146 Our Farming. 



saves them for a fertilizer. It takes but little. Two or three 

 barrels will answer very well in our horse stable for one summer. 

 But now we have the manure all saved from waste in the 

 stable, what shall we do wath it when we take it out ? If it is 

 thrown out under eaves, or where much rain water will leach 

 through it, we shall lose much of what we have worked so hard 

 inside to save. Not a few say now, " Draw it directly to the field 

 as you take it from the stable." Where the conditions are right 

 this is a good practice. On land where there will be no waste 

 from washing, and particularly to put on a sod for corn, this is an 

 excellent way to do, and still I believe there is a better, as spoken 

 of in the last subject treated, clover. I am very strong in the 

 opinion that our manure can be used to best advantage on our 

 renovating crop. I know there are advantages in drawing manure 

 out fresh during the winter. Many would save loss in the yard 

 and get work done and out of the way, and done when time was 

 of little value, still it does not necessarily follow that this is the 

 wisest plan. I certainly would never do it where there was danger 

 of surface wash. There is danger on my farm, I know. I 

 spread manure early in March, once, on land that is nearly level, 

 and where the wash was across twelve acres of wheat below, also 

 nearly level, and a large quantity of colored water reached the 

 swamp below, when snow went off with a heavy rain. I waded 

 around in it and could have kicked myself with a right good will 

 for being such a fool. Some say the manure water, passing over 

 soil, all fertility will be taken up. All bosh! This will do to 

 talk, but a close observer in the field knows better. Possibly this 

 might be the case if the wash w 7 as an even flow all over a field, 

 but it is not often. It flows off in little rills, finally collecting 

 into a larger stream usually; and most of the fertility goes with 

 it, that is, what water can leach out. Some writers have claimed 

 that colored water is not manure. Absorbents take up the urine 

 in my stable and hold it. I draw the manure out and spread it. 

 Does any one doubt that rain falling on it will wash that urine 

 out of the straw ? A neighbor manured a quite level clay field 

 last spring. Late in March I rode by there in a heavy rain and a 

 large stream of colored water w r as running off of the field and into 

 a nearby creek. There is no question but that he was meeting with 

 considerable loss. Some put the manure in small piles when they 

 draw it out, partly to save washing. I haven't a word to say in 

 favor of this practice. I would not do it. They will waste 

 around the edges and the leachings will make the ground 

 beneath over rich. There are farms where manure can be safely 

 spread on the surface at any time, but there are many where it can 

 not be, and I have one. I was obliged to save it in some other 

 way, and I would not spread now in winter if I could, for reasons 

 given in clover chapter. 



Now, how could I best save it in the yard until the suitable 

 ime for me to get it out ? I first did it by careful piling, away 



