422 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 



nitrogen of the food is recovered, while if both solid and liquid are 

 utilized, three-fourths of the nitrogen is secured. The ordinary horse 

 produces about fifty pounds of manure per day which while by itself 

 of questionable value, is well known to be valuable when mixed with 

 cow manure. 



An average farm with six cows and four horses will produce in 

 the barnyard probably fifty tons of manure per annum which, in com- 

 parison with commercial fertilizer, has a cash value of about |250. 

 The nitrogen in commercial fertilizer represents about ^ of its value, 

 therefore, the nitrogen in the natural fertilizer would be worth ap- 

 proximately |80 per year on the average farm. Two-thirds of this 

 nitrogen is in the liquid manure and if this is wasted the farmer 

 is losing at least $50 each year, but during the last two years on 

 2,400 farms in the State this valuable product which two years ago 

 was permitted to drain into the streams is being saved, representing 

 a total saving of at least |120,000 a year to the farmers of the State. 

 The total cost of making the necessary improvements on these 

 premises probably did not exceed |20,000, and the saving to the 

 farmers of the State in one year exceeded the total cost both to the 

 farmer and to the State in not only conserving wasted fertilizer but 

 in protecting streams from pollution and our people from water 

 borne diseases. The older civilizations of Europe, and even China, 

 in their intensive farming long ago learned the value of liquid 

 manure, and perhaps for this reason alone and without any idea of 

 protecting the purity of their streams or the health of their people 

 have carefully retained this natural fertilizer and not permitted it to 

 be wasted. 



Just now all this means a greater saving to the farmer than ever 

 before in the history of this country on account of the extremely 

 high price of artificial fertilizer. It is very gratifying to me to be 

 able to report that the farmers are beginning to realize the value as 

 a fertilizer of this liquid which heretofore has been treated as a 

 waste. I have often been asked why some of my hillside crops are 

 irregularly streaked with dark green — it is because I have a primitive 

 method of spraying manure water with a hogshead and a hose which 

 does not spray the water uniformly, therefore, the vigorous stalks 

 of wheat that have received more than their usual measure of food 

 show this dark green color. 



This is a day on conservation of our natural growth. As we look 

 Over our naked mountains we regret the waste of our timber lands. 

 Men are spending much time and thought upon devices to utilize the 

 waste thrown out in former years from our coal mines, and so the 

 farmer must realize as well that in the past he has not been getting 

 the full value from his soil. Our farm lands must produce more if 

 our ever increasing population is to be fed and if the soil is to feed 

 us to must in turn be few. We must no longer waste our most valu- 

 able fertilizer. I regret to report that many of us are continuing 

 to allow our most valuable fertilizer to be washed away. There are 

 one thousand barnyards which have come under our notice that 

 have not yet been improved. We hope that by another year this 

 number may at least be greatly diminished. 



