THE MONTHLY UI'LLETIN. 



225 



SAMPLING TUBES FOR MANURE, ALFALFA OR OTHER 

 ORGANIC MATERIALS. 



By A. D. Shamel, U. S. Department of Agriculture*. 



During recent years there has been a growing interest amongst citrus 

 growers in California in the use of organic materials as mulches for cit- 

 rus orchards, or for use in connection with the feeding of citrus trees. 

 Large amounts of manure, alfalfa, bean straw or other similar organic 

 materials are being used at the present time in California citrus 

 orchards and the increasing demands have resulted in the raising of 



Fig. 54. — Manure sampling tube. This photograph 

 was taken at a time when a car of manure was 

 nnt available for sampling, so that it shows the 

 manure sampling tube being used to sample a 

 bale of alfalfa hay for the purpose of making a 

 test of the water content of the alfalfa. The tin 

 rans used for holding the samples during drying 

 are the same as those used for holding soil 

 samples, and they are used in the same way that 

 BOll samples are handled in order to determine 

 the water content of same. The tube is about 

 six feet long and the inside diameter is about two 

 inches. 



prices for these materials in many instances. The higher cost of these 

 organic mulches and fertilizers has led some citrus growers to carefully 

 consider the method of handling and using them and the comparative 

 costliness of the different materials. Several different methods of 

 valuing these materials have been practiced, the more common ones 

 being the value per ton, and the value per cubic foot. 

 2—30331 



