The Question Box. 271 



cept it is washed off, nor can there be any loss of nitrogen unless 

 the temperature is raised to at least seventy degrees. 

 A Farmer. — I draw my manure out every day. 

 " Mr. Cook. — I do not believe, all things considered, that there 

 is any better time to draw out manure than the day it ie made. 

 Possibly, if it were kept till it rotted and no loss of nitrogen 

 were allowed, it would be worth more, but the cost of caring 

 for it would more than overbalance that item. There will be no 

 loss of the mineral element in manure drawn out and so spread, 

 nor none of nitrogen unless fermentation sets in, which can not 

 take place unless the temperature gets pretty high. When you 

 see the smoke rising from a manure heap you may know that it 

 is nitrogen — worth fourteen cents per pound. 



Mr. Hardy.— Draw it out every day it is made, and spread it. 

 It will never be as valuable again. The loss is absolutely less 

 when it is so disposed of than in any other way. 



Would you advise putting manure on the snow on winter wlieat? 



A Farmer. — Draw it out and spread it on every day. Nothing 

 will be lost from such disposal. 



Which is better, to store manure in a pit or cellar until fall or draw it 

 out and spread on the land while fresh? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — I think it much better to draw it out as 

 fast as made, liquids and all, and spread it where it will be 

 wanted. I would not spread it on steep hill sides, especially if 

 they were icy, as it would wash off. Manure cellars are too ex- 

 pensive. Beside that, the manure, when placed in them, has to 

 be handled twice; another expense. 



Mr. Ward. — Manure drawn out as fast as made and spread 

 on the ground will not get away, even when the ground is frozen, 

 except it were on an icy hillside. 



Dr. Van Slyke. — As a rule, nitrogen in such manure does not 

 get away. There must be a temperature of about seventy de- 

 grees to affect nitrogen so as to change it into a soluble form. 

 But there can be but little, if any, loss from phosphoric acid or 

 potash, they being minerals. But in some instances there may 

 be a slight loss from these sources. There is a little coloring 

 matter in manure which we sometimes see mnniTig away, and 



