302 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



made in the spring, but there is little danger from heavy appli- 

 cations the preceding fall or winter. For ordinary farm condi- 

 tions the use of fresh manure is preferable. 



Poultry manure presents a different problem from ordinary 

 manure and we will consider it briefly. It is high in nitrogen 

 and ver}' dry, so that it decomposes and loses nitrogen easily, 

 especially during warm weather. To prevent this decomposi- 

 tion and absorb the ammonia formed, the fresh manure should 

 be thoroughly mixed with ^ome material like muck or earth. 

 The following mixture is recommended : For ten pounds of 

 poultry manure use four pounds of sawdust or dried muck, four 

 pounds of acid phosphate and two pounds of kainit. The saw- 

 dust or muck acts as an absorbent and the other materials make 

 it a more evenly balanced plant food. Even if the other mate- 

 rials are not added some absorbent should be mixed with 

 manure and in many cases it would be well to scatter it over 

 the dropping boards. 



In conclusion, I would emphasize the value of manure as a 

 fertilizer. It supplies the elements of plant food in varying 

 forms of availability so that it has a lasting effect which is not 

 possessed by commercial fertilizers. It also has considerable 

 humus value, its decomposition in the soil makes plant food 

 available and it improves the structure of the soil. We do not, 

 and never will, keep enough live stock so that we can keep up 

 the fertility of the soil by manure alone. This does not detract 

 from its value nor mean that we cannot get better returns 

 from the manure produced on our farms than we are doing at 

 present. 



QueSi. How much manure would you recommend for grass 

 land? 



Ans. Eight or ten tons would be a fair application. If you 

 had the manure to spare you could apply more and get propor- 

 tional results. 



Ques. What per cent of the manure is lost by seepage from 

 the ordinary barn cellar more than if taken immediately to a 

 tank stored under the barn? 



Ans. W' e cannot say definitely ; it would depend on the con- 

 ditions, — how readily the soil absorbs moisture, how w^ell the 

 liquid manure is absorbed, etc. 



