feasible and practical plans 

 for storing manure, if it is removed from the stable daily and 

 yet cannot be spread out on the fields at frequent intervals. 

 I have already shown you the loss that manure suffers from 

 leaching. The Ohio Experiment Station compared the plant 

 food content of manure produced by steers fed on a cement 

 floor, and the same number fed on an earth floor. The earth 

 floor has been used for this purpose for several years and was 

 thoroughly tramped. The manure was allowed to accumulate 

 under the feet of the animals and with such conditions we 

 would expect little loss. The analyses showed that the cement 

 floor saved 13% more of the nitrogen and *io% more of the 

 potassium in the feed than the dirt floor. The loss was by 

 seepage of the liquid manure into the earth floor. This loss is 

 small and would not mean very much in crop production for 

 any one year, but during several years it would mean the loss 

 of a considerable amount of plant food. This simply calls at- 

 tention to the necessity for taking steps to prevent this loss if 

 we are to secure the very best possible results from manure. 



There are, however, many farms where manure must be piled 

 out of doors for a considerable length of time. Where this 

 must be done, the manure should be placed in a high, compact 

 pile. In most cases this can be done without much more 

 labor than is required when it is spread over a considerable 



