Till. .\lu\TIII.Y BULLETIN. 



227 



sii on, until a complete sample of the manure is obtained from the 



ld|i to the bottom of the pile. 1 1' desirable, more t lian one set of samples 

 can lie made in different portions of the pile of manure, the necessity 

 for which will depend upon the condition of the manure. The samples 

 arc then placed in a drying oven and reduced to a dry basis. The 

 difference in weight between the fresh samples taken from the pile < 

 manure and their weight after drying will give the amount of water 

 contained in them. The percentage of water can then be computed on 

 the basis of the dry weight of the samples. 



The sampling tube used for securing representative samples from 

 bales of alfalfa, bean straw, corn stalks or other organic materials, as 





-Sampling 



1 1 1 ■ ■ tor alfalfa ha 

 trganie materials. 



a otlifi- bailed 



shown in the accompanying illustration. Fig. 56, is like the manure 

 sampling tube excepting that it is shorter. The baled hay sampling 

 tube is about :! feet in length, about - inches in diameter and is arranged 

 with a cutting edge similar to that of the manure sampling tube. The 

 samples of the alfalfa, bean straw or other materials are dried in a 

 similar manner to that used for drying the manure samples, and the 

 per cent of water is calculated in the same way. 



The samples of organic materials are forced out of the tube by the 

 use of the twisting handle. This handle is made of iron, and is dropped 

 in at the top of the tube onto the samples in the tube until they are 



forced out into the drying cans. 



