74 Effective Farming 



32. Methods of handling manure. From the foregoing 

 statements it is plain that much of the value of manure can 

 be lost by careless handling. In fact it has been estimated 

 that about one-third of the value of the manure of the United 

 States is lost annually and that this annual loss amounts to 

 $708,466,000. Much of the loss can be prevented by the 

 proper handling of the product. It is, of course, necessary for 

 the farmer to adapt the method to his particular circumstances, 

 keeping in mind the value of the manure, the ease with which 



FIG. 25. The wrong way to store manure, piling it by the roadside. 



organic matter and plant-food are lost, the kind of farm he 

 maintains, and the practicability of handling the manure in a 

 particular way. Fig. 25 shows the wrong way to store manure. 

 Hauling manure direct to the field. If the farming ran be 

 so arranged, it is advisable to haul the manure from the stable 

 daily and spread it on the field at once. Many farmers have 

 adopted this method successfully. They try always to have 

 some field on which the manure can be spread, and to save 

 spaces near roads for muddy days. In the winter in cold cli- 

 mates the manure may be spread on the snow or on the frozen 

 ground without much loss of fertility. In the case of a dairy 



