1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 29 



deal more water than the same amount of sand. Still 

 further, the manure that is produced from sawdust is in 

 much finer mechanical condition, and better fitted for use on 

 market gardens or anywhere else. 



Mr. Hersey. Would you use sawdust for bedding? 



Professor Whitcher. Yes, sir. I do not believe that 

 two or three bushels of sawdust mixed with several million 

 pounds of earth will very greatly disturb the soil, the farmer, 

 or anybody else. I do not think there is any damage what- 

 ever from the use of sawdust ; and I do think there are great 

 advantages in getting the manure in a fine mechanical 

 condition. 



Mr. R. L. Sadd of Connecticut. I would like to ask 

 the professor what he considers the best method of preserv- 

 ing the liquid manure, and how to apply it in order to get 

 the best results? Do we not save it all if we have a tijjht 

 cellar under the cows ? 



Professor Whitcher. Do I understand that you want to 

 save the manure as liquid manure? 



Mr. Sadd. How are we to save it and apply it to the 

 soil? 



Professor Wiiitciier. My idea would be to use sawdust 

 or leaf mold for bedding, which would absorb all the 

 urine. 



Mr. Sadd. Could you save it any better than you could 

 by putting it into a tight cellar? 



Professor Whitcher. I have never had any experience 

 with these tight cellars, but I have an idea that the manure 

 would be very apt to come out very wet and in bad shape 

 to handle. I don't know whether you use any bedding, 

 or not. 



Mr. Sadd. We use bog hay for bedding, and save it in 

 that way. We increase the value of the manure, we think, 

 nearly double by doing so. 



Professor Whitcher. The only thing I can surest is 

 that you must use enough bedding to absorb all the urine. 



Mr. Sadd. Have you ever tried any experiments to 

 determine the relative value of solid and liquid manures? 



Professor Whitcher. No, sir; I have not. It has been 

 tested in England, but not in this country. 



